My Gen X Playlist: Take It Easy – The Eagles

I once headed out to Las Vegas for the weekend. Unfortunately I had to work a full day and got a late start. After filling my tank, I was off. Now, Vegas is about 275 miles from Los Angeles. I can easily make it on a tank of gas. The odd thing was, I kept seeing my gas gage moving closer to the E. What was happening here?

I pulled off in the small town of Baker. This basically is a one road town filled with gas stations and fast food places. This small desert town is a pit stop between LA and Las Vegas. It was close to midnight and thanked my lucky stars I found a garage still open. It turns out I had a leak in my gas tank. I did recall running over something the day before. That must have been the culprit. When I asked the price to fix it, the mechanic scratched his head and began with, “Well, you know it’s late and you are in the middle of nowhere…” His voice trailed off. The trail off is never a good sign. It’s usually a prelude to bad news. How much of my Vegas bankroll was this going to set me back?

“Well, it’s late I have to charge you for my time. We have to wait to drain the tank before we can patch it up.”

“Can’t we siphon the gas? Wouldn’t that be quicker?” I asked. I trouble shoot all day at work. This clearly was a better solution.

“Sure we can. I’ll give you a hose and you can suck on it to get the gas flowing. I don’t feel like a mouthful of gas, do you?”

Hmm. Good point. That’s a hard no. “OK. I get it. How much?” I braced myself.

He looked me in the eye as he said, “Forty bucks. That’s firm.”

That’s not bad. I thought he was going to gouge me with a $200+ bill. I wanted to let out a sigh of relief, but I had to play the game so we both felt like winners. I shrugged my shoulders in defeat and said, “Man. OK, I’ve got no other choice. Let’s do it.” He shook my hand and smiled.

It took two hours for my gas tank to drain. I stood there in the wee hours of the morning before finally jumping back in my car to resume my drive. As they say in Swingers, Vegas, baby. Vegas.

Reaching goals are like road trips. Delays, road blocks, traffic jams or bad weather happen all the time. There are times when circumstances are beyond your control. Other times they’re self-inflicted because maybe you should’ve said “No”. But really, they’re all live and learn moments. Deal with it and move on. Regardless of what makes you pit stop in the middle of the night, what matters most is adapting, getting back on the road and putting the past behind you. Sure, this analogy is a bit of a stretch and I’m not exactly answering the prompt, but that’s what came to mind.

I drove over the final crest, hit the downward slope and saw the Vegas lights on the horizon. It was a few hours later than expected and I had slightly less cash in my pocket, but I was still going to make it. All of that nonsense about my gas tank? In the rear view mirror and no longer on my mind. I wasn’t about to let a minor bump in the road spoil my good time.

The Eagles released Take It Easy in 1972. The song got it’s start from a broken down Jeep on a road trip from California to Utah.

A real road trip inspired this song. Jackson Browne had been working on his first album for a long time and needed a break, so he headed to Utah from Southern California via Arizona, which took him through Winslow on Route 40. His vehicle was a 1953 Willys Jeep – the kind used by the Army. It was beat up, and for a sound system, Browne used a huge cassette deck on which he played Willy And The Poor Boys by Creedence Clearwater Revival over and over.

In Utah, the Jeep died, and he was taken in by some guys he met out there. He started writing the song in their van, then completed it with Glenn Frey when he returned to California.

– Songfacts

A road trip through the desert. Winslow, a small desert town. A broken down Jeep. Hitching a ride in a van. Puzzles pieces leading up to a hit song.

–

For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

Well, I'm a-running down the road
Tryin' to loosen my load
I've got seven women on my mind
Four that wanna own me
Two that wanna stone me
One says she's a friend of mine

Take it easy, take it easy
Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy
Lighten up while you still can
Don't even try to understand
Just find a place to make your stand
And take it easy

Well, I'm a-standing on a corner
In Winslow, Arizona
Such a fine sight to see
It's a girl, my Lord
In a flat-bed Ford
Slowin' down to take a look at me

Come on, baby
Don't say "Maybe"
I gotta know
If your sweet love
Is gonna save me
We may lose and we may win
Though we will never be here again
So open up, I'm climbin' in
So take it easy

Well, I'm running down the road
Trying to loosen my load
Got a world of trouble on my mind
Lookin' for a lover
Who won't blow my cover
She's so hard to find

Take it easy, take it easy
Don't let the sound of your own wheels make you crazy
Come on, baby
Don't say "Maybe"
I gotta know
If your sweet love
Is gonna save me

Oh we got it easy
We oughta take it easy