The Eagles Released Their Last Hot 100 Chart-Topper on This Day in 1979—Co-Written by JD Souther and Inspired by Sam Cooke

In 1977, the Eagles were fresh off their seminal Hotel California album and looking to strike gold again. The title track’s era-defining success would prove difficult to top, and the band’s follow-up record, The Long Run, was considered a disappointment by some critics when it finally dropped two years later. Nonetheless, the California quartet found commercial success with what turned out to be their final album before disbanding in 1980. Forty-five years ago today, on Sept. 18, 1979, the original Eagles lineup released “Heartache Tonight,” their final No. 1 hit together.

How The Eagles Made “Heartache Tonight”

“Heartache Tonight” was born of an electric jam session between the Eagles’ co-lead singer Glenn Frey and renowned singer-songwriter J.D. Souther. The two wrote the first verse while listening to Sam Cooke songs: Somebody’s gonna hurt someone / Before the night is through / Somebody’s gonna come undone / There’s nothin’ we can do.

Hung up on the chorus, Frey picked up the phone and called fellow rock legend Bob Seger. Immediately, Seger blurted out the song’s iconic refrain: There’s gonna be a heartache tonight / A heartache tonight, I know.

[RELATED: Legendary Eagles Hitmaker JD Souther Dies Just 5 Days After Performance]

“Glenn called me and said, ‘Is four writers okay on this?’ And I said, ‘Sure, if it’s good,’” Souther once told Rolling Stone. “And he said, ‘Yeah, it’s great. Seger just sang this to me,’ and he sang it to me and I said, ‘That’s fantastic.’”

The Last Hurrah

“Heartache Tonight” reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in November 1979. It would become the band’s final chart-topper and earn the Eagles their fourth GRAMMY Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

It all fell apart the next year. Glenn Frey arranged a benefit concert for California Sen. Alan Cranston’s re-election campaign. The July 31, 1980 gig went down in Eagles lore as “Long Night in Wrong Beach.”

Backstage before the show, Cranston’s wife introduced herself to Don Felder. According to Felder, he replied, “Nice to meet you,” before adding under his breath, “I guess.”

Frey took this as an insult, and the night devolved into threats and obscenities. “Only three more songs until I kick your a–, pal,” Felder recalled Frey telling him.

After that night, the Eagles were over.

Featured image by David Fisher/Shutterstock

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