It wasn’t originally meant to be given its chosen name, but the song’s emotional power made it perfect for comedy genius.
The Eagles’ ‘Desperado’ was already iconic: Then a ‘Seinfeld’ episode made it legendary
Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses? You’ve been out ridin’ fences for so long now. Oh, you’re a hard one, but I know that you got your reasons. These things that are pleasin’ you can hurt you somehow.
The Eagles
Just the piano at the beginning of this soft-rock ballad gets you going, and the classic song was made even more iconic thanks to the popular comedy show, Seinfeld.
When Don Henley first sketched out Desperado in the late ’60s, it had nothing to do with cowboys. Speaking to Cameron Crowe in 2003, he admitted it was once tied to astrology and carried a “horrible” title. Jackson Browne nudged it toward a Western theme, Glenn Frey shaped it into a proper song, and the Eagles recorded it in 1973. By then, Henley’s original “Leo, my God…” lyric had been traded for the now-famous opening line above. It was slow, stately and heartfelt, a ballad built for listening, not dancing.
I’ve always thought of Desperado as one of those songs you feel more than you hear. Apparently, so did the writers of the TV show. In 1996, they dropped it into Season Eight’s ‘The Checks’ and turned it into a running gag so sharp it somehow deepened the song’s cultural footprint.
How did Seinfeld use Eagles’ Desperado?
The narrative started with Elaine’s new boyfriend, Brett, a man who could stop mid-conversation the second Don Henley’s voice floated through the room.
“After the song, babe,” he told her during a party – and she swooned. But his fixation curdled into something more absurd when he silenced her mid-makeout just to listen as the song played in the car.
Elaine was desperate herself, feeling the fledgling couple needed their song. She tried the same tactic as Brett, with another track from the LA band, ‘Witchy Woman’. Brett brushed it off. “I’ve already got a song,” he said. No desire to have a new one. Zero chance of him sharing the one he had.
Enjoy the episode once again... or for the first time, if you’re lucky.
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