Misplaced Pages

#42957

49-508: Jackson Browne later recorded the song as the lead track on his second album, For Everyman (1973), and released it as a single as well, although it did not chart. Travis Tritt also covered the song for the 1993 Eagles' tribute album Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles ; the video for Tritt's version is notable for the appearance of all five members of the Eagles together again for the first time in 13 years after their break-up, and it led to

98-620: A "catchy autobiographical sketch of life on the road" whose "story line is an intriguing romance with humorous overtones" and said the song had "excellent balance and instrumentation." Record World called it a "nifty self-produced number that features good country-tinged instrumental work behind [Browns's] ear-catching vocalizing" and that "straightforward lyrics follow a solid melody line." All tracks are written by Jackson Browne except where noted. Album – Billboard (United States) Singles – Billboard (United States) Winslow, Arizona Winslow ( Navajo : Béésh Sinil )

147-525: A 1999 Rolling Stone review, Anthony DeCurtis claimed the album as uneven and that "Browne is still searching for his true voice on For Everyman. Is he the genial rogue of 'Red Neck Friend' or the mystical dreamer of 'Our Lady of the Well'? He will find that voice the following year on his masterpiece, Late for the Sky . But on For Everyman, he was testing his various talents with obvious joy, because, like his audience, he

196-527: A Gold record in 1975 and Platinum in 1989 by the RIAA . The album cover photograph is a depiction of Browne's childhood home in Highland Park, California , "The Abbey San Encino” which was hand-built by his grandfather Clyde Browne and owned to this day by his brother Edward. The photograph was taken by Alan F. Blumenthal. The cover of the original release was a cutout with the inner sleeve showing Browne sitting in

245-514: A chart it first entered at No. 40 on June 17, 1972. According to Frey, the second verse of "Take It Easy" refers to a time when Jackson Browne's automobile malfunctioned in Winslow, Arizona , during one of his trips to Sedona , requiring him to spend a long day in Winslow. In 1999, in responding to the lyrics that made it famous, the city of Winslow erected a life-size bronze statue and mural commemorating

294-408: A corner in Winslow, Arizona...", and Frey finished the verse with "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 very happy with the result and suggested that they finish the song together. The resulting song became the first track on the Eagles' debut album and was released as their first single. Browne told a version of the story in

343-510: A couple of times when I declined to have him finish my song, I said, 'all right.' I finally thought, 'This is ridiculous. Go ahead and finish it. Do it.' And he finished it in spectacular fashion. And, what's more, arranged it in a way that was far superior to what I had written." The song was recorded at the Olympic Studios in London with producer Glyn Johns . Glenn Frey sings the lead vocal on

392-406: A large task ahead of him in following his debut Jackson Browne in his review for AllMusic , William Ruhlmann claimed Browne "turned to some of his secondary older material, which was still better than most people's best and, ironically, more accessible..." and summarized the album as a "less consistent collection than Browne's debut album. But Browne's songwriting ability remained impressive." In

441-508: A life-sized tribute statue to Glenn Frey was added to the Standin' on the Corner Park in Winslow, Arizona, to honor his songwriting contributions to "Take It Easy". Funds for the new statue, which depicted Frey as he appeared in the 1970s, were raised by "Mark & NeanderPaul" (Mark Devine & Paul Marshall), the morning show from Phoenix classic rock station 100.7 KSLX, the city of Winslow, and

490-457: A power in that song that I sort of then emulated in my version. I started playing the piano. I wasn't trying to sing it like Gregg; I couldn't possibly. I took the cue, playin' this slow walk. But it was written very sort of, kind of a little more flatpicking." " Take It Easy " was written by Browne and Frey and became the Eagles ' first single, released on May 1, 1972. For Everyman was certified as

539-488: A progressively powerful arrangement mixing electric guitar and banjo, and a crisp vocal, with vibrant four-part harmony at just the right moments for maximum dramatic effect." Cash Box felt it sounded somewhat like the Byrds and predicted that it would be a "sure and rapid-fire smash." On Allmusic.com , William Ruhlmann said that Browne wrote the song in 1971 while working on his debut album, and that "it encapsulated many of

SECTION 10

#1732891814043

588-556: A radio interview: "I knew Glenn Frey from playing these clubs – we kept showing up at the same clubs and singing on the open-mic nights. Glenn happened to come by to say 'hi,' and to hang around when I was in the studio, and I showed him the beginnings of that song, and he asked if I was going to put it on my record and I said it wouldn't be ready in time. He said 'well, we'll put it on, we'll do it,' 'cause he liked it," Browne explained. "But it wasn't finished, and he kept after me to finish it, and finally offered to finish it himself. And after

