About The Song
“Lyin’ Eyes” is a song written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey and recorded by the American rock band Eagles. It was released as the second single from their fourth studio album, One of These Nights, on September 7, 1975, by Asylum Records. The B-side was “Too Many Hands.” The album version runs 6 minutes and 22 seconds, while the single version was edited to 4 minutes and 14 seconds. The track was recorded in January 1975 in Hollywood, California, and produced by Bill Szymczyk. Glenn Frey sang lead vocals.
The song originated from an observation made by Frey and Henley at Dan Tana’s, a Los Angeles restaurant and bar they frequented. They noticed a young, attractive woman accompanied by a much older, wealthy man. Frey remarked that she could not hide her “lyin’ eyes.” This comment provided the title and concept. Frey and Henley, who were sharing a house in Trousdale, Beverly Hills at the time, developed the song together. Frey has been credited as the primary writer of the title, choruses, and overall structure, while Henley contributed to the verses and aspects of the melody. Frey later described the writing process as relatively fluid once it began.
The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 in mid-September 1975 and peaked at number 2, held from the top position by Elton John’s “Island Girl.” It spent two weeks at number 2. On the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart it reached number 3. On the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart it peaked at number 8, marking the Eagles’ only top-10 country hit until “How Long” more than three decades later. It also reached number 3 on the Cash Box Top 100. In Canada it peaked at number 19 on the RPM Top Singles chart, number 4 on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart, and number 20 on the RPM Country chart. Internationally it reached number 23 on the UK Singles Chart, number 7 in New Zealand, number 3 in Ireland, and number 23 in the Netherlands.
The Eagles received the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus for “Lyin’ Eyes” at the 18th Annual Grammy Awards in 1976. The song was also nominated for Record of the Year. It remains one of only a small number of Eagles recordings to win a Grammy. The parent album One of These Nights reached number 1 on the Billboard 200 and produced three major singles, including the title track and “Take It to the Limit.”
“Lyin’ Eyes” was the only track on One of These Nights on which Frey sang solo lead vocals (he shared lead with Henley on one other song). Session credits include Jim Ed Norman on piano. The recording features the classic Eagles vocal harmonies and a country-rock arrangement consistent with the band’s sound during this period. The lineup at the time still included original member Bernie Leadon, who departed after the album’s release.
Chart documentation from Billboard confirms the September 1975 single release, the number-2 peak on the Hot 100, the number-3 Adult Contemporary peak, and the number-8 country peak. UK, Canadian, New Zealand, Irish, and Dutch chart positions are verified through contemporaneous trade publications and official chart archives. Production is credited to Bill Szymczyk. Songwriting credits are listed as Don Henley and Glenn Frey. The Grammy win is documented in official Recording Academy records. These details align with Asylum Records catalog information, Billboard archives, and standard discography references for the Eagles’ mid-1970s output.
The single version and album version differ in length due to an edited middle section on the 45 rpm release. The song has appeared on multiple Eagles compilation albums, including Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975). It continues to be recognized as one of the band’s signature country-rock recordings from the One of These Nights era.
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Lyric
City girls just seem to find out early How to open doors with just a smile A rich old man and she won't have to worry She'll dress up all in lace and go in style Late at night, a big old house gets lonely I guess every form of refuge has its price And it breaks her heart to think her love is only Given to a man with hands as cold as ice So she tells him she must go out for the evening To comfort an old friend who's feelin' down But he knows where she's goin' as she's leavin' She is headed for the cheatin' side of town You can't hide your lyin' eyes And your smile is a thin disguise I thought by now you'd realize There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes On the other side of town a boy is waiting With fiery eyes and dreams no one could steal She drives on through the night anticipating 'Cause he makes her feel the way she used to feel She rushes to his arms, they fall together She whispers that it's only for a while She swears that soon she'll be comin' back forever She pulls away and leaves him with a smile You can't hide your lyin' eyes And your smile is a thin disguise I thought by now you'd realize There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes She gets up and pours herself a strong one And stares out at the stars up in the sky Another night, it's gonna be a long one She draws the shade and hangs her head to cry She wonders how it ever got this crazy She thinks about a boy she knew in school Did she get tired or did she just get lazy? She's so far gone she feels just like a fool My, oh my, you sure know how to arrange things You set it up so well, so carefully Ain't it funny how your new life didn't change things You're still the same old girl you used to be You can't hide your lyin' eyes And your smile is a thin disguise I thought by now you'd realize There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes Honey, you can't hide your lyin' eyes