There is one song that can still make my sister and I laugh whenever we hear it. It's not a funny song; it is a track about being chill, not stressing, and letting it all go. The story behind this song is good, which is why we laugh when we hear or talk about it.
It was the late 80s, and the family was headed to Colorado for a family vacation. My Dad was not always Mr. Responsible, and let's say we left about 6 hours later than we wanted to. My Mom and Dad had a big argument before we left, and my Mom started in the middle row of our new Ford Aerostar. We left at about 11 PM to start the long drive, and I got to ride shotgun. My Dad had the radio on for a while but then decided to toss the Eagles' Greatest Hits into the cassette player. My Dad and I started talking about the song, and when it was done, he asked me to hit rewind and play it again. At that same time, we were pulling up to a toll booth, and the chorus kicked in, "Come on, baby, don't say maybe," and we started singing. As we pull up to the manual toll booth, my Dad hands the person the toll, and at that same time, my Mom wakes up from the back, drool, hair a mess, and screams WHAT?????. That poor toll booth worker looked like we had a dead body in the back, and the person came back to life. She then laid her head down and went right back to sleep. I wish we had a video of this!
"Take It Easy" was co-written by the late Glenn Frey and the super-talented Jackson Browne. The track only hit #12 on the Hot 100 in 1972, but the song is a JAM. I thank the Eagles for giving me this memory that all these years is so vivid in my mind. I didn't particularly appreciate it when my parents fought; they did a lot, but this time, it might have been worth it. I know my sister is laughing while reading this and enjoying the memory with me. Damn, I miss my parents.