“New Kid in Town” by Eagles

Even without resorting to the Eagles’ explanation of “New Kid in Town”, it becomes pretty obvious what they’re speaking to. And that would be how baseless, if you will, infatuation actually is.

To illustrate this point, in the first verse Glenn Frey and co. use the example of how now everyone is sweating them since they have become celebrities. This includes “old friends” who apparently did not think too highly of the boys beforehand.  In the second verse, they allude to the fickleness of romance. Well, romance may not be fickle in and of itself. But the point being relayed is that is that you can be deeply smitten with someone one day, and like the next day your eyes are wandering.

It is in the third verse that the true message of the track is driven home – what exactly is meant by the phrase “there’s a new kid in town”. And that would once again be the concept that adoration is finite. In other words, no matter how hot you may be in the eyes of others, it’s only a matter of time before someone who they consider to be even hotter comes along. And it is not as if the Eagles are negatively acknowledging such a reality (that things are in a constant state of flux). Rather, this is something they’ve come to realize as being more or less natural based on their own experiences with aging and success.

Below are Don Henley’s exact words on the meaning of “New Kid in Town”:

When was “New Kid in Town” released?

On December 7 of 1976 US rock collective, Eagles released “New Kid in Town” as the first single from their fifth studio offering, “Hotel California”.

“New Kid in Town” received massive airplay especially in the United States and Canada, where it reached No.1. It also enjoyed significant airplay in the United Kingdom, peaking at No.20 on the main singles chart there.

In addition, this song peaked at No.6 in New Zealand and entered the top-10 on the national charts in the Netherlands and Norway.

Award(s)

On top of its commercial success around the world, this rock song earned several accolades. One such notable one was picking an award at the Grammys in 1978.

Who wrote “New Kid in Town”?

Two members of the group, Glenn Frey and Don Henley, were responsible for penning this track. They were assisted by longtime collaborator, American singer J.D. Souther (who is famous for his solo song “You’re Only Lonely“).

Song’s Production Duties

US audio engineer Bill Szymczyk took charge of producing this song. He was also responsible for producing the song’s entire album. Prior to this, he worked on several of the group’s projects including their third and fourth albums being “On the Border” and “One of These Nights”, respectively.

Covers and Notable Usage of “New Kid in Town”

American singer Jonathan Coulton covered this song in 2019. His version was included on his ninth studio album, “Some Guys”. American recording artist Trisha Yearwood released her version of the song in 1994.  

In 2005, this single was used in the animated TV series “The Simpsons”. It appeared in the series’ fourth episode entitled “Treehouse of Horror XVI”.

The “Hotel California” Album

“Hotel California” was officially released, on December 8 of 1976, through Asylum Records. In addition to “New Kid in Town”, the project was supported by two other powerful singles including its title track, which came out on February 22 of 1977. “Life in the Fast Lane” is the final single that accompanied this album. And its issuance date was on May 3 of 1977.

“Hotel California” is undoubtedly one of the biggest projects by the Eagles. Commercially, this album performed outstandingly in most parts of the world. A good example of this is its dominance in the US, where it peaked at No.1 on the Billboard 200. It also ranked at No.1 on the national album charts in several other countries including Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Norway.

In the United Kingdom and in Japan, this project reached No.2 on the main album charts there. It entered the top-10 in such countries as Australia, Germany, and Sweden, peaking at No.3 in the latter two countries.

Even More Glory!!!

In addition to enjoying massive worldwide airplay, “Hotel California” has also received multiple notable awards and accolades. For instance, in 1978, this album received multiple nominations at the Grammys. At the end of the day it was named “Record of the Year” and lost the “Album of the Year” award to “Rumours”, which is a project by Fleetwood Mac.

By August 20 of 2018, “Hotel California” had recorded over 26 million in sales copies in the US and was certified 26-times Platinum by the RIAA. It received 6-times Platinum certification in the United Kingdom.

Other places where this album has received multiple-Platinum certification include Australia, Spain, and Switzerland.

Due to its huge success, the album has been featured on a number of famous magazines’ lists of greatest albums. For example, it was ranked at No.37 on a 2003 and 2012 compilation of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time” by US entertainment magazine, Rolling Stone.