Released in 1976 as the first single from their iconic Hotel California album, “New Kid in Town” is one of the Eagles’ most memorable tracks. Written by Glenn Frey, Don Henley, and J.D. Souther, the song’s creation began with a chorus written by Souther, which he presented to Frey and Henley. They immediately recognized its potential and saw it as a hit. However, they didn’t rush to complete it. Souther set the idea aside for nearly a year before revisiting it during the Hotel California writing sessions.

According to Souther, the song’s lyrics reflect a fascination with the idea of being replaced—whether in love or in fame. “At some point some kid would come riding into town that was much faster than you and he’d say so, and then he’d prove it,” he explained. The song’s central theme is the fleeting, often fickle nature of love and fame. Henley expanded on this, noting in the liner notes of The Very Best Of

that the song speaks to the awareness of their own status in the music industry: “We were basically saying, ‘Look, we know we’re red hot right now but we also know that somebody’s going to come along and replace us.’”

Musically, “New Kid in Town” captured the Eagles’ trademark sound and reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100, cementing their place as one of the biggest bands of the era. Rolling Stone even ranked it as the 5th greatest Eagles song in a 2016 retrospective. The track’s reflective lyrics, combined with its rich instrumentation, made it an enduring anthem for both the band’s legacy and the inevitable passage of time.

Lyrics

There’s talk on the street, it sounds so familiar
Great expectations, everybody’s watching you
People you meet, they all seem to know you
Even your old friends treat you like you’re something new
Johnny-come-lately
The new kid in town
Everybody loves you
So don’t let them down
You look in her eyes, the music begins to play
Hopeless romantics, here we go again
But after a while, you’re lookin’ the other way
It’s those restless hearts that never mend
Johnny-come-lately
The new kid in town
Will she still love you
When you’re not around?
There’s so many things you should have told her
But night after night, you’re willing to hold her, just hold her
Tears on your shoulder
There’s talk on the street, it’s there to remind you
Doesn’t really matter which side you’re on
You’re walking away and they’re talking behind you
They will never forget you ’til somebody new comes along
Where you been lately?
There’s a new kid in town
Everybody loves him, don’t they?
He’s holding her and you’re still around
Oh, my, my
There’s a new kid in town
Just another new kid in town
Everybody’s talking ’bout the new kid in town (ooh-ooh)
(Ooh-ooh)
Everybody’s walking like the new kid in town (ooh-ooh)
There’s a new kid in town (I don’t wanna hear it)
There’s a new kid in town (I don’t wanna hear it, ah-ooh)
There’s a new kid in town
There’s a new kid in town
There’s a new kid in town (everybody’s talking)
There’s a new kid in town (people started walking)
There’s a new kid in town (mm-hm-mm)
There’s a new kid in town (mm-hm-mm)
There’s a new kid in town
There’s a new kid in town

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