Busy Being Fabulous

[chaim]

Just watched the CMA thing for the first time. I don't quite get what's supposed to be wrong with it. Glenn looked intense as ever, Don was stony-faced as ever (and I say this with affection), Timothy had his usual, serious "I'm doing my thing as well as I can" look (again, said with affection) and Joe had his usual "I'm cool no matter what" thing going. I've never been a fan of this song, but this performance didn't bother me.

As for smiles, it would look weird to me if they were singing a lyric like this and smiling at the same time. Would look like they were just "the Eagles singing a song, because that's what the Eagles do well". They did smile at the end. Glenn's smile looked genuine to me.

[Funk 50]

In the interview he gave to launch the LROOE album, Don says he didn't care much for Busy Being Fabulous but everybody was telling him it's a hit so it became their second single off the album. I didn't think it was a strong song, especially live, lack-lustre on the CMA awards show.

[Jonny Come Lately]

I think Don's first instinct is generally correct when it comes to selecting singles. It seems obvious now that Hotel California was going to be a hit - but it was actually a very brave choice at the time. I'm sure I read a comment from Don Felder where he was surprised when Henley said that HC was going to be a single, at least partially due to its length. There is a certain irony in this - had, say, Try And Love Again or even VOL been released as a single instead, how would Felder have promoted his solo shows?

I quite like BBF, I really like some of the lyrics (I've mentioned this elsewhere but 'You think time is just a magazine' is a personal favourite of mine), the vocals are good and the guitar sounds right. However, I think it was the wrong choice of single, as there were better songs on the album which were more worthy of wider attention. I would say it's a solid song in most respects, but lacks that extra something or other that characterised nearly all of the singles released by the Eagles in 1970s, or superior LROOE tracks like How Long, WITW and the title track.

The song I'd have most liked to have been released as a single from LROOE was Somebody. I think it's a better and more exciting song than BBF and I think the only factor that would have prevented it from becoming a hit would have been poor promotion. Had BBF and Somebody both been released as singles back in the 1970s am I sure that Somebody would have been the more successful of the two. The only concern I could possible see would be that they wanted a Don song after releasing How Long (which was the correct first single IMO, yes it wasn't new, but it just sounded absolutely right), where Glenn dominates the vocals.

[scottside]

I agree that "Somebody" is the better song. That one sounds like a hit to me. Too bad Glenn didn't write it. As for "Busy Being Fabulous." I always felt that it should've had more of a rock stagger as in like the Stones "Beast Of Burder," for example. It's too pop as it is and not enough edge.

[AlreadyGone95]

I love the music video for BBF (Joe Walsh as a cop? Lmbo). However, the song doesn't do much for me. It's a nice and there's nothing bad about it, but it doesn't grab me and say "hey, stop what you're doing and listen to me". I agree that Somebody should've been a single instead of BBF. Somebody is one of my favorites on the album.

As for the CMA awards ceremony video, they look kind of bored, I huess. Maybe stiff is a better word. I don't thinkthat it was a lack luster performance, though.

[maryc2130]

I think Don's first instinct is generally correct when it comes to selecting singles. It seems obvious now that Hotel California was going to be a hit - but it was actually a very brave choice at the time. I'm sure I read a comment from Don Felder where he was surprised when Henley said that HC was going to be a single, at least partially due to its length. There is a certain irony in this - had, say, Try And Love Again or even VOL been released as a single instead, how would Felder have promoted his solo shows?

I quite like BBF, I really like some of the lyrics (I've mentioned this elsewhere but 'You think time is just a magazine' is a personal favourite of mine), the vocals are good and the guitar sounds right. However, I think it was the wrong choice of single, as there were better songs on the album which were more worthy of wider attention. I would say it's a solid song in most respects, but lacks that extra something or other that characterised nearly all of the singles released by the Eagles in 1970s, or superior LROOE tracks like How Long, WITW and the title track.

The song I'd have most liked to have been released as a single from LROOE was Somebody. I think it's a better and more exciting song than BBF and I think the only factor that would have prevented it from becoming a hit would have been poor promotion. Had BBF and Somebody both been released as singles back in the 1970s am I sure that Somebody would have been the more successful of the two. The only concern I could possible see would be that they wanted a Don song after releasing How Long (which was the correct first single IMO, yes it wasn't new, but it just sounded absolutely right), where Glenn dominates the vocals.

I like Somebody, but I'm not sure if it would have done any better than BBF as a single. I always thought they should have reduced the length of LROOE or WITW and released one of them.

I would disagree that Glenn dominates the vocals on How Long. He does have the lead vocal, but not by much, IMHO.

You know, I love the album so much. I really wish they had done more with it (and sing more of it on current tour). I only saw one show of the LROOE tour, and I had only heard HL and BBF before the show. I wish I knew some of the others more at that time, or had gotten to see them a second time. I do feel fortunate that I got to see them open with How Long in Boston for the Walden Woods fundraiser. The acoustics were so great there, it felt like the harmony was coming from all around us. Awesome!

ETA: I, also, love the music video for BBF. Too funny!

[L101]

I love BBF - I see it as an ironic look at a socialites life by the Eagles!! They probably all knew someone like her
As JCL said, it has one of the best lyrics in it - 'You think time is just a magazine' - that always makes me smile......Their humor can be quite dark sometimes and very funny - suits my humor anyway

I really love the video - it shows the lighter/fun side of the Eagles. I can see why Don didn't want to release this as a single, it is way to poppy for him but I think it works.
As for releasing Somebody as a single, I don't see that would have been any more successful than BBF - it sounds too much like a Glenn solo song (always reminds me of 'The heat is on'!!) than an Eagles song

[sodascouts]

I don't think the performance was horrific; it just wasn't up to their usual standards in terms of energy levels.

I like the song. I think the phrase "Busy being fabulous" is clever and to this day, I'll use it to jokingly refer to something Stevie Nicks has done, ie, "She's too busy being fabulous to work on a new Fleetwood Mac album." It's the kind of phrase, like "Life in the Fast Lane", that can enter a lexicon.

"Somebody" rocks hard, but it's true it doesn't sound as "Eagle-y" as "Busy Being Fabulous." Plus, they didn't believe in "Somebody" enough to play it until the end of the tour; it was unceremoniously dropped from the setlist after a few months. It does engage the listener from the outset, though. I know it's my niece's favorite song; whenever I play the Eagles, she wants to hear what she calls "The Somebody Song" (she's very young).

[Brooke]

I've always really liked BBF and the video too.

As far as Somebody, I don't really know if it would have done any better than BBF or not, although it's one of my favorite songs from LROOE. It does seem to be more of a Glenn song though, and reminds me a lot of I've Got Mine and All Those Lies.

[bluefeather]

I quite like BFF and I think the music video is hilarious. It's a good performance as far as I'm concerned. The song has a solid point but might do well with a bit more edge. A more "stones" version might indeed be quite cool. The album version isn't so memorable to me.