The Eagles’ song “One of These Nights” is a classic. “One of These Nights” was the lead single from the Eagles’ 1975 album of the same name and was co-written by lead singers Glenn Frey and Don Henley. With Henley’s captivating vocals, a ferocious guitar solo by Don Felder, and an alluring tune, it propelled the renowned band to new heights.
Although “One of These Nights” is about following a lady, the song’s lyrics can serve as a metaphor for pursuing one’s aspirations. In the first couple of words, Henley’s voice slithers. In between the dark and the light / Comin’ right behind you / Swear I’m gonna find you / Get you, baby, one of these nights.
In a 1975 interview with Phonograph Record, Frey explained, “It’s like, puttin’ things off… Everybody I’m sure has said, ‘One of these nights I’m gonna…’ Gonna drive back to that restaurant an’ take that waitress in my arms, whatever. Find that girl, make that money, buy that house. Move to that country. Any of that stuff. Everyone’s got his ultimate dream, savin’ it for ‘someday.’ And ‘someday’ is up to you.”
Soon after guitarist Felder joined the group, “One of These Nights” was written, which had an impact on the sound and sentiment of the song. Henley claimed that at the time, they were attempting to stray from their signature country-rock sound. While talking with Rolling Stone in 1975 he said, “We wanted to get away from the ballad syndrome with ‘One of These Nights, With Don Felder in the band now, we can really rock. He’s made us nastier and did a great guitar solo on the single.”
The song was written in a Miami studio by Frey and Henley. Henley offered the words that became the song’s title, while Frey composed the song’s piano melody. Frey listed “One of These Nights” as his favorite The Eagles song in the liner notes of the band’s 2003 greatest hits collection CD, The Very Best Of.
Frey wrote, “We had Don Henley’s voice, which allowed us to go in a more soulful direction, which made me exceedingly happy … A lot of things came together on One Of These Nights – our love of the studio, the dramatic improvement in Don’s and my songwriting. We made a quantum leap with ‘One Of These Nights.’ It was a breakthrough song. It is my favorite Eagles record. If I ever had to pick one, it wouldn’t be ‘Hotel California’; it wouldn’t be ‘Take It Easy.’ For me, it would be ‘One Of These Nights.'”
