The new kid in town is about the musical competition to the Eagles. The Eagles were king of the pop music mountain in the early/mid 70s, but other musical acts were starting to emerge and get attention. Could be specifically Springsteen, but I don't think so, I believe its simply about the competition in general, from the perspective of the old guard Eagles.
"There's talk on the street, it sounds so familar", is the Eagles hearing about other new breakthrough bands/performers, and the verbiage harkens them back to thinking about how they were described and perceived a few years earlier when they were first acquiring fame and attention.
"You look in her eyes, the music begins to play," refers to creating/writing a new pop song. "Hopeless romantics here we go again ... But after a while you're looking the other way ... It's those restless hearts that never mend," satirizes the fact that so many pop songs describe exciting but ultimately hopeless or failed love, and promiscuity. Several if not most of the Eagles early hits were nothing but songs about exactly this. The Eagles are to some degree mocking themselves, and making a statement that they weren't going to create more of those syrupy songs. A risky move, considering this represented breaking from proven formula.
"Johnny come lately, the new kid in town ... Will she still love you when you're not around?" poses a rhetorical question to the newcomers ... will those women who are throwing themselves at you, proclaiming to you how great you are, be loyal to you when your out of town? The Eagles are saying, we've been there, done that, it doesn't end well.
"There's so many things you should have told her ... but night after night you're willing to hold her, just hold her ... tears on your shoulder," is a general statement about how pop stars of the time lied and used woman. Tears on your shoulder is the latent guilt that it seems some of the Eagles started to feel.
"There's talk on the street, it's there to remind you ... That it doesn't really matter which side you're on ...You're walking away and they're talking behind you ... They will never forget you till someone new comes along," is editorial about the ongoing buzz and hype of the musical business. How one day you're the greatest, media are chasing you asking you questions, the next day your back seat to the next big thing. It doesn't really matter which side your on, because it won't last anyway, and ultimately its just the opinions of a bunch of critics.
"Everybody loves him, don't they? And he's holding her and you're still around, oh my my," describes another performer being the new top of the pop chart idol, the new artist who can fill stadiums, getting all the attention. And the Eagles, the former hottest thing, are expected to react, to feel bad about being supplanted.
"There's a new kid in town ... I don't want to hear it," is the ending to the song, with the Eagles basically saying, they don't want to read or hear about how their time in the spotlight might be over.
The new kid in town is about the musical competition to the Eagles. The Eagles were king of the pop music mountain in the early/mid 70s, but other musical acts were starting to emerge and get attention. Could be specifically Springsteen, but I don't think so, I believe its simply about the competition in general, from the perspective of the old guard Eagles.
"There's talk on the street, it sounds so familar", is the Eagles hearing about other new breakthrough bands/performers, and the verbiage harkens them back to thinking about how they were described and perceived a few years earlier when they were first acquiring fame and attention.
"You look in her eyes, the music begins to play," refers to creating/writing a new pop song. "Hopeless romantics here we go again ... But after a while you're looking the other way ... It's those restless hearts that never mend," satirizes the fact that so many pop songs describe exciting but ultimately hopeless or failed love, and promiscuity. Several if not most of the Eagles early hits were nothing but songs about exactly this. The Eagles are to some degree mocking themselves, and making a statement that they weren't going to create more of those syrupy songs. A risky move, considering this represented breaking from proven formula.
"Johnny come lately, the new kid in town ... Will she still love you when you're not around?" poses a rhetorical question to the newcomers ... will those women who are throwing themselves at you, proclaiming to you how great you are, be loyal to you when your out of town? The Eagles are saying, we've been there, done that, it doesn't end well.
"There's so many things you should have told her ... but night after night you're willing to hold her, just hold her ... tears on your shoulder," is a general statement about how pop stars of the time lied and used woman. Tears on your shoulder is the latent guilt that it seems some of the Eagles started to feel.
"There's talk on the street, it's there to remind you ... That it doesn't really matter which side you're on ...You're walking away and they're talking behind you ... They will never forget you till someone new comes along," is editorial about the ongoing buzz and hype of the musical business. How one day you're the greatest, media are chasing you asking you questions, the next day your back seat to the next big thing. It doesn't really matter which side your on, because it won't last anyway, and ultimately its just the opinions of a bunch of critics.
"Everybody loves him, don't they? And he's holding her and you're still around, oh my my," describes another performer being the new top of the pop chart idol, the new artist who can fill stadiums, getting all the attention. And the Eagles, the former hottest thing, are expected to react, to feel bad about being supplanted.
"There's a new kid in town ... I don't want to hear it," is the ending to the song, with the Eagles basically saying, they don't want to read or hear about how their time in the spotlight might be over.
Great interpretation.
Great interpretation.