New Kid in Town

For other uses, see New Kid in Town (disambiguation).

"New Kid in Town"
Eagles in 1976 (l-r): Randy Meisner, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, Don Felder, Don Henley.
Single by Eagles
from the album Hotel California
B-side	"Victim Of Love"
Released	December 7, 1976
Format	7"
Genre	Rock, Country rock
Length	5:03
Label	Asylum
Writer(s)	Don Henley, Glenn Frey, J.D. Souther
Producer	Bill Szymczyk
Eagles singles chronology
"Take It to the Limit" (1975) "New Kid in Town" (1976) "Hotel California" (1977)

"New Kid in Town", written by Don Henley, Glenn Frey and J.D. Souther, is a song by the Eagles, from their 1976 album Hotel California. Released as the first single from the album, the song became a #1 hit in the USA, and #20 in the UK. The single version has an earlier fade-out than the album version does. On 26 February 1977, it reached the Billboard #1. The song features Glenn Frey singing the lead vocals, with Don Henley singing main harmony vocals. Randy Meisner plays the guitarrón mexicano, and Joe Walsh plays the electric piano and organ parts^[1].

In the liner notes of The Very Best of the Eagles (2003), Don Henley talked about the song's meaning:

“

It's about the fleeting, fickle nature of love and romance. It's also about the fleeting nature of fame, especially in the music business. We were basically saying, 'Look, we know we're red hot right now but we also know that somebody's going to come along and replace us-both in music and in love.'[2]

”

In 1977, the Eagles won a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement for Voices with "New Kid in Town".

On Henley's first solo album, I Can't Stand Still, he references the song by singing the line, "there's a new kid in town" over the rideout of "Johnny Can't Read".

Personnel

• Glenn Frey: Lead vocals, acoustic guitar
• Don Henley: Drums, percussion, backing vocals
• Don Felder: Lead guitar
• Joe Walsh: Electric piano, organ
• Randy Meisner: Guitarrón, backing vocals

Chart performance

Chart (1976)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	2
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	43
Canadian RPM Top Singles	1
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks	2
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	12
U.K. Singles Chart	20

Covers

• United States country singer Trisha Yearwood covered the song on the 1993 album Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles.
• Swedish pop and country singer Kikki Danielsson covered the song on her 2006 album I dag & i morgon.

References

1. ^ http://www.glennfreyonline.com/eagles/hotelcalifornia/linernotes.htm
2. ^ (2003) Album notes for The Very Best of the Eagles by Eagles [CD]. Warner Music Group (R2 73971).

Preceded by "Blinded by the Light" by Manfred Mann's Earth Band

Billboard Hot 100 number one single February 26, 1977 – March 5, 1977

Succeeded by "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)" by Barbra Streisand