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They do not find new songs easy to come by. Cursed with writer's cramp early this year, Songwriters Felder and Henley rented a Mulholland Drive mansion, stocked it with tequila and legal pads and agonized for several weeks while waiting for the muse. Finally, after three months, four cross-country trips and $160,000 in production costs, the group was satisfied with the nine songs on One of These Nights.
The album explores the emotional changes that accompany the quest for success, romance and security, and the disillusionment that may follow attainment of the goal. "It can be a woman, fame or peace of mind," explains Henley. "What is important is how you feel about the prize when it is won."
It should be added that the Eagles have apparently learned how to deal with their enormous success. They still believe in Don Juan. "If you read Carlos Castaneda in Iowa, where the view consists of corn fields, his message might not have as much impact. But we are in Los Angeles, where the desert is as accessible as the ocean."
The special—and practical—view of reality that the Eagles gained in the Mojave extends to their own egos and abilities. "There's tension among us," admits Meisner, "because we give each other second thoughts. But we remember C.S. N. &Y. and the Beatles. Since Lennon and McCartney split, they have never been as productive." The Eagles are staying together. The bond of the desert is strong.