Australian singles chart:
Life in the Fast Lane entered the Kent Music Report on 22 August 1977 and peaked at #96.
Album:
The song is on Hotel California which entered the Kent album charts on 13 December 1976. It hit the #1 spot on 17 January 1977 and remained on top for 12 weeks.
Songwriters:
Joe Walsh, Glenn Frey, Don Henley
Producer:
Bill Szymczyk
Record label of Australian release:
Asylum
Life in the Fast Lane performed live by the Eagles in 1994 (MTV) for the Hell Freezes Over live album:
Songfacts:
Life in the Fast Lane describes a man and woman who had everything but lost it because of their lifestyles. Hotel California was the Eagles’ first album with their new guitarist Joe Walsh, who helped write this song with Don Henley and Glenn Frey.
The famous guitar riff for this song started off as a warm-up exercise Joe Walsh was doing before a rehearsal. When the band heard it, they made him play it again and decided to develop it into a song.
After it came out, the phrase “life in the fast lane” became a popular saying used to describe a jet-set lifestyle. It remains a fairly misinterpreted track, as it’s not supposed to glamorise the lifestyle, but to be a warning about the dangers of drugs (“lines on the mirror, lines on her face” describe cocaine on a mirror about to be ingested), alcohol and bad decisions.
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/eagles/life-in-the-fast-lane
Also worth a read: The Eagles song that was written as a warning but heard as a celebration
This song is also on our Spotify playlist Bang a Gong – the 70s
Find more songs to enjoy: Bang a Gong song finder
New to Bang a Gong? Click HERE to learn more about us.