The song tells the story of a couple who take their excessive lifestyle to the edge. On In the Studio with Redbeard, Glenn Frey revealed that the title came to him one day when he was riding on the freeway with a drug dealer known as "The Count".[1] Frey asked the dealer to slow down and the response was, "What do you mean? It's life in the fast lane!"[1] In that same interview, Frey indicated that the song's central riff was played by Walsh while the band was warming up in rehearsals and Walsh was told to "keep that; it's a song". Don Henley recalled that the "song actually sprang from the opening guitar riff. One day, at rehearsal, Joe [Walsh] just busted out that crazy riff and I said 'What the hell is that? We've got to figure out to make a song out of that."[1] Henley and Frey, the primary lyricists for the band, then wrote the lyrics for the song.[1]
Critical reception
Cashbox said that "with the influence of six-stringer Joe Walsh, the Eagles are harder and funkier than ever here."[2]Record World said that it's "the album's most hard-edged rocker, dominated by a Walsh-signature guitar line."[3] In 2016, the editors of Rolling Stone rated "Life in the Fast Lane" as the Eagles' eighth-greatest song.[1] In 2017, Billboard ranked the song number four on their list of the 15 greatest Eagles songs,[4] and in 2019, Rolling Stone ranked the song number eight on their list of the 40 greatest Eagles songs.[5]
On July 25, 2019 the American rock band Hinder released their cover version of "Life in the Fast Lane" as a non-album single.[14]
Background and release
The cover’s release coincided with the second leg of Hinder’s "Lucky 7 Tour" a three-month North American run with Royal Bliss.[15] Their cover of the song received additional coverage from Lollipop Magazine, which highlighted the song’s release across all major platforms and the band implementing it into their setlist for the upcoming tour.[16]
Production and sound
Produced by lead singer Marshal Dutton and drummer Cody Hanson, Hinder's rendition of the song reworks the Eagles' original into a more alternative rock arrangement, featuring more aggressive guitars and a modernized production.[17] Following their January 2019 single Halo, their cover of "Life in the Fast Lane" was released through the band’s second release on their independent imprint, Back-Longue Records.[18][19]
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