Desperado

Henley said it grew from a song he began in 1968 in the style of Stephen Foster, whose opening line was about a friend named Leo. A day or two after the band came back from recording their debut in London, Henley played the unfinished piece to Frey at his home in Laurel Canyon. Frey filled in the blanks and gave it structure, and Henley said that was when they became a team. The piano introduction is taken from Ray Charles's version of Georgia on My Mind.

It was recorded at Island Studios in London with musicians from the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Jim Ed Norman, who also wrote the string arrangement. Johns allowed Henley four or five takes, and Henley said he did not sing as well as he could and wished he could redo it. The song was never a single. Henley credited Linda Ronstadt's 1973 recording with popularizing the song. Rolling Stone readers voted it their second-favorite Eagles song, and the magazine put it at number 494 on its 2004 list of the greatest songs. Paul McCartney, Hal David and Brian Wilson were among the songwriters who nominated it for a 2000 MOJO list. The Eagles have played it live more than any other song.