Take It Easy (1972) 4/24/20

Every year, thousands of people flock to the town of Winslow, Arizona to visit “Standing on the Corner” Park, where Old Highway 66 meets North Kinsley Avenue. There's not much there—just a building, a sign, a statue, and a flatbed Ford truck.

Why? Today's “Great Song of the 70s!”

In 1972, the Eagles recorded “Take it Easy” as part of their debut album...but the story actually begins with singer/songwriter Jackson Browne.

Browne had written a song about an experience he'd had in Winslow, but was stuck. He needed a line or two in the second verse to finish the lyrics, and in desperation, played it for his friend, Glen Frey of the Eagles. Glen immediately came up with:

Well, I’m a standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona,

and such a fine sight to see.

It’s a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford

slowin’ down to take a look at me.

Browne was thrilled, gave Frey a co-writing credit and allowed the Eagles to record it.

What happened next? It was released as the Eagles' very first single, and it went to #12 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary Charts. On Canada's Top 40, it went to #8!

That's fantastic for a debut single...but then something else happened.

Tourists started showing up in Winslow, looking for the corner and asking residents for its location. One thing led to another, and after a few years, the tiny street corner park was created.

That's the power a “Great Song” can have, and “Take it Easy” certainly qualifies!

TRIVIA: Jackson Browne has hinted that “some” of the song MAY have taken place down the road in Flagstaff, Arizona...but he hasn't really clarified which part. Until he does, Winslow gets ALL the credit. :-)

From 1972: