Kahli Scott
Brisbane, Australia and London, UK; April 2016
Shortly after Glenn Frey, star and founding member of The Eagles, died in January, I found myself curled on the couch of my family home in Brisbane watching an Eagles documentary. The Eagles had been my Dad’s favourite band, and their sound, history and energy always reminded me of my old man. He’d passed away in 2009, and Frey’s death, combined with the memory of Dad’s, had me thinking about time and ageing, the contrast between the free-spirited ‘70s and today. Long-haired men with starry eyes who had hit the highways hard back then were dying now. These were sombre thoughts, but I was on the cusp of a big change in my own life and the documentary seemed imperative to that, though I wasn’t yet sure how.
There’s a stunning performance of Take It To The Limit in the documentary, from the Capital Centre show in 1977. I’ve always loved this song, and it’s the only Eagles’ hit not sung by superstars Don Henley or Frey. Take It To The Limit belonged to lesser-known member Randy Meisner, and is memorable for the killer high vocals that come at the end. I see music mostly as a form of storytelling and don’t know much about technique, but I found this performance awesome, in the true sense of the word. As Meisner nailed those notes, the crowd went wild and you could see Frey grinning — almost with pride — from behind his piano.
I was interested to learn then, through the commentary after, that performing Take It To The Limit was a constant source of worry for shy Meisner, who would get extremely nervous about carrying the song and hitting those high notes. At one notable gig later, he refused to perform it, leading to a huge scuffle between him and Frey. Meisner left the band for good shortly after.
It’s April now, and that couch in my family home and the luxury of documentaries on pay TV are far away. I’m living in London in a tiny apartment in a room I share with my boyfriend. We don’t have a TV. We don’t even have a living room—not unusual for London, where communal spaces are often converted into bedrooms to squeeze as many rent payers into properties as possible. I don’t have a job, and fairly soon, I probably won’t have any money. This isn’t tragic. This is a typical ex-pat in London story, really. Big cities attract big crowds, and the exciting opportunities are only proportionate to the amount of people exactly like me vying for them.
There’s so much in London to see and do. And just wait until summer! I keep hearing these things, and I know they’re true. But there’s been a shadow over me that doesn’t seem to lift when the grey skies do. And Randy Meisner’s voice keeps popping into my head, singing: but the dreams I’ve seen lately, keep on turning out, and burning out, and turning out the same…
I was lying in bed last night, faced with some important decisions that will greatly impact my life and happiness in London. On a good day, I can barely decide whether to have Thai or Japanese for dinner, let alone make crucial choices that seem to fork into long shadowy paths with no well-lit ends. Lying there, I dramatised, fantasised and overanalysed. I wished ‘the right choice’ were more obvious. I found myself thinking, “I want a sign.” And without even meaning to, those words turned into lyrics: So put me on a highway, and show me a sign. And take it to the limit one more time.
It’s funny that a song that made Meisner so nervous and full of self-doubt can inspire such courage. I looked up the meaning behind the lyrics, and found Meisner saying, “The line ‘take it to the limit’ was to keep trying. You reach a point in your life where you feel you’ve done everything and seen everything— it’s part of getting old. And [it’s saying] just take it to the limit one more time, like every day just keep punching away at it.”
I’m not old, but I’ve been feeling like that. Things that should seem exciting don’t. I’ve been full of worry and self-doubt. I find myself shrinking and cowering, especially when I look at other people’s whirlwind burn-bright lifestyles. I’ve been thinking that it’s impossible to hit those high notes, so I may as well not even try.
Last night, as my boyfriend slept, I put on my headphones and watched that 1977 live performance of Take It To The Limit again. I felt something quite viscerally wash over me…or maybe something was lifting. Back in January, when I’d watched the clip in Brisbane, I’d felt free and excited and reflective and wise. But I don’t think you can appreciate Take It To The Limit fully until you’ve been crippled with regret about the past and doubt about the future. It’s not about speeding down the highway in the fastest, most expensive car. It’s about simply going, even if you don’t know where. Take It To The Limit could only have been Randy Meisner’s song. And it’s mine now too.
