Zevon's work has often been praised by well-known musicians, including Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Neil Young. His best-known compositions include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money", "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" and "Johnny Strikes Up The Band," all of which are featured on his third album, Excitable Boy (1978). Other well-known songs written by Zevon have been recorded by other artists, including "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" (a top 40 hit by Linda Ronstadt), "Accidentally Like a Martyr," "Mohammed's Radio", "Carmelita", and "Hasten Down the Wind".
Along with his own compositions, Zevon recorded or performed occasional covers, including Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" and Leonard Cohen's "First We Take Manhattan". He was a frequent guest on Late Night with David Letterman and the Late Show with David Letterman. Letterman later performed guest vocals on "Hit Somebody! (The Hockey Song)" with Paul Shaffer and members of the CBS Orchestra.
He was born to a Russian Jewish father and a Mormon mother and soon moved to California. At the age of 12/13, Warren Zevon was a regular visitor to the home of Igor Stravinsky where he, along with Robert Craft, would study music.
He turned to a musical career early, including a stretch as part of a Sonny and Cher-type male/female duo called Lyme and Cybelle, and spent time as a session musician (notably as piano player for the Everly Brothers) and jingle composer. He wrote several songs for his White Whale label-mates the Turtles, though his participation in their recording is unknown. Another early composition ("She Quit Me") was included in the soundtrack for Midnight Cowboy, released in 1969. His first attempt at a solo album, Wanted Dead or Alive (1969), did not fare well, and his second effort, Leaf in the Wind, was scrapped (though release was considered just prior to his death). In the early 70s he toured regularly with the Everly Brothers as keyboard player and band leader/musical coordinator. His dissatisfaction with his career and the opportunities for a song-writer led him to move to Spain briefly, where he played in a small bar owned by a former mercenary. Together, they penned Zevon's classic "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner."
In the mid-70s he moved to Los Angeles, and became associated with the then-burgeoning West coast music scene, including collaborations with Jackson Browne, who would produce and promote Zevon's self-titled major-label debut in 1976, The Eagles, who appeared on that first album, and Linda Ronstadt, who would record several early Zevon songs including a hit version of "Poor Poor Pitiful Me". Zevon's first tour in 1977 included guest appearances in the middle of Jackson Browne concerts.
In 1978 Zevon released his breakthrough album, Excitable Boy, to critical acclaim and popular success. Several tracks from this album received heavy FM airplay and the single release "Werewolves of London", which featured a relatively lighthearted version of Zevon's signature macabre outlook, was a top-ten hit.
For the next 20 years Zevon would continue to record and release albums sporadically and with varying levels of success, while fighting personal demons including an acknowledged battle with alcoholism and drugs. (His fourth album, Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School is dedicated to novelist Ross Macdonald, who crucially assisted Zevon during a particularly difficult episode in 1979.) Apparently success did not treat Zevon well, as evidenced by his movements (living on Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square, etc.), well-documented stints in rehab, and withdrawal from the spotlight. After the release of The Envoy in 1982, Zevon effectively quit his career as a full-time occupation, appearing rarely and usually solo, without a band. He also collaborated with several members of R.E.M. to record as the Hindu Love Gods in 1990, though initial collaboration occurred during his "lost period" in 1984.
In 1987 Zevon made a comeback with a modest hit album Sentimental Hygiene, which featured collaborations with Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and members of R.E.M., among others including long-time collaborators Jorge Calderone and Waddy Wachtel. The follow-up album, Transverse City in 1989 also featured guests, including Jerry Garcia and David Gilmour. The tradition of collaborations with more famous musical talents was consistent throughout his career, from the appearance of Jackson Browne and The Eagles on his first album, to Bruce Springsteen on his last.
