Best of My Love (Eagles song)

Background

JD Souther recalled in 2009 that Glenn Frey found the tune, which Souther believed came from a Fred Neil record. The three were working on On the Border and came to London, writing on deadline without a clear memory of the inspiration. Frey remembered playing acoustic guitar in Laurel Canyon, trying to replicate a tuning Joni Mitchell had shown him, and instead arriving at the tuning that became the song. Don Henley stated that most of the lyrics were written in a booth at Dan Tana's Restaurant near the Troubadour; the maître d', Guido, received thanks in the album's liner notes.

The lyrics were partly inspired by Henley's breakup with his then girlfriend Suzannah Martin. The track was recorded at Olympic Studios in London. The Eagles had begun On the Border with producer Glyn Johns, who had produced their first two albums. Frey was unhappy with Johns' preference for country rock and his toning down of the band's rock aspirations; their dissatisfaction grew after the comparative failure of Desperado and Johns' no-drug policy during recording.

After six weeks in London, which produced "Best of My Love" and one other usable track, the Eagles stopped working with Johns, toured Europe and the US for eight weeks, and completed the album at the Record Plant in Los Angeles with producer Bill Szymczyk, who also remixed the song.

Cover versions

John Lees released his version as a single in 1974, before the Eagles' single came out. The 5th Dimension covered the song on their 1974 album Soul and Inspiration, and Yvonne Elliman included it on her 1975 album Rising Sun. Hugh Masekela covered it on his 1976 album Melody Maker. Brooks & Dunn recorded a version for the 1993 Eagles tribute album Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles, and Rod Stewart covered it on his 2006 album Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time.