Jackson Browne was a rising singer-songwriter in 1972 when he wrote one of the most memorable lines in Americana. music history,
“Okay, I’m standing on a corner Winslow, Arizona / And such a fine sight to see,” he wrote in the second verse of “Take It Easy.”
Almost every elite American can easily read a young man’s triumphant testimony.
How Two Rival Titans of Rock ‘n’ Roll Transformed a NYC Tenement into a Global Music Landmark
“It’s a girl, oh my God, in a flatbed Ford / Driving slow to look at me.”
Brown described the song’s origins in a 2013 interview with British music site Uncut.
Winslow, Arizona was immortalized in the Eagles’ first single “Take It Easy” in 1972. Written by Jackson Browne, it memorably describes a girl “slowly standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona, to glance at a man in a flatbed Ford.” (standinginonthecorner.org)
He said, “I took a road trip in this old-fashioned Willys Jeep and I went to Utah and Arizona. On that trip, I started writing ‘Take It Easy’.”
“When I came back, I played it for Glenn Frey, and he asked if Eagles When it was finished they could cut it… It was their first single, and what those guys did with it was incredible.”
Atmospheric, all-American country-rock anthemThe quick-picked background, accompanied by banjo, made the Eagles major stars.
In the early 1970s Winslow was a small town of about 8,500 people, bustling with activity due to its location on the famous Route 66.
By the end of the decade the Eagles were among the greatest acts in music history. But the small town that gave Wings its first hit was effectively wiped off the map.
An image of the late Glenn Frey is displayed on a video screen as recording artists, left to right, Bernie Leadon, Timothy B. Schmidt, Don Henley (on drum riser), Jackson Browne, Joe Walsh and Stuart Smith perform on stage during The. The 58th GRAMMY Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on February 15, 2016. (Kevin Winter/WireImage)
Interstate 40 opened in 1979, providing high-speed traffic north of the city.
“The freeway bypassed us and then basically downtown Winslow died,” Stephanie Lugo, a board member of the Standing on the Corner Foundation, told Fox News Digital in an interview.
“The freeway bypassed us and then basically downtown Winslow died.”
The same fate befell hundreds of communities along the 2,500-mile stretch of Route 66 that connected Chicago. los angeles,
Winslow had something that very few people had. It contained pop-culture immortality in the image of a young man attracting a young woman in a truck.
Meet the American who invented the electric guitar and inspired rock ‘n’ roll
Standing on the corner park, featuring a life-size statue of a man with a guitar between his legs and, possibly, “Seven Women on My Mind”, opened in 1999.
Winslow, Arizona at dusk. When Interstate 40 opened and passed through the town in 1979, the Route 66 community became almost a ghost town. (standing on corner foundation)
Winslow may have become another desert ghost town.
Instead, it is a destination for rock fans and selfie seekers from around the world.
Winslow added a second statue of Frey in 2016, shortly after the singer’s death.
“It’s a girl, oh my God, in a flatbed Ford / Driving slow to look at me.”
On any given day, 300 or more people stop to take photos, Lugo said.
“On holidays and weekends, the crowds are constant,” she said, “especially in the summertime when kids are out of school.”
Click here to sign up for our lifestyle newsletter
He added, “The park has definitely helped rebuild our downtown. We have a lot of new restaurants and new shops. The downtown is revitalized.”
Brown certainly had no idea that his song would ever be heard, let alone help a small desert town recapture its glory.
Standing on the Corner Park is a tourist attraction in Winslow, Arizona. The community was made famous in 1972 by its mention in the Eagles’ first hit song, “Take It Easy”, written by Jackson Browne. (standing on corner foundation)
Among other claims to fame, “Take It Easy” is the first track on the best-selling album of all time.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America, “Eagles: Their Greatest Hits (1971–75)” has sold 38 million certified albums.
It overtook Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” (34 million) for the No. 1 spot in 2018.
Click here to get the Fox News app
Lugo said, “Wherever we travel and people ask where we’re from and I tell them, ‘Winslow, Arizona,’ and they’re like, ‘Oh my God! That’s The Eagles’ song.”
“He made our city world famous.”
For more lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle,
