Watch Joe Walsh “Life In The Fast Lane” Performance

“Life In the Fast Lane” is one of the Eagles’ well-beloved hits. It was written by Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and Joe Walsh, and released in the band’s magnum opus album Hotel California in 1976.

It’s hard to find a rock music enthusiast who hasn’t heard the opening three songs from the Eagles’ Hotel California album. “Hotel California,” the album’s iconic title tune, kicks things off, followed by the funky “New Kid in Town” and the blazing “Life in the Fast Lane.”

Lyrically, “Life in the Fast Lane,” tells the tale of a reckless couple who live life on the edge until everything comes crashing down around them. Being young and at the height of their careers, the Eagles, especially Joe Walsh, were living a quick lifestyle, and the song reflects that free-spiritedness. The title was conceived when Frey was riding in a car with a drug dealer, with the latter pointedly saying the term.

“I say “Hey man!” He grins and goes ‘Life in the fast lane!’ And I thought, immediately, “Now there’s a song title,” Frey explained.

Walsh, being one of the notorious party-goers and drug users in the rock industry, there’s a sense of relatability when he performed the song at one of his concerts. The video below shows Walsh singing the lead vocals along with blazing through its fiery riffs. It is a mere testament to the musician’s power in terms of creativity and delivering powerful guitar licks.