© Kahli Scott.
Kahli, What a great story! You’ve really captured something here. I read it, watched the clip and cried. Those buggers write a mean lyric. Hooks me in every time. Thanks for sharing it.
Hi Lucia, thanks so much for your comment! Have to admit, I struggle to watch the clip without getting tears or shivers too. Masters! Thanks for reading and glad you could relate. Kahli x
This is stunning, Kahli. This is exactly what music is for. I was 25 when I decided to live in London. The city and the people and the seemingly perpetual winter can really put a strain on ambitions. I only lasted about 6 months before I returned home. But when I did I came home knowing exactly where I stand in the world and exactly what I wanted to do in life. I now have my dream job and am infinitely more happy than I thought London could have made me. For me it took being dirt broke in an unforgiving city that still somehow manages to inspire. Good luck in London!
Great article Kahli. That was one of the great live performances ever. This Eagles song changed my life and inspired the book by the same name that I recently finished.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01G4ILO3I
Would love your take on it or an interview.
Thanks,
– Jeremy Lawrence
Hi Khali, thank you for sharing your story. Take it to the limit is a beautiful song in so many ways that resonates with me in similarly. I find listening to the song helpful in moments of self reflection in my life. When I learned about Randy’s fear of the limelight and not be able to hit the high note at the end at many performances ultimately overcoming it to send off the song to a magical place it makes the song even more special.
In 1987 I was returning to Antioch College in Ohio to finish the final term of a BA; I had left 10 years earlier because, long story short, I wouldn’t buckle down to my dad. I had driven a 1960 Falcon from Portland Oregon, almost clear across the continent. Each morning I renewed the incense stuck in her grill. On the first day she had died, and I was able to coast off the Interstate and into a garage for what turned out to be a minor repair. A few days later we went over Rabbit Ears pass in the Rockies in a blizzard – no studs, no chains, just keeping calm foot by foot as I followed a big old boat with Texas plates that plowed the way through probably 3 feet of snow – there was a foot of ice on my car when I got to the bottom. Somewhere in the Midwest I got gas, got back on the freeway, and about 5 miles down I wasn’t sure if I’d put the gas cap back on or not. I pulled over, and it was rolling around on the trunk. It was that kind of trip – barely any money, not sure where I was going after I finished at Antioch, just having the immediate goal of getting there and finishing my degree, and a sense of purpose and protection. I got off of I-70 and was cruising down Route 68 toward Yellow Springs, closer to my previous years there, which had been an extended emotional breakdown, when Take It to the Limit came on the radio. As you say, this song is for when you are crippled with regret about the past and doubt about the future. That falsetto I will never, ever forget. I, too, have been watching the 1977 Capital Center performance, and that look on Meisner’s face is something nobody can buy. It is only won by accomplishing something that is very difficult and challenging and frightening, and that somehow life and who we are and what we care about requires that we do.
Thanks for your evocative response, Katherine: a mini-Stereo Story all on its own.
Thank you for sharing your story Katherine. Obviously this song evokes many emotions and is tied to so many memories…I’m glad my story resonated with your experience too. It means a lot.
You really captured a scene and a mood too, which connects beautifully with the song.
Kahli,
I just remember that falsetto going on and on and on with the momentum as I cruised toward Yellow Springs.
Thanks for the open and thoughtful space you have created here,
k
What does “Take it to the Limit” mean to you? To some of us it means hope, pushing ourselves, not giving up. To others, like me, it refers to a plea from someone who try as he might, can not find a way to escape the excess that he now has to deal with as a result of being a “rock star”!!!
Take it to the Limit – to me is not about pushing oneself to be better. I wish it was. But to me it means the destructive forces that push a person to to the limit to be the worst….
