WCSX Classic Cuts : Take It to the Limit

WCSX Classic Cuts

The Eagles: "Take It to the Limit"

The Hook: A night out at L.A.'s Troubadour sparks Randy Meisner's Eagles high point.

Year: 1975

Album: One of These Nights

Writers: Randy Meisner, Don Henley and Glenn Frey

Stats: Peaked at number-4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Background: Eagles bassist Randy Meisner got the idea for "Take It to the Limit" upon returning home from the L.A. music club The Troubadour one night. As he tells it, as the time to record the next album approached, he had lyrics for some of the verses, but no chorus, so Glenn Frey and Don Henley helped him finish it. In what was probably his finest moment with the group, Meisner sang the lead vocal, hitting a high note that would later lead to difficulties when he had to pull it off at every concert.

Former Eagles bassist Randy Meisner on the writing of “Take It to the Limit.” OC:…from there. :24

“I started the original idea. I just came home from the Troubadour one night and just like that’s just -- ‘All alone at the end of the evening when the bright lights faded to blue.” And then it came time to get the album done. I didn’t have a chorus yet. And so Glenn Frey started working with me one night up at Henley’s house and we got a couple of choruses. And then Henley started working on it too, to get if finished. So they helped me get it finished and took it from there.”