About The Song
“What Do I Do with My Heart” is a melancholic, introspective ballad from the Eagles’ seventh studio album, Long Road Out of Eden. The double album was released on October 30, 2007, by Eagles Recording Company II (distributed through Lost Highway Records in select territories). It marked the band’s first full studio album of new original material since The Long Run in 1979, ending a nearly three-decade hiatus from studio recording. The track appears as track 9 on disc one, with a duration of 5 minutes and 54 seconds.
Written by Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit, and touring guitarist Steuart Smith, the song features lead vocals by Timothy B. Schmit, with rich harmonies from Don Henley and Glenn Frey. Production was credited to the Eagles collectively, with Bill Szymczyk contributing engineering and mixing. Recording sessions took place over several years (roughly 2001–2007) in various studios including Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood, The Doghouse in Los Angeles, and others. The arrangement is understated, relying on acoustic guitar, piano, subtle strings, and the band’s signature layered vocal harmonies to convey deep emotional vulnerability.
Long Road Out of Eden debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling over 711,000 copies in its first week in the United States, and earned 7× Platinum certification from the RIAA. The album generated multiple radio hits, including “How Long” (No. 1 on Hot Country Songs), “Busy Being Fabulous,” “I Don’t Want to Hear Any More,” and “What Do I Do with My Heart,” which became the fourth consecutive single from the album to chart on the Adult Contemporary chart, reaching No. 21 in 2009.
“What Do I Do with My Heart” was not a commercial single but received significant airplay on adult contemporary and classic rock stations. The lyrics explore the aftermath of a broken relationship, with the narrator grappling with lingering love, confusion, and the inability to move on—delivered with Schmit’s warm, soulful tone that has been praised for its emotional authenticity. Henley has described the song as a continuation of the album’s themes of reflection, loss, and resilience.
The track became a highlight during the band’s 2008–2011 world tour supporting the album, often performed with heightened emotional intensity. It remains one of the more understated but deeply felt songs from the later Eagles catalog, showcasing the vocal chemistry of the lineup: Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit, with Steuart Smith contributing significantly on guitar and mandolin. Long Road Out of Eden was the final Eagles studio album to feature Glenn Frey before his passing in January 2016.
Video
Lyric
I don’t know what to do
About this dream of me and you
I wake up in the night
And I reach out for youWhat do I do with my heart?
It’s been broken in two
What do I do with my heart?
It’s still beating for youI can see you everywhere
In the faces in the crowd
I can hear you in the air
When the music gets too loudWhat do I do with my heart?
It’s been broken in two
What do I do with my heart?
It’s still beating for youI keep telling myself
That time will heal the pain
But the more I tell myself
The more it stays the sameWhat do I do with my heart?
It’s been broken in two
What do I do with my heart?
It’s still beating for youMaybe someday I’ll find
A way to let you go
But until that day arrives
I guess I’ll never knowWhat do I do with my heart?
It’s been broken in two
What do I do with my heart?
It’s still beating for youWhat do I do with my heart?
It’s still beating for you