And when you’re looking for your freedom Nobody seems to care And you can’t find the door Can’t find it anywhere When there’s nothing to believe in still you’re coming back, You’re running back, you’re coming back for more.
So put me on a highway and show me a sign And take it to the limit one more time.
While I don’t share the popular opinion that this song is about “keep on trying to do your best” – and instead believe that it refers to a life style that is hard to escape – I do believe that the song does offer hope. Even though he may end up ‘taking it to the limit, one more time, at –
even if he can’t find that door just yet – he knows it exists, he realizes that freedom is internal – and he’s not going to find it externally – he knows these things – but he keeps coming back for more —but the hope is one day he won’t come back for more. Take it to the limit is about extremes. From what I understand a peaceful, content life is not about the extremes involved in taking things to the limit – it is about finding joy and happiness in what is ordinary. Yes, we can be inspired – but gosh golly to live day to day ‘taking it to the limit’ – to me – the mere thought of that concept is exhausting!!!!!…lol
It isn’t popular opinion, it’s what the song’s writer Randy Meisner said the song was about in an interview.
Hi Kahli – do you recall where you READ OR SAW AN INTERVIEW where Randy Meisner (or even Frey or Henley) explained what “Take it to the Limit” referred to? I have only been able to find “hearsay” evidence from “sources” (lol,lol,lol) such as “Song Facts”…..?
Hi Anna – it’s actually in the documentary, ‘History of the Eagles’. Like all good songs, I think everyone will have their own interpretation, and you’re right that ‘taking it to the limit’ and living by extremes would be exhausting! For me, the idea of ‘take it to the limit’ isn’t about extremes, but finding your own personal limits and just doing the best you can within those xx
Thanks, Kahli – I just wish RM explained what he meant by “from there the song took on a different course.” Different from RM’s original intention or what????? Anyways, who cares. I love this song…..
Bravo. Randy and his song have that effect on many people. It’s too bad that the band didn’t realize what a gem he was, and respect his request to not sing that song EVERY time they performed. I wonder if maybe he would have stayed if the two dictators and their henchman Irving Azoff had been a little nicer.
Terry, yes it definitely is a shame, who knows what could have been? But this is a powerful legacy for him to leave and it’s evidently still touching people decades later. Thanks for reading!
This is so beautifully written! I believe this would please Randy Meisner if he read it. I think you have expressed what so many people feel whenever they hear this song … at least it does for me. Thank you so much for writing this.
Thank you Leslie, I’m glad to hear it resonated with you. It will always be such a special song for me and so many others xx
One of my favorite songs of all time. Been listening to it a lot lately. Poor Randy has been through a lot lately. Thank you for this amazing post.
Hi Brian, thanks for your comment. I saw them perform earlier this year in New Zealand and even though it’s not the same without Randy, that song still hits home every time. Hope Randy is okay? Glad you enjoyed the piece x
Reading your most erudite and insightful story resonates with me on every level and will leave an indelible mark in my memory for so many reasons. I felt like I was reading my own bio as you uncannily expressed my feelings and thoughts on life and the song I so very much love. I don’t believe in coincidences, so something greater than myself brought me here. “Take it to the Limit” is more than just a song to me. It touches my soul as it relates to my life. Thank you for sharing this wonderful and insightful piece. It is
Some very deep observations on how Take It To The Limit links you to the memory of your father. And on how the song itself has held up over decades. Well done on your part.
Randy Meisner’s replacement Timothy B. Schmit also sang lead on a couple of Eagles hits: I Can’t Tell You Why (from The Long Run) and Love Will Keep Us Alive (from Hell Freezes Over).
Perhaps to avoid comparisons to Randy, Timothy never took a stab at singing lead on Take It To The Limit. For many years, it was dropped from band repertoire until co-writer Glenn Frey reinstated it with himself on far less dramatic lead vocals.
In the wake of Glenn’s death in 2016, Vince Gill has taken over singing Take It To The Limit since joining Glenn’s son Deacon to round out The Eagles.