As the Eagles celebrate their music history, a multi-platinum mystery man celebrates alongside them... Jack Tempchin is a legendary hit songwriter whose two compositions, "Peaceful Easy Feeling" and "Already Gone", are now synonymous with the Southern California Sound. Both songs are on 'Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975', awarded *Best-Selling U.S. Album of the 20th Century* by the RIAA.
Tempchin has five Eagles contributions total, including "The Girl From Yesterday" from the 'Hell Freezes Over' reunion release, plus "It's Your World Now" and "Somebody", both on their latest double disc release, 'Long Road Out Of Eden'.
Tempchin first surfaced in the 1970s as member of the Funky Kings with Jules Shear and Richard Stekol, signed by Clive Davis to his Arista Records label. He solely composed the Billboard Top 10 track "Slow Dancing (Swayin’ To the Music)" for retro-rocker Johnny Rivers. In the 1980s, Tempchin co-wrote a dozen radio hits for Glenn Frey's solo career including "True Love", "The One You Love", "Sexy Girl", "Party Town", "I Found Somebody", "Soul Searchin", "Livin' Right" and "Part Of You, Part Of Me" the end title theme song for the Oscar-winning film, 'Thelma & Louise'. Tempchin also co-wrote Frey hits "Smuggler's Blues" & "You Belong to The City" for the 'Miami Vice' TV show soundtrack. (sampled by platinum rappers Coolio and Jay-Z, respectively). And famously, Tempchin's tune "Peaceful Easy Feeling" was featured in a notorious taxi scene in the Cohen Brothers cult classic, 'The Big Lebowski', starring Jeff Bridges as The Dude.
Tempchin songs have also been performed and/or recorded by George Jones, Emmylou Harris, NRPS, Glen Campbell, Chris Hillman, Jackson Browne, Dwight Yoakam, Linda Ronstadt, Patty Loveless, Trisha Yearwood, Tanya Tucker, Johnny Duncan, Richie Havens, Randy Meisner, Sammy Kershaw, Kate Wolf, Tom Rush, The Paladins, and Jim James of My Morning Jacket. And Jack Tempchin enjoys co-writes. He's had them with Tom Waits, J.D. Souther, Jim Lauderdale, Beth Nielsen Chapman, John Brannen, Bobby Whitlock (Derek and the Dominos), Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek), Alex Woodard, Kim Richey, Joel Piper, Joe West, Clay Mills, Chris DuBois, Dennis Morgan, Gary Nicholson and more. Yet another Tempchin co-write became the title track for Glenn Frey's 2012 solo release, "After Hours".
Performing everywhere from house concerts, churches, and libraries, to large radio festivals, and performing arts center concerts, Tempchin has shared the stage with songwriting greats J.D. Souther, Jimmy Webb, Dave Mason, Tom Rush, Barry McGuire, and Al Kooper. He's also opened for Eagles solo sets by Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit and for Jackson Browne, Chicago, Poco, Karla Bonoff, Dolly Parton among others. In the 90s, Jack toured as the opening act for Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band at major venues like The Hollywood Bowl.
On December 1st, 2012, the Mayor of San Diego, California, officially proclaimed a 'Peaceful Easy Feeling Day' for America's Finest City, to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Tempchin's song having originally been released as a single by the Eagles in 1972. To celebrate, Tempchin has released a new DVD/CD titled 'LIVE AT TALES FROM THE TAVERN'. Filmed at the Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez, CA by famed rock photographer Henry Diltz, it contains several of his original hits performed by the man who composed them, including 'Peaceful Easy Feeling',' Already Gone', 'The One You Love', 'You Belong To The City' and 'Slow Dancing' all available now on iTunes, CDBaby, eMusic, and Amazon. More at:
www.Tempchin.com
www.MyPeacefulEasyFeeling.com
www.facebook.com/jacktempchin
www.youtube.com/jacktempchin
Tijuana
Jack Tempchin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I didn't think highway five went that far
But I had to stop someplace and get directions
And I guess that's how I wound up in this bar.
Now I'm stuck in this bar 'Cause I can't find my car
I'm wishing on a star like a fool
I need a dime for the phone I wish I was home
Well, I lost all my paycheck playing eight ball
Foxy waitress made a rail shot one time.
I bet her that she couldn't do it again.
And that's when I lost my last dime.
And now I'm stuck in this bar 'Cause I can't find my car
I'm wishing on a star like a fool
I need a dime for the phone God, I wish I was home
The lonesome night can be so cruel.
Well, this reminds me of the time We were drinkin' Red Mountain wine
In the back of a Volkswagen bus
And I wound up in Jail with no one to go my bail
But at least, I knew where I was
The lyrics to Jack Tempchin's "Tijuana" tell the story of a man who got lost on his way home from Tijuana, eventually winding up in a bar. The song paints a picture of a lonely and desperate situation - the man is stuck in the bar because he can't find his car, he lost all his money playing pool with a waitress, and he doesn't have a dime to call for help. Throughout the song, the man is wishing he was home and reminiscing about a previous time when he was drinking with friends and wound up in jail.
On a deeper level, the song could be seen as a cautionary tale about the dangers of reckless behavior and making poor decisions. The main character in the song seems to be facing the consequences of his actions and is left feeling isolated and alone. The repetition of the phrase "the lonesome night can be so cruel" reinforces the theme of loneliness and despair.
Overall, "Tijuana" is a melancholy and introspective song that explores the darker aspects of human experience. It tells a story of mistakes, regrets, and the consequences of poor decision-making.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I got lost on my way home from Tijuana
I lost my way while returning from Tijuana
I didn't think highway five went that far
I didn't realize that the highway extended so far
But I had to stop someplace and get directions
I needed to stop somewhere to ask for directions
And I guess that's how I wound up in this bar.
That's how I ended up in this bar
Now I'm stuck in this bar 'Cause I can't find my car
I'm stranded in this bar because I can't locate my car
I'm wishing on a star like a fool
I'm hoping for a miracle like a naïve person
I need a dime for the phone I wish I was home
I require a ten-cent coin to access a phone and I yearn to be home
The lonesome night can be so cruel.
The desolate night can be merciless
Well, I lost all my paycheck playing eight ball
I used all my wages playing billiards
Foxy waitress made a rail shot one time.
The attractive waitress made an impressive shot against a cushion
I bet her that she couldn't do it again.
I challenged her to duplicate the shot
And that's when I lost my last dime.
That's when I depleted my last coin
And now I'm stuck in this bar 'Cause I can't find my car
I am marooned in this bar because I am unable to locate my car
I'm wishing on a star like a fool
I'm hoping for a miracle like a naïve person
I need a dime for the phone God, I wish I was home
I require a ten-cent coin to access a phone and I desperately yearn to be home
The lonesome night can be so cruel.
The desolate night can be merciless
Well, this reminds me of the time We were drinkin' Red Mountain wine
This instance evokes memories of when we drank Red Mountain wine
In the back of a Volkswagen bus
In the rear of a Volkswagen van
And I wound up in Jail with no one to go my bail
And I ended up incarcerated with no one to pay my bail
But at least, I knew where I was
At least, I was aware of my location
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Primrose Haran
Fantastic singer thanks for this great post
john sandiford
Thanks for listening Primrose
William Benton
Cowritten with Tom Waits. 👍
Neil Ladd
He shoulda' stayed home! Thanks for posting John.
john sandiford
Thanks for listening Neil