History YMMV / Eagles

* HarsherInHindsight: "The Last Resort" mentions Lahaina, Hawaii, as a putative paradise. In 2023, the town was destroyed by a massive wildfire.

* MorePopularSpinOff: The Eagles weren't the first country-rock band. The TropeCodifier was The Flying Burrito Brothers, which Bernie Leadon was a member of.

* EnsembleDarkHorse: Glenn Frey put the band together and was the ''de facto'' leader in the early years. Early concerts and singles had him as the lead singer more often than anyone else. Bernie Leadon, the other guitarist, was also an Alpha Male (actually, all seven past and present band members were/are, for some extent) and there was a lot of tension between those two because Leadon was, in a way, rivaling him in taking the reigns. Guess who would eventually become the most famous band member, the most often lead singer and the most successful solo artist? Don Henley, the drummer! He'd sing a couple of songs and write the odd lyric, then gain more and more prominence and by the mid-70's he would be the one the audience and the media wanted. He still let Glenn run the show, so it was more like a 'dual dictatorship', which by the way resulted, one way or another, in the bitter retirement (voluntary or forced) of three band members and several people in the crew.

** Couple of curious examples: "In The City" and "Love Will Keep Us Alive". The first was originally a Joe Walsh solo track (written for Film/TheWarriors), and the second was for a stillborn project involving Timothy B. Schmidt and Don Felder in the late 80's. Both were released later on Eagles albums, and are much more well known as Eagles songs. As far as Walsh, "Life's Been Good," "Rocky Mountain Way," and "Funk #49" have been heavily played in Eagles live sets; Henley has similarly inserted solo hits such as "The Boys of Summer", "All She Wants to Do Is Dance", and "Dirty Laundry". Plus, Glenn Frey's "You Belong To The City" has been played numerous times by The Eagles live.

* SignatureSong:
** "Hotel California"; the band has several beloved hits under their belt, but nothing stands out more. "Take It Easy" is easily the main runner-up for its popularity and association with the band, and for being the song the band most often played live.

** "Hotel California"; the band has several beloved hits under their belt, but nothing stands out more.
** "Journey of the Sorcerer" comes close, due to its use in ''Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy''.

* ItWasHisSled: The “You can check-out anytime you like, but you can never leave” line from Hotel California used to be a nightmarish WhamLine. Now however, it’s pretty much known to people who haven’t even listened to the song.

* {{Anvilicious}}: When they have a point to make, they're not subtle about it. Notable examples include "The Last Resort," "In the City," "Get Over It," and at least a third of ''Long Road Out of Eden''. Like many examples of this trope, some of this may qualify as SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped for some listeners.

** "Please Come Home for Christmas" was first recorded by Charles Brown.

** In that case, Henley's more of a BreakoutCharacter, as he was eventually relocated to the front, and that's where he is now at least in terms of singing. EnsembleDarkHorse would suit Randy Meisner better: [[NobodyLovesTheBassist he was "just" a bassist]] and backing vocalist for most of their early hits, until they released "Take It to the Limit", which he sang and co-wrote, and it become their first big hit and one of their most popular numbers on stage, with a guaranteed standing ovation when he hit the high note near the end. His shyness and self-effacing attitude to it only made his whole persona much more appealing to the audience, and even his bandmates encouraged[[note]]In the sense that Glenn Frey told him if he wasn't going to do it, he could just go ahead and quit. One day, he did.[[/note]] him to sing that song as it was such a highlight of their shows.

** In that case, Henley's more of a BreakoutCharacter, as he was eventually relocated to the front, and that's where he is now at least in terms of singing. EnsembleDarkHorse would suit Randy Meisner better: [[NobodyLovesTheBassist he was "just" a bassist]] and backing vocalist for most of their early hits, until they released "Take It to the Limit", which he sang and co-wrote, and it become their first No. 1 hit and one of their most popular numbers on stage, with a guaranteed standing ovation when he hit the high note near the end. His shyness and self-effacing attitude to it only made his whole persona much more appealing to the audience, and even his bandmates encouraged[[note]]In the sense that Glenn Frey told him if he wasn't going to do it, he could just go ahead and quit. One day, he did.[[/note]] him to sing that song as it was such a highlight of their shows.

* SophomoreSlump: ''Desperado'' struggled hard compared to their first album, arguably saddled by the concept nature of it. Additionally, the two singles ("Tequila Sunrise" and "Outlaw Man") flopped. The title track, never released as a single, would go on to be VindicatedByHistory and became a future live staple and country standard. The album would only make gold and platinum due to "halo" sales after other more successful albums were released. The band would ultimately [[NewSoundAlbum go in a new direction]] with ''On The Border'', bringing in a new producer and guitarist.

* SignatureSong: "Hotel California"; the band has several beloved hits under their belt, but nothing stands out more.

** In that case, Henley's more of a BreakoutCharacter, as he was eventually relocated to the front, and that's where he is now at least in terms of singing. EnsembleDarkHorse would suit Randy Meisner better: he was "just" a bassist and backing vocalist for most of their early hits, until they released "Take It to the Limit", which he sang and co-wrote, and it become their first No. 1 hit and one of their most popular numbers on stage, with a guaranteed standing ovation when he hit the high note near the end. His shyness and self-effacing attitude to it only made his whole persona much more appealing to the audience, and even his bandmates encouraged[[note]]In the sense that Glenn Frey told him if he wasn't going to do it, he could just go ahead and quit. One day, he did.[[/note]] him to sing that song as it was such a highlight of their shows.