Eagles – Certain Kind of Fool

About The Song

“Certain Kind of Fool” is a country rock ballad written by Glenn Frey, Don Henley, and Randy Meisner. It appears as the fifth track on the Eagles’ second studio album, Desperado, released on April 17, 1973, by Asylum Records. Produced by Glyn Johns and recorded at Island Studios in London, the song features Randy Meisner on lead vocals, with acoustic guitars, pedal steel played by Bernie Leadon, and the band’s layered harmonies. Running 3 minutes and 2 seconds, it exemplifies the album’s strong country influences amid its conceptual outlaw theme.

The track fits into the loose narrative of Desperado, which portrays the life of a Wild West outlaw as a metaphor for the rock musician’s existence. “Certain Kind of Fool” tells the story of a young man raised on a ranch, skilled with horses and guns, who grows restless with rural life and turns to robbery. The chorus reflects on how he became “a certain kind of fool”—one who traded security for danger and freedom. References to breaking broncos and drawing a gun faster than others underscore his outlaw transformation.

Randy Meisner, the Eagles’ bassist and high-harmony vocalist, shares lead duties here, delivering a poignant performance that highlights his vocal range. The song was one of three Meisner-led tracks on the album (alongside “Tryin'” and the title reprise), balancing the Frey-Henley dominance on other cuts. His prior experience with Poco and Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band brought authentic country sensibility to the recording.

Though not released as a single, “Certain Kind of Fool” contributed to the album’s cohesive storytelling. Desperado peaked at number 41 on the Billboard 200 and later achieved double Platinum certification from the RIAA. Singles “Tequila Sunrise” and “Outlaw Man” charted modestly, but the record’s legacy rests on its conceptual depth and enduring tracks like “Desperado” itself.

Critics have praised the song’s narrative clarity and Meisner’s emotive delivery, with outlets like Ultimate Classic Rock citing it as an underrated gem that captures the album’s Western imagery. It appears on compilations such as Selected Works: 1972–1999 (2000) and the 2013 remastered edition of Desperado. Live performances were infrequent, as the band rarely revisited deep cuts from this era, but the track remains appreciated for its role in the Eagles’ early country-rock mastery.

The album’s outlaw motif extended to its iconic cover photo by Henry Diltz, depicting the band and crew as a captured gang. “Certain Kind of Fool” reinforces the theme of youthful rebellion and inevitable consequences, mirroring the transient rock lifestyle the Eagles were beginning to experience in the early 1970s.

Video

Lyric

He was a poor boy, raised in a small family
He kinda had a craving for somethin’ no one else could see
They said that he was crazy
The kind that no lady should meet
He ran out to the city and wandered around in the street

He wanted to dance, wanted to sing
Wanted to do most anything
He wanted to be a cowboy
He wanted to sail on the sea
But most of all he wanted to be free

He became a certain kind of fool
A kind of fool no one could tame
He became a certain kind of fool
A kind that no one could blame

He learned how to shoot, learned how to fight
Learned how to make love in the night
He learned how to drink, learned how to gamble
Learned how to ride the range
But most of all he learned how to change

He became a certain kind of fool
A kind of fool no one could tame
He became a certain kind of fool
A kind that no one could blame

Now he’s out on the prairie, ridin’ the range
Just like a cowboy in the movies
But he’s not the same
‘Cause he’s a certain kind of fool
A kind of fool no one could tame
He’s a certain kind of fool
A kind that no one could blame