Song by Song: "Desperado" Trivia Quiz

Answer: fences

"Desperado, why don't you come to your senses
You've been out ridin' fences for so long now
Oh, you're a hard one
I know that you've got your reasons
These things that are pleasin' you
Can hurt you somehow."


"Desperado," was recorded on the Eagles' second studio album of the same name, which was released on April 17, 1973. The album was produced by Glyn Johns and peaked at 41 on the U.S. Billboard 200.

Answer: Glenn Frey

Band members Don Henley and Glenn Frey wrote the song together. "Desperado" was included on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time," where it came in at number 494. On the "Desperado" album, Don Henley supplied lead vocals and drums while Glenn Frey supplied piano and backing vocals.

Answer: Stephen Foster

Stephen Collins Foster, who died in 1864, is known for such classics as "Camptown Races," "Oh! Susanna," "Swanee River," "Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair," and "My Old Kentucky Home." Dubbed "the father of American Music," he wrote over 200 songs, and his music has often been included in early childhood education in the U.S.

In the article "Conversations with Don Henley and Glenn Frey," Don Henley told interviewer Cameron Crowe, "Glenn came over to write one day, and I showed him this unfinished tune that I had been holding for so many years. I said, 'When I play it and sing it, I think of Ray Charles - Ray Charles and Stephen Foster. It's really a Southern gothic thing, but we can easily make it more Western.' Glenn leapt right on it - filled in the blanks and brought structure. And that was the beginning of our songwriting partnership ... that's when we became a team."

Answer: The London Philharmonic Orchestra

The song was recorded at Island Studios (now SARM Studios) in Notting Hill, London, England, and some musicians from the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) accompanied the performance. The strings were written and arranged by Jim Ed Norman. The LPO was founded in 1932 by conductors Malcolm Sargent and Sir Thomas Beecham.

Answer: True

Although the song was certified silver in the U.K. by BPI Limited, it didn't initially chart on the U.S. Billboard. Glenn Frey died on January 18, 2016. Shortly thereafter, on February 6, 2016, "Desperado" reached number 20 on the U.S. Billboard Rock Digital Songs chart.

Answer: Elmore Leonard

"Justified" was based on "Fire in the Hole" by Elmore Leonard, who also served as an executive producer for the show. He wrote the screenplay for the first film in a five-film TV series tilted "Desperado" and convinced NBC to finance the project. The first installment aired April 27, 1987.

Answer: Johnny Cash

"American IV: The Man Comes Around," released in November of 2002, was the last Johnny Cash album to be released in his lifetime. Don Henley sung back up on Cash's version of "Desperado." Fiona Apple, Nick Cave, and other famous musicians contributed back-up vocals to other tracks.

Kenny Rogers covered "Desperado" on his 1977 album "Daytime Friends."

Answer: Queen of Diamonds

"Don't you draw the queen of diamonds, boy
She'll beat you if she's able
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet
Now it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones
That you can't get."

Here the song implies that the quest for riches will prove futile in the end but that love endures. "Desperado" was never released as a single, even though it was the title track of the album. Instead, "Outlaw Man" and "Tequila Sunrise" were the singles released from the album.

Answer: hunger

"And freedom, oh, freedom
Well that's just some people talking
Your prison is walking through this world all alone."

In a 2015 Rolling Stones magazine poll, "Desperado" was voted the number two favorite Eagles' song, just after "Hotel California." It was also included in MOJO magazine's 2000 list of greatest songs.

Answer: rainbow

"Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you (let somebody love you)
You better let somebody love you
Before it's too late."

"Desperado" has been covered by numerous musicians, including the Carpenters, Linda Ronstadt, Superfly, Clint Black, and Diana Krall. Johnny Rodriguez's version on his 1976 album "Reflecting" hit number five on the U.S. Country Singles Billboard chart.