637-640: A request for members of the Eagles to appear in his video for the song, and the resulting video for Tritt's version featured the Eagles lineup from 1978 to 1980 ( Don Henley , Glenn Frey, Don Felder , Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit ) playing billiards in a local tavern and performing as its house band. Frey, who had previously been reluctant to reunite with the band, later said: "After years passed, you really sort of remember that you were friends first ... I just remembered how much we genuinely had liked each other and how much fun we'd had." Frey and Henley subsequently met with their management over lunch two months after

686-464: A rocking chair. When removed the picture on the inside had the same background but Browne and the rocking chair were omitted. In her November 1973 review in Rolling Stone , Janet Maslin wrote that "for inwardly panoramic songwriting of an apocalyptic bent, Jackson Browne's second album is rivaled only by his first (the second one wins), and Jackson himself is rivaled by nobody," adding that "his work

735-480: Is a city in Navajo County, Arizona , United States. According to the 2020 census , the population of the city is 9,005. It is approximately 57 miles (92 km) southeast of Flagstaff , 240 miles (390 km) west of Albuquerque, New Mexico , and 329 miles (529 km) southeast of Las Vegas . Winslow was named for either Edward F. Winslow , president of St. Louis–San Francisco Railway , which owned half of

784-461: Is a unique fusion of West Coast casualness and East Coast paranoia, easygoing slang and painstaking precision, child's-eye romanticizing and adult's-eye acceptance." Mostly complimentary throughout, she noted that his singing had improved since the first album, and consciously reviews the album by placing it squarely within the context of the times: "Jackson's concerns, even more than his genius for rendering them simultaneously intimate and universal, are

833-657: Is also a crew change point for the railroad. Hopi Senom Transit provides bus service from Winslow to the Hopi Reservation . Interstate 40 runs just north of Winslow; the Business route is the historic U.S. Route 66 . The historic La Posada hotel has been restored. The nearby Meteor Crater , sometimes known as the Barringer Crater and formerly as the Canyon Diablo crater, is a famous impact crater. Standin' on

882-565: Is mostly associated with the Eagles. The song was released as the first single of the Eagles in May 1972, and entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 79 on the chart date of June 3, 1972. It stayed for 11 weeks on the chart that summer, peaked at No. 12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on July 22, 1972. It also peaked at No. 12 the same week on the Easy listening chart (later known as Adult contemporary ),

931-516: Is no commercial airline service. The airport was designed by Charles Lindbergh , who stayed in Winslow during its construction. At the time it was the only commercial airport between Albuquerque and Los Angeles . Winslow's railroad station has twice-daily Amtrak service (one train eastbound and one westbound) with the Southwest Chief . The city is on BNSF 's Southern Transcon route that runs between Los Angeles and Chicago , Illinois. It

980-454: The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway for adding water and fuel. Passengers could disembark and have enough time to have a meal during the extended stop. During the 1920s many celebrities chose to come west to Hollywood and when they stopped in Winslow a parade took place. The local newspaper often documented these special events. Winslow was also home to a roundhouse and maintenance depot for

1029-521: The La Posada Hotel . U.S. Route 66 originally passed through the city. A contract to build Interstate 40 as a bypass north of Winslow was awarded at the end of 1977. I-40 replaced U.S. Route 66 in Arizona in its entirety. Winslow achieved international fame in 1972 in the Eagles / Jackson Browne song " Take It Easy " that has the line " standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona ." According to

SECTION 20

#1732891814043

1078-565: The September 11 attacks . The memorial was constructed using two beams recovered from the wreckage of the World Trade Center towers in New York City . A large number of citizens donated time and money to the erection of the memorial, which was in place and celebrated on the first anniversary of the event, September 11, 2002. In the era of steam locomotives, Winslow was an important stop on

1127-571: The United States Census Bureau , the city has an area of 12.3 square miles (32 km ), all land. It is approximately 57 miles (92 km) southeast of Flagstaff , 320 miles (510 km) west of Albuquerque, New Mexico , and 329 miles (529 km) southeast of Las Vegas . Winslow experiences a dry, temperate arid climate ( Köppen BWk ), with a wide diurnal temperature variation year-round, averaging 32.7 °F (18.17 °C). Winters are cool and dry, while summers are hot, and bringing

1176-451: The Corner Park is a downtown park featuring murals depicting the "Girl my Lord in a flatbed Ford". Winslow also has an annual Standin' On The Corner street festival, traditionally held the last week of September. The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest are about 60 miles (100 km) east of Winslow. The Little Painted Desert is 18 miles (29 km) north of Winslow. The 9-11 Remembrance Gardens honors those who lost their lives during

