“ Joe , I want you to do me a favor , don ’ t ever bring this up again until you can walk into my house with that song on the Eagles album ”. I know how those things go , they go in with a bunch of songs , and then a lot of songs don ’ t make the cut . I told him , “ If the Eagles record ‘ In the City ’ and it doesn ’ t make the album I ’ ll kill myself , so I ’ m going to try to not think about it until you walk into my house with ‘ In the City ’ on that album ”. And that is exactly what happened ( laughing ). One day the bell rang at my gates and it was Joe . He came in and said , “ Here you are !” We sat down and I listened to the “ Long Run ” album before it was released right here in my office .
[ GTR ] What did that feel like ?
[ Barry ] It was fantastic ! The Eagles are legendary and for the most part they write their own songs . There are not many outsiders that get in , only a few , and I happened to be one of them . I get to be part of the legend and I owe it all to Joe . I saw them in L . A ., and here in Santa Barbara . They appeared at the Santa Barbara Bowl on a warm beautiful moonlight night and the Eagles were killin ’ it . Then Joe , in front of everyone I know in town , including my family says , “ This next song I wrote with my good friend Barry Devorzon . I hope you like it ”. And then they nailed it ! It was a wonderful moment . Whenever I go to Eagles concerts and they play “ In the City ”, it ’ s always a thrill .
[ GTR ] Was the song changed or altered in the Eagles version compared to yours and Joe ’ s original song ?
[ Barry ] Only a little bit . It was pretty close , but that made a big difference . When I recorded the original version with Joe I felt something was missing in the chorus so I called in some background singers . The Eagles just replaced the background singers with their own vocals and they have a great sound , I couldn ’ t have asked for more .
[ GTR ] Are you surprised that “ The Warriors ” and “ In the City ” have become cult classics ?
[ Barry ] Yeah , I must say I am . When something you do has lasting quality , it always comes as a pleasant surprise . “ The Warriors ” is probably the biggest surprise . It was a good little movie , but I didn ’ t necessarily think it would have a lot of legs . Today , they have Warrior Conferences in Coney Island every year , and thousands of people come for it . It ’ s become a cult movie and it ’ s amazing how young kids that weren ’ t even around when that movie was made know about it and relate to it .
[ GTR ] Do you feel that a rock song like “ In the City ” is much different than your instrumental award-winning song “ Nadia ’ s Theme ?”
[ Barry ] Very different , at opposite ends of the spectrum . I think it just points out that a songwriter can have a lot of different sensibilities , I think people try to put you in a box . They say , “ He did this , and that ’ s his style , he can ’ t do this ”. In some cases it ’ s true , but not in every case . I had an honest feeling for the more pop oriented and beautiful melodies , but I also had the same love and appreciation for Rock and Roll . So , the same guy that wrote , “ Bless the Beast and Children ” and “ Nadia ’ s Theme ” also wrote “ Theme from Swat ” and “ In the City ”, I think that says it all .
[ GTR ] The “ Theme from Swat ” always brings
Joe Walsh & Barry DeVorzon back memories from that time period .
[ Barry ] There ’ s another long-lived song . The series was only on TV for a season and a half , but that theme just seems to go on . Since the original TV series it was used in the movie , video games , and now they are bringing it back in a new S . W . A . T . TV series in November .
[ GTR ] As the Eagles integrate fill-in members like Vince Gill and Glenn Frey ’ s son , how do you see “ In the City ” enduring in 2017 ?
[ Barry ] It ’ s hard to tell . It ’ s just great being part of their song list . I have so many Platinum records on my wall for that one song , it should be against the law . The Eagles sell a lot of records , and they keep selling them . They are one of the legendary groups of all time .
[ GTR ] What else has surprised you with the longevity of this one song ?
[ Barry ] It served the movie , and that is what I was paid to do , but in 2006 they did a video game for “ The Warriors ” and they insisted on using the original music . I was impressed that after 27 years they still thought it was current enough to want it .
[ GTR ] How many Platinum records do you
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