Zevon toured the US regularly during the 90s, often alone, with minimal accompaniment. He did conduct a tour with Odds, a band from Vancouver, Canada. Many tours started in Colorado to allow Warren an opportunity to visit with his long-time friend, Hunter S. Thompson. Warren was close to several prominent writers who also collaborated on song-writing, including Carl Hiassen. He also served as musical coordinator for an ad-hoc group called the Rock Bottom Remainders, a collection of writers performing rock and roll standards at book fairs and other events. This group included Stephen King, Dave Barry, and other popular writers.
In interviews, Zevon described a lifelong phobia of doctors and seldom received medical assessment. In 2002, after a long period of untreated illness and pain, Zevon was encouraged by his dentist to see a doctor; when he did so he was diagnosed with inoperable mesothelioma (a form of lung cancer associated with exposure to asbestos rather than smoking). He then began recording his final album, The Wind, with guest appearances from close friends including Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit, Joe Walsh, David Lindley, Billy Bob Thornton, Emmylou Harris, Tom Petty and others.
On October 30, 2002, Zevon was featured on the Late Show with David Letterman as the only guest for the entire hour. Zevon performed several songs and spoke at length about his illness. Zevon was a frequent guest and occasional substitute bandleader on Letterman's television shows since Late Night first aired in 1982. It was this show where Zevon offered his insight on facing death: "enjoy every sandwich."
Zevon previously stated that his illness was expected to be terminal within months after the diagnosis in the Fall of 2002; however he lived to see the birth of twin grandsons in June of 2003 and the release of The Wind on August 28, 2003. When his diagnosis became public, he told the media that he just hoped to live long enough to see the next James Bond movie, a goal he also accomplished. Appropriately, the film was called Die Another Day.
Zevon died at his home in Los Angeles, California, on September 7, 2003. The Wind was certified gold by the RIAA in December of 2003 and Zevon received 5 posthumous Grammy nominations, including Song Of The Year for "Keep Me In Your Heart".
A tribute album titled Enjoy Every Sandwich: Songs of Warren Zevon was released October 19, 2004. His son, Jordan Zevon, did a large part of the work on the album and performed "Studebaker," a previously unreleased composition. A second tribute album, titled Hurry Home Early: the Songs of Warren Zevon (the lyrics "hurry home early" are from the song "Boom Boom Mancini," on Sentimental Hygiene) was released by Wampus Multimedia on July 8, 2005.
On February 14, 2006, VH1 Classic premiered a video from a new compilation, "Reconsider Me: The Love Songs of Warren Zevon." The video, titled "She's Too Good For Me," aired every hour on the hour throughout the day. The video was not well received among many of Zevon's fans, as evidenced by their responses on the official Bulletin Board.
Desperados Under The Eaves
Warren Zevon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was staring in my empty coffee cup
I was thinking that the gypsy wasn't lyin'
All the salty margaritas in Los Angeles
I'm gonna drink 'em up
And if California slides into the ocean
Like the mystics and statistics say it will
Don't the sun look angry through the trees
Don't the trees look like crucified thieves
Don't you feel like Desperados under the eaves
Heaven help the one who leaves
Still waking up in the mornings with shaking hands
And I'm trying to find a girl who understands me
But except in dreams you're never really free
Don't the sun look angry at me
I was sitting in the Hollywood Hawaiian Hotel
I was listening to the air conditioner hum
It went mmm...
Look away
(Look away down Gower Avenue, look away)
Warren Zevon's Desperados Under the Eaves is a song that is fueled by a sense of anxiety and loneliness, that feels somewhat reminiscent of Jackson Browne’s The Load Out/Stay. The opening stanza places Zevon in the Hollywood Hawaiian Hotel, where he is staring at his empty coffee cup, thinking about the gypsy who he believes was not lying to him, and contemplating the idea that the salty margaritas of Los Angeles are the only things that will help him get through the day. He then goes on to say that if California slides into the ocean, he predicts that the motel he is in will be the only thing standing until he pays his bill. This is a metaphor that shows how vulnerable Zevon feels, both to the present moment and to the future.
