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Already Gone (Eagles song)

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"Already Gone"
Single by Eagles
from the album On the Border
B-side"Is It True"
ReleasedApril 19, 1974 (1974-04-19)
Recorded1974
GenreHard rock,[1] country rock,[2] southern rock
Length4:13 (album version)
3:39 (single version)
LabelAsylum
Songwriter(s)Jack Tempchin, Robb Strandlund
Producer(s)Bill Szymczyk
Eagles singles chronology
"Outlaw Man"
(1973) 		"Already Gone"
(1974) 		"James Dean"
(1974)
Official audio
"Already Gone" (2013 Remaster) on YouTube

"Already Gone" is a song recorded by the American rock band the Eagles for their 1974 album On the Border. It was written by Jack Tempchin and Robb Strandlund and produced by Bill Szymczyk.

The song was the first single released from On the Border and peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100. Since then, the Eagles have included it in their greatest hits albums and live performances.

Background

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"Already Gone", which is four minutes and 13 seconds long, was written by Robb Strandlund and Jack Tempchin.[3][4] In the liner notes for The Very Best Of, Glenn Frey said that Tempchin sent him a tape of the song through the mail. Tempchin had already written one of the Eagles' previous singles, "Peaceful Easy Feeling".[5]

"Already Gone" was one of the first songs that the Eagles recorded for the album after they stopped recording in London and returned to Los Angeles, and switched their producer from Glyn Johns to Bill Szymczyk.[5] Frey was the lead vocalist.[6] New guitarist Don Felder played a Les Paul Special and provided the song's solo lick.[7][8]

Release

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"Already Gone" is the opening track of the Eagles' album On the Border, which was released by Asylum Records on March 22, 1974.[3] It was released as the first single from the album in April 1974.[9][10] Its b-side was "Is It True".[9]

The song has also been included on some of the Eagles' compilation albums, including Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) and The Very Best Of.[11][12]

Critical reception

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Cash Box said that this was the Eagles' "best single release to date" calling it a "hard rocker driven by the group's incredible harmonies."[13] Record World said that "one particular loneliness analogy here warrants repeating: 'And you'll have to eat your lunch all by yourself,'" and said that the song was "the act's best since 'Take It Easy.'"[14] "Already Gone" has been described as a "classic".[15] In his book To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles, Marc Eliot wrote that the song "was an out-and-out rocker ... Musically it sounded like a fuel-injected rave-up, with melodic echoes of both 'Peaceful Easy Feeling' and 'Take It Easy.'[16] In 2017, Billboard ranked the song number nine on their list of the 15 greatest Eagles songs,[17] and in 2019, Rolling Stone ranked the song number six on their list of the 40 greatest Eagles songs.[18]

Chart performance

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The song was a "staple" on AM and FM radio.[19] It peaked at #32 on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 29, 1974, spending three weeks on the American Top 40, and a total of 15 weeks on the chart.[20]

Live performances

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The Eagles have included "Already Gone" in their live performances since the 1970s. It was one of their "best selections" at a 1979 Michigan show, according to one reviewer.[21] At a 2002 concert in Washington, the song created a "frenzy," with the audience singing along.[22] A performance was included on the 2005 Farewell 1 Tour DVD, which was filmed in Australia.[23] In 2006, the band played the song in Manchester, and Frey delivered it "with humour and passion."[24]

Personnel

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Track listing

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7"[9]

  1. "Already Gone"
  2. "Is It True"

Charts

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Chart (1974) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[25] 12
US Billboard Hot 100[26] 32

Other versions

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References

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  1. ^ AllMusic "[For "On the Border"] the band wanted to take more of a hard rock direction... They got what they wanted on "Already Gone", the lead-off track"
  2. ^ Ed Masley (September 30, 2014). "10/1: 5 essential Eagles albums- 'Hotel to 'Border'". The Republic. AZ Central.
  3. ^ a b "On the Border - Eagles". allmusic.com. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  4. ^ "Already Gone" Archived 2011-08-26 at the Wayback Machine. allmusic.com. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  5. ^ a b Crowe, Cameron (2003). "Conversations with Don Henley and Glenn Frey". Excerpt also in The Very Best Of (p. 13) [CD booklet]. Warner Music Group REF.
  6. ^ Eliot, Marc (2004). To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles. Da Capo Press. p. 313.
  7. ^ Hoskyns, Barney (2010). Hotel California. John Wiley & Sons. p. 212. ISBN 9781118040508.
  8. ^ Vaughan, Andrew (2015). The Eagles FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Classic Rock's Superstars. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 157. ISBN 9781617136238.
  9. ^ a b c Strong, Martin Charles (2006). The Essential Rock Discography. Canongate U.S. p. 345.
  10. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Eagles". allmusic.com. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  11. ^ "Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) - Eagles". allmusic.com. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  12. ^ "The Very Best Of - Eagles" Archived 2011-12-05 at the Wayback Machine. allmusic.com. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  13. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. May 4, 1974. p. 14. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  14. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. May 4, 1974. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  15. ^ Reno, Jamie. "Sound". San Diego Magazine. August 2005. p. 248.
  16. ^ Eliot, Marc (2004). To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles. Da Capo Press. pp. 111-112.
  17. ^ Graff, Gary (October 17, 2017). "The Eagles' 15 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  18. ^ "The 40 Greatest Eagles Songs". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  19. ^ Kubernik, Harvey (2009). Canyon of Dreams: The Magic and the Music of Laurel Canyon. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. p. 281.
  20. ^ "Already Gone - Eagles". billboard.com. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  21. ^ Yavorcik, Jim. "Eagles Need No Gimmicks to Satisfy Their Listeners". Toledo Blade. October 19, 1979.
  22. ^ Kershner, Jim. "Audience Soars with the Eagles". The Spokesman-Review. June 18, 2002.
  23. ^ MacIntosh, Dan. "The Eagles: Eagles - Farewell 1 Tour - Live From Melbourne". popmatters.com. January 9, 2006. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  24. ^ Torpey, Mike. "The Eagles, MEN Arena, Manchester". icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk. June 28, 2006. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  25. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5049a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  26. ^ "Eagles Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  27. ^ "Tanya Tucker Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  28. ^ Manning, Kara. "I'm Alive". rollingstone.com. November 11, 1993. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  29. ^ Gardner, Elysa. "Wilson Phillips: 'California' dreaming". usatoday.com. June 17, 2004. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
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