THOSE SHOES
DON: One of my favorites. At that time, all the girls were wearing Charles Jourdan shows -- the ones with the little ankle straps. They'd become very popular and we were big fans [laughs]. And so, we said, "Well, it's not enough just to write about that; we have to turn it into a metaphor for women standing on their own two feet, so to speak, and taking responsibility for their own lives, their own losses." That was our intent. The lyric "Once you've started wearing those shoes" meant "Once you've started being your own woman and taking responsibility for your own life; once you've decided not to be just decoration -- an appendage to some guy -- then this is all the crap you're going to have to put up with in conjunction with that." Anyone who decided to become the master of his or her own destiny always has to put up with a lot of crap. On the surface the song was about the singles scene: the beautiful, young women seemingly unaware of the sharks waiting in the shallows... sharks that sometimes included us. It was also a great, great beat. It gave Felder a chance to strap on the talkbox, a device which Joe Walsh pioneered on "Rocky Mountain Way" -- and the two of them soloed together...
GLENN: As far as I know, it's the only double-talkbox solo in existence. That's Felder and Walsh on talkbox at the end singing "Butt out...butt out...."
From an interview with Don Henley and Glenn Frey:
THOSE SHOES DON: One of my favorites. At that time, all the girls were wearing Charles Jourdan shows -- the ones with the little ankle straps. They'd become very popular and we were big fans [laughs]. And so, we said, "Well, it's not enough just to write about that; we have to turn it into a metaphor for women standing on their own two feet, so to speak, and taking responsibility for their own lives, their own losses." That was our intent. The lyric "Once you've started wearing those shoes" meant "Once you've started being your own woman and taking responsibility for your own life; once you've decided not to be just decoration -- an appendage to some guy -- then this is all the crap you're going to have to put up with in conjunction with that." Anyone who decided to become the master of his or her own destiny always has to put up with a lot of crap. On the surface the song was about the singles scene: the beautiful, young women seemingly unaware of the sharks waiting in the shallows... sharks that sometimes included us. It was also a great, great beat. It gave Felder a chance to strap on the talkbox, a device which Joe Walsh pioneered on "Rocky Mountain Way" -- and the two of them soloed together...
GLENN: As far as I know, it's the only double-talkbox solo in existence. That's Felder and Walsh on talkbox at the end singing "Butt out...butt out...."
Source: glennfreyonline.com/eagles/verybest/linernotes.htm
So ProfessorKnowItAll was right about the "Butt out" on the talkbox.
I agree wholeheartedly with PeglegPete's earlier comment that this is their most underrated song. I also think it's one of their very best.