1225-465: The Eagles recording of "Take It Easy". Bass player Randy Meisner sings the harmony vocal in the second verse with Frey, with drummer Don Henley harmonizing in the chorus, on the line "Though we will never be here again. So open up, I'm climbin' in." Bernie Leadon provides the lead guitar and distinctive banjo parts, as well as harmony vocals. The track's producer Johns said: "On 'Take It Easy' I got Bernie to play double-time banjo; they all thought it

1274-594: The Santa Fe. When the facility at Barstow, California was given the engineering responsibility for newer diesel locomotives, Winslow began its slow decline. Company brass moved out, as did other employees needed for maintenance and repairs. In 1949 when the Shah of Iran came to America and toured some sights, he chose to come to the Grand Canyon. His plane landed at the Winslow airport and the entourage took land transport to get to

1323-557: The Standin' on the Corner Foundation. Travis Tritt recorded a version for the Eagles tribute album Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles , which featured country music artists who were raised on the Eagles' music. On Tritt's version, Bernie Leadon 's lead guitar parts were rearranged and performed by Dann Huff . The song was released as a single in 1994, and peaked at number 21 on the Billboard country music charts. Tritt made

1372-549: The Sun"), Joni Mitchell , and Bonnie Raitt . The title track was written by Browne in response to the apocalyptic " Wooden Ships ", a song written by Crosby, Stephen Stills and Paul Kantner . His own version of " These Days " appears here after having been previously recorded by Nico , Tom Rush , who also covered "Colors of the Sun", and Gregg Allman . Nico was the first to record the song in 1967. Browne later commented "When [Allman] did [These Days] I thought that he really unlocked

1421-520: The basis for the album's unique strengths. He stands alone as a composite of ambivalence about maturity, weariness of the race, fear that love may not be enough ... confusion over whether or not a lasting home can be found in a progressively nightmarish world. He also stands alone as someone who, resigned to all that, is still willing to seek out some quiet way of weathering his time's new trials. Brilliantly conceived, incomparably immediate, For Everyman truly earns its title." Acknowledging that Browne had

1470-437: The canyon. In the 1970s, Winslow was chosen as the site of one of ten Decision Information Distribution System radio stations, designed to alert the public of an enemy attack. The system was never implemented and the station was never built. Winslow was mentioned in the popular 1972 song " Take It Easy " written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey and performed by the Eagles . The Crew video game featured Winslow as

1519-614: The city. Winslow also hosts the Little Colorado Campus of Northland Pioneer College . The Little Springs Community School, a tribal elementary school affiliated with the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), has a Winslow postal address but is actually in an unincorporated area 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of Birdsprings . Winslow is served by Winslow-Lindbergh Regional Airport ( IATA: INW , ICAO: KINW ), originally constructed by Transcontinental Air Transport ; however, there

Take It Easy - Misplaced Pages Continue

1568-428: The filming of the video and agreed to the reunion of Eagles. A new album, Hell Freezes Over , was released and a tour launched the following year. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. For Everyman For Everyman is the second album by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne , released in 1973 (see 1973 in music ). The album peaked at number 43 on the Billboard 200 chart and

1617-484: The largest portion of the annual precipitation, which is 7.01 inches (178 mm); snowfall averages 8.1 inches (21 cm) per season (July 1 through June 30 of the subsequent year). As of the census of 2000, there were 9,520 people, 2,754 households, and 1,991 families residing in the city. The population density was 773 inhabitants per square mile (298/km ). There were 3,198 housing units at an average density of 260 per square mile (100/km ). The city's racial makeup

1666-563: The location of original incident that inspired the story in the lyrics. In an interview with Matthew Ziegler, Browne related that it took place in Flagstaff, Arizona , at the Wienerschnitzel (now the Dog Haus) at the corner of East Rte. 66 and Switzer Canyon. According to Browne, a young woman cruised by in a Toyota pickup and looked at him and the image stuck with him. Browne had told Frey about

1715-457: The old Atlantic and Pacific Railroad , or Tom Winslow, a prospector who lived in the area. The chain's final Harvey House , designed by Mary Colter , opened in 1930. It closed in 1957 and was used by the Santa Fe Railway for offices. The railroad abandoned the property in 1994 and announced plans to tear it down. However, it was bought and restored by Allan Affeldt and now is known as

1764-408: The other instruments crossfade into the next track on the album, "Our Lady of the Well." In 1972, Bud Scoppa wrote in Rolling Stone in his review of the Eagles ' debut album that "Take it Easy" was "simply the best sounding rock single to come out so far this year. The first time through, you could tell it had everything: danceable rhythm, catchy, winding melody, intelligent, affirmative lyrics,

