Waiting in the Weeds

Waiting in the Weeds

Don Henley & Steuart Smith

And I've been waiting in the weeds
- waiting for the summer rain to fall upon the wild birds scattering the seeds;
answering the calling of the tide's eternal tune.
The phases of the moon, the chambers of the heart, the egg and dart
A small, gray spider spinning in the dark, in spite of all the times the web is torn apart.

Masterpiece.  The word gets thrown around a lot. It’s applied to SNL Digital Shorts and Bar-b-que sauce.  I could go into a whole long dissertation about the etymology of the word, masterpiece, but trust me when I tell you that originally, a masterpiece was a piece of work that was created to show that you had mastered the profession. It was supposed to contain all of the elements that only a master craftsman could produce. If we’re speaking about songs, then a masterpiece would have to combine perfect instrumentation, vocals, songwriting and arrangement. This song hits the mark.

First, the instrumentation is gorgeous. I hear acoustic guitars and mandolins. Steuart’s influence is clear here, that’s for sure. The vocals are vintage

Henley

. I dare you not to think of “Long Way Home” when this song starts up. There’s something heart-wrenching and wounded in his tone. The harmonies only add to this song’s beauty.

If I were to describe what this sounds like, I’m reminded of a lot of things. The Byrds, songs of the Depression era, Carnival music. It’s hard to describe. The song has this almost sing-songy quality…like a clock ticking. That leads me to talk about the songwriting.

Earlier, I mentioned how the passing of time and dealing with change and being content with your place in the world were all themes of this album. This song touches on all of them and it’s inherent in the music.This is about biding your time and paying your dues...waiting for your moment to shine. And if that moment never comes, realizing that there is still beauty the wait. There’s imagery a plenty and I think it’s interesting that birds play a major role in this song.  I think at some point, I’ll want to write more about this song, but I don’t know if I can put into words how perfect it is.

Before I wrap this up, I want to mention that I was listening to this song this morning when my students were filtering in. Esteban (an 8^th grader who was barely born when HFO came out) walked in and listened for a second. “Do you have Hole in the World or Hotel California, too?” he asked.  Now, I know Esteban is a cool kid and we’ve talked about music before, but we haven’t chatted about the Eagles (he loves Led Zeppelin). I asked him, “Do you know who this is?”  “Sure,” he replied. “It’s the Eagles, I’d recognize them anywhere.”  So there you have it. “Waiting in the Weeds” sounds like classic Eagles and even an 8^th grader can recognize that.

I know a lot of people point out songs like Desperado and Hotel California, but I think when the book is finally closed on Don’s songwriting career, this one will be listed as one of his masterpieces.

Comments

[monstertone]

Thank you for the wonderful summary. The Billboard Q&A somehow had me feeling like this might be "the" song on the album, and I'm more anxious than ever to hear it. What wonderful imagery the lyrics employ! I have faith that this will be exactly what I had hoped for from the Eagles. A smart, literate, original work that rivals Dylan or Waits, but is delivered in the beautiful audio package that only the Eagles can provide. I simply can't wait to hear this "masterpiece."

[Patrick]

Where is everyone getting to hear these songs? I'm very envious

[_Sarah]

This song truely is a masterpiece! I can't wait to hear them perform it live.

[Amy]

Wonderful song, both lyrically and musically. I don't know if I see them doing this in concert, but I hope they do. Don and Timothy's voices are great together. I can see why this makes you think of "Long Way Home".

[kristina]

Wow, a wonderful song. Just brilliant!

[Scott G.]

Un-f'''ing believable! This song is totally unique. Man, hats of to Don and Steuart for what I think is groundbreaking. The music is haunting. Love the Mandolin. Harmonies are reminiscent of the Beach Boys. Can't wait to hear this one on my home system. I got the same vibe from "Weeds" I did with Henley's End of the Innocence single. Thanks for putting up this link!

[Nils]

Slow & country-ish.
Another track that could've been solo work.
Great Henley. I really like this one.
And so Henley leads 2 - 0; he has the 2 best songs so far.
(No More Walks in the Wood & Waiting in the Weeds).....so far.

[wini]

It's a great song, except I think the end is stretched a bit long. The voices blend together really well, and it's good the instrumentation is kept to what serves the song and is not some self-serving overdoing of things here.

[otto]

Great tune. Agree with Wini tho, it's not a 7,46 min song. Also the rhythm reminds me of Nellie Furtado, All Good Things. "Flames to dust, lovers to friends, why do all good things come to an end...." That 4/4 loop. That's weird.

[Jason]

That reminded me of that Nelly Furtado song as well, otto. It's really great!!! As I said before, this album is going to be immaculate!!! :)

[Jason]

That reminded me of that Nelly Furtado song as well, otto. It's really great!!! As I said before, this album is going to be immaculate!!! :)

[Vince]

Beautiful. Wish it had gone on for twenty minutes.

[Stuart]

An excellent, atmospheric track, with a great Henley lyric. Two minutes too long, though.

[Pawmuk]

I love the stretched out ending with the subtle harmonies. The last two minutes lift the song to a higher level. I love it.

[wkm1959]

I was completely awestruck with the power of this song. It made me cry as I could relate to the lyrics so completely. The harmonies & music are phenomenal. Waiting in the Weeds is fully representative of an album destined to be as classic an opus as HC was. The Eagles have created a stunning array of new classics for not only their fans but for the 21st Century.

[Jack]

What a great song. Soon to be a classic. I'm counting down the minutes and seconds till the CD arrives. I sure hope they tour the U.S.

[Rich]

I love it...i was a bit worried when it started playing and it said nearly eight minutes. It's excellent, and there is something almost Beatle-esque about it, i cant quite figure it out.

[Patrick]

Wow, what an amazing song...especially the last chorus(es) as the harmonies repeat the last phrase, almost in a Simon & Garfunkel-esque manner...the only problem? Now I'm even MORE impatient for next Tuesday.

[Fadi Achour]

I never thought Henley could do better than Desperado, End of Innocence or Last Resort, but boy, he has outdone himself with this one. A classic all the way, and anyone who said it is too long, is wrong, the last two minutes makes the song, you would need to wind down a bit after a heavy heart tune like that to really reflect on what he just said. And No I don't agree that this is a solo song, it is an Eagles all the way, Henley couldn't have done it alone, he could, but not like these beautiful harmonies. The Eagles really leaving us with a vintage Classic Eagles, these remind me of the old Eagles, Saturday Night, Hollywood Waltz, Desperado, of course with an edge on maturity with the voices and music.

[Elias]

Might be a good song for some people, but way too soft and slow for my taste..

[Stuart]

After one listen, I knew I loved this track, but passed comment that it was "two minutes too long".

WRONG. Five listens later, and I think the track length is exactly right. I'm already thinking that this song might be a minor masterpiece. I can't get it out of my head!

[Emagles]

It's PERFECT, the new THE LAST RESORT. What a beautiful tune! I've been waiting in the weeds since their return 1994 to be striked like this with one of their new songs!!!!!!

[Ale]

Very good song!
Great Don performance (as usual)...
Steuart is becoming one of the most important gods in my personal olympus and that leads to an old question: when will Mr.Smith be promoted to real, front row Eagles member? He definitely should!

Anyway, best song I heard so far from the new album.

[Shawn]

Still need a few more listens, but I like the way this feels, with it's sing songy, back and forth nature. It's interesting how the beginning is almost identical to Green Day's "Wake Me Up When September Ends"

[claire]

I think I'm in love with this song ;-)
Perfect harmonies, perfect music... Perfect Eagles!