(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please CLICK HERE)
Eagles - "Best of My Love"
Hit Number 1: March 1, 1975
Stay at Number 1: 1 Week
The most intriguing thing about "Best of My Love" is how many factors played into its creation. By the mid-'70s, the Eagles were already well-established stars, and they had nothing to prove to anyone. They released what could arguably be one of the best debut albums an artist(s) has ever had, with their self-titled Eagles spawning three singles, all of them bangers. (The most successful of those three singles was "Witchy Woman" which made it to #9 on the Hot 100. It's an 8. The other two, "Take It Easy" and "Peaceful Easy Feeling," are also 8s) Their next album, Desperado, wasn't quite as awesome in my opinion, but there was no lack of success with that one either. The point is, the Eagles had made their mark in the music world a while before "Best of My Love," which would turn out to be their first #1 hit. And some of the relationships the Eagles had in the music business, a result from their instant success, is a big part of why "Best of My Love" ever existed.
The funny thing is that the members of the Eagles have different stories on where the song came from. J.D. Souther said that the song came from primarily Glenn Frey, who was trying to recreate the sound that came from some obscure Fred Neil record. Frey, though, said that the song's tune came from messing around with the tuning on his guitar after working with Joni Mitchell. Henley said that the lyrics were written down in a restaurant in Los Angeles that the band were regulars at, and they would study the women and relationship drama in front of them while they were there. But I've also seen some accounts that the lyrics were written based off of Henley's own breakup with his girlfriend at the time, so as far as the truth goes about where "Best of My Love" came from, there isn't a clear answer. All that we know is that the song sounds like a sweet, soft love song but it's really a song about a failing relationship. That and the song would become the first chart-topper for one of America's most beloved groups.
In my opinion, the Eagles have one of the most interesting music catalogue rabbit holes out there. It would be so easy to label them as "soft rock," but other songs such as "Witchy Woman" and "Life in the Fast Lane" would beg to differ with that. ("Life in the Fast Lane" is one of the more forgotten about songs the Eagles have had, likely because it was on the Hotel California album, and was overshadowed by other songs on that album, which we'll talk about later on in this blog series. It did still peak at #11, though. It's a 7) There's so many different good Eagles songs out there that I could bring up, but for the sake of not making this entry a million words long, we'll stop there and focus more on "Best of My Love," the reason why I'm even talking about the band. But this is what's so weird about all of this. The Eagles have had several great bangers that they've released, and somehow the slow, sleepy ballad "Best of My Love" holds the distinction of being their first #1 hit.
Even the Eagles' most underwhelming songs hold some form of appeal, though. In the case of "Best of My Love," Don Henley's lead vocal is tender, and even sincere. The soft guitar strums don't add much, but they're strictly there to support Henley, which they do a good job at. There's also that classic Eagles harmony sound that's so easy to sit back, relax, and enjoy. But that's basically all I get out of "Best of My Love". It's a song perfect for background noise. We're presented with a guy who knows his relationship is failing, but he's willing to accept that. He still feels he gave this girl the best of his love, and he did all he could for her. So, it's also not a very exciting plot to the song. It's just a sleepy, sappy soft rock love song that sounds just like a million other songs in the mid-'70s. Other than the harmonies, it doesn't quite have that classic Eagles sound. But this wouldn't be the last time the Eagles would find #1. They still had yet to show the world how truly great they could be, and we'll see evidence of that the next time they appear in this blog.
GRADE: 6/10
IN POP CULTURE:
Rod Stewart is one of a handful of artists that decided to cover "Best of My Love." His version doesn't get carried away, as it shouldn't, but it still manages to rock harder than the Eagles' version. I might even like it a tad more than the Eagles' version. Here's his cover:
(Rod Stewart has already appeared in this blog once, and he will again later on)
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