1813-410: The reflection of a red flatbed Ford pickup truck driven by a blonde-haired woman. The second floor of the mural features an eagle perched in one window on the left and a man and woman (apparently the man on the corner and woman in the truck) embracing in another window on the right. The site has become a landmark that attracted many visitors to the town. There has, however, been some confusion about

1862-448: The reunion of the band a few months later. Jackson Browne originally began writing "Take It Easy" in 1971 for his own eponymous debut album but was having difficulty finishing the song. Browne's friend Glenn Frey – who lived in the same Echo Park California apartment building as Browne – had heard an early version and later asked Browne about it. Browne then played the unfinished second verse that begins with "Well, I'm a-standin' on

1911-448: The singer really did want to take it easy." "Take It Easy" has retrospectively been regarded as one of the Eagles' best songs. In 2017, Billboard ranked the song number three on their list of the 15 greatest Eagles songs, and in 2019, Rolling Stone ranked the song number two on their list of the 40 greatest Eagles songs. Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian rated "Take It Easy" as Browne's 2nd greatest song, even though it

1960-536: The single " Redneck Friend " reached number 85 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 2012, the album was ranked number 450 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time . For Everyman marked the debut of multi-instrumentalist David Lindley 's long association with Browne. Guest artists included David Crosby (harmony on the title track ), Glenn Frey (harmony on " Redneck Friend "), Elton John (credited as Rockaday Johnnie, piano on "Redneck Friend"), Don Henley (harmony on "Colors of

2009-472: The song at the Standin' on the Corner Park . The statue stands near a lamp post, the male figure securing an acoustic guitar between his right hand and the shoe of his right foot. Above his head, a metal sign, crafted in the style of U.S. Route shields, displays the words "Standin' on the corner". The trompe-l'œil mural on the wall behind the statue is that of a storefront, and includes what would appear to be

Take It Easy - Misplaced Pages Continue

2058-416: The song's point, that, despite troubles, one should 'take it easy.'" Ruhlmann points out that Frey's added verse "lightened the song's mood considerably. Now, the narrator was standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona , being eyed by a woman in a truck (flatbed Ford) who slowed down to give him the once-over. These unabashedly vain lines weren't exactly consistent with Browne's theme, but they made it sound like

2107-442: The usual themes of his work, touching on the road, women, love as salvation, and an ambivalent sense of fatalism." Discussing the specific lyrics, Ruhlmann goes on: "The opening verse was a joke. The narrator says he is running down the road with seven women on his mind. But this vision of promiscuity is quickly dispelled. Of the seven, four want to own him, two want to stone him, and one just wants to be his friend. The verse introduces

2156-439: The woman in the truck, and Frey then used the incident to add the line about the woman to the song. Browne, however, also stated in an interview with Los Angeles Times that it was always Winslow where his automobile had malfunctioned, although "the image of that girl driving a truck was an image that came from east" ( i.e. , East Flagstaff). The lines are therefore an amalgamation of two different events. On September 24, 2016,

2205-658: Was $ 29,741, and the median family income was $ 35,825. Males had a median income of $ 28,365 versus $ 20,698 for females. The city's per capita income was $ 12,340. About 17.5% of families and 20.9% of the population were below the poverty line , including 26.9% of those under age 18 and 16.3% of those age 65 or over. Winslow is served by the Winslow Unified School District . The city has three public elementary schools: Bonnie Brennan Elementary School, Jefferson Elementary School, and Washington Elementary School. Winslow Junior High School and Winslow High School serve

2254-539: Was 40.8% White , 28.8% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 23.5% Native American , 13.5% from other races , 5.2% Black or African American , 1.0% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander and 4.2% from two or more races. There were 2,754 households, of which 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who

2303-465: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.40. In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.8% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 122.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 134.6 males. The city's median household income

2352-518: Was a bonkers idea but it worked. It was already a great song, but that one little thing made it different." In their early live performances, the Eagles start with an a cappella version of a verse from " Silver Dagger " that begins with "My daddy is a handsome devil..." as an intro to "Take It Easy". Jackson Browne recorded a version for his 1973 album For Everyman . Sneaky Pete Kleinow plays pedal steel and David Lindley (on electric guitar ) teams up with Browne. Mickey McGee 's percussion and

2401-435: Was just discovering them." Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a B grade, writing "Even as he lists toward the pretentious and the vague, the reflective evenness of Browne's delivery sets up an expectation of cogency that on this album is satisfied only by such relatively unambitious songs as 'These Days,' 'Red Neck Friend,' and the charming 'Ready or Not.' Which save it for me." Cash Box called "Ready or Not"

#42957