Song of the Day: The Eagles “Funky New Year”

Eagles, the Southern California-based purveyors of all things smooth came up with a surprisingly funky New Year’s anthem that they released as a single in 1978. The song starts out with some studio tuning sounds but kicks in with a vengeance on the 40th second. The song deals with that slightly funky feeling we are all accustomed to waking-up with after a New Year’s night of over-indulgence. The song really doesn’t sound like much else in the Eagles‘ back catalog.

One of the big reasons for this might be that it was the first to feature Timothy B. Schmidt on bass, who joined the existing Eagles line-up of Joe Walsh, Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Don Felder. Schmidt brought a funkier sensibility to the band and the bass line is really what manages to steal the show on “Funky New Year”. The song almost sounds like it might have been a James Brown outtake. The single was released as a double a-side with the band’s cover of Roy Orbison‘s “Please Come Home For Christmas”.

We hope everyone had a happy and safe New Year and wish you good health and prosperity in 2018.