(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 - "One of These Nights"
Hit Number 1: August 2, 1975
Stay at Number 1: 1 Week
The Eagles were sick of being a country rock band, and they were sick of writing ballads. This was a little bit surprising because they were making lots of money and selling lots of records doing this. One might think, why would you want to get away from what was making you famous? Why would you ditch what was working? Well, part of that might have come from the fact that Glenn Frey was starting to listen to a bunch of soul records by the Spinners and Al Green, and was inspired by them. If the Eagles were anything like me, they might have also gotten sick of old ballads because those songs are so draining. Don't get me wrong, they can be pleasant on the ears, and the Eagles album has banger after banger on it, but a lot of people can only take so much of the mellow sound. The Eagles were looking for a new sound, and one that would allow them to "rock out" a little bit harder.
Enter Don Felder into the band, and suddenly the Eagles were capable of rocking out harder, just like they wanted. Felder was recruited by the Eagles to play some slide guitar on a couple of their songs, and not long after that the Eagles offered Felder a permanent spot in the band. Eagles hit #1 earlier in 1975 with "Best of My Love," which is exactly the kind of song they were wanting to get away from. Again, songs like "Best of My Love" don't have anything wrong with them; they're nice easy-listening tunes, but the Eagles were clearly burned out with those songs. The album One of These Nights was the official departure from their old soft country rock songs, and in my opinion, this was when the Eagles really got good. They started experimenting more with different genres, and were even starting to turn a little disco as well. When I hear the song "One of These Nights," I hear the little bit of disco, but I also hear the soul that Frey was trying to come up with. "One of These Nights" doesn't sound anything like any other Eagles songs. It's a very unique record.
Frey and Don Henley both felt that "One of These Nights" was the moment their songwriting improved vastly. Frey put the music together and Henley wrote down the lyrics, which is the opposite of how they usually wrote their songs. They thought putting a little bit of that "Al Green sound" into their song would make for more exciting music, and Frey would say that Henley's voice would bring the dose of soul they were longing for. As far as the content goes, "One of These Nights" seems to be a song about being incredibly horny, another thing the Eagles didn't write about that often. The narrator keeps dreaming about how one of these nights, he's gonna find out what turns on his lover's lights. Interpret that any way you wish to. The content isn't what's unique about the song, that's the instrumentation.
You really can't place any specific genre on "One of These Nights." There's some soul, disco, and I think there's even a little bit of funk in it. But there's none of that soft country rock that the Eagles did in the past. I like the Eagles' previous stuff just fine, but "One of These Nights" is probably my favorite song of theirs. That bassline kicks ass, and the way the harmonies come together in the chorus are immaculate; having that dreamy soul sound. Just when you're settled into the groove, Felder's guitar solo comes, sending the song into a wicked experimental rock jam. Henley's lead vocal is also so smooth and charismatic, which really fits in with the general vibe of the song. I really have to give the Eagles a lot of credit with what they accomplished here. It's not easy to get away from what made you successful in the first place and dive into something else. However, their transition into more experimental rock was smooth. Almost as smooth and as glorious as "One of These Nights" is.
For many, no this is not peak Eagles. (We'll get to the Hotel California album when we get there) The Eagles were just getting started in a whole new era for themselves. But even though for a lot of people this is not the "greatest" Eagles song, if you ask me, this is the best thing they ever recorded.
GRADE: 10/10
IN POP CULTURE:
I can't find much in pop culture concerning "One of These Nights." So here's a 2016 cover a bunch of rock musicians put together and did a live version of.
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