Line by Line Meaning
I was sitting in the Hollywood Hawaiian Hotel
The singer is in the Hollywood Hawaiian Hotel
I was staring at my empty coffee cup
The singer is deep in thought
I was thinking that the gypsy wasn't lyin'
The singer believes that the gypsy was telling the truth
All the salty margaritas in Los Angeles
The artist is going to drink all the margaritas in Los Angeles
I'm gonna drink 'em up
The artist is determined to drink all the margaritas
And if California slides into the ocean
The singer is contemplating a possible natural disaster
Like the mystics and statistics say it will
The singer is referencing scientific and spiritual predictions
I predict this motel will be standing until I pay my bill
The artist thinks the motel will still be around for a while
Don't the sun look angry through the trees
The sun appears angry to the artist
Don't the trees look like crucified thieves
The trees resemble crucified thieves to the artist
Don't you feel like Desperados under the eaves
The singer feels like a desperate outsider
Heaven help the one who leaves
Leaving seems like a treacherous idea to the artist
Still waking up in the mornings with shaking hands
The singer experiences anxiety in the morning
And I'm trying to find a girl who understands me
The singer is searching for someone who gets them
But except in dreams you're never really free
Real freedom is hard to come by
Don't the sun look angry at me
The sun seems to be angry specifically at the artist
I was sitting in the Hollywood Hawaiian Hotel
The artist is still in the Hollywood Hawaiian Hotel
I was listening to the air conditioner hum
The singer is listening to the noise of the air conditioner
It went mmm...
The air conditioner makes a humming noise
Look away
The artist suggests the listener look away from their situation
(Look away down Gower Avenue, look away)
The artist offers a specific direction to look away to
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WARREN ZEVON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Simon Maguire
I was sitting in the Hollywood Hawaiian Hotel
I was staring in my empty coffee cup
I was thinking that the gypsy wasn't lyin'
All the salty margaritas in Los Angeles
I'm gonna drink 'em up
And if California slides into the ocean
Like the mystics and statistics say it will
I predict this motel will be standing until I pay my bill
Don't the sun look angry through the trees
Don't the trees look like crucified thieves
Don't you feel like Desperados under the eaves
Heaven help the one who leaves
Still waking up in the mornings with shaking hands
And I'm trying to find a girl who understands me
But except in dreams you're never really free
Don't the sun look angry at me
I was sitting in the Hollywood Hawaiian Hotel
I was listening to the air conditioner hum
It went mmm...
Look away
(Look away down Gower Avenue, look away)
Emma Swift
Can't listen to this one without crying. Best solo from an air conditioner in the history of popular music
g26s239
It is his best song IMO.
dontmanagemepls
@g26s239 followed by Carmelita, then Roland then editable boy then lawyers guns and money
g26s239
@dontmanagemepls Definitely Carmelita close 2nd.
Kat Harper
The world lost an incredible talent when Warren decided he'd tasted all THIS Life had to offer.
I met him in the mid-90's..
GOD.
JUST...GOD.
I shall never forget the feel of the guitar string callouses on the fingertips of his left hand, as he brushed them across the back of my hand. Just that touch.....as if he knew anything more intense would have melted me like ice on a hot day . I knew how Icarus felt when he flew too close to the sun.
When I heard Warren's ride had arrived...a part of me left with him. This World has lost much of that Golden Glory since Warren bid it adieu.
I MISS ALL THE TIME I SPENT WITH WARREN, WALKING IN THE SUN.....
LIVE FOREVER, GOLDEN RENEGADE.
Brent Waters
went to "like" this comment. turns out I'd already done it however long ago.
Sparkletune Official
I met Warren in 1989 when I in 6th grade was just getting into playing guitar in a big way. I saw him play then hung around outside. When he came out he talked to me for about a half hour, answered all my questions and signed the photo that came inside of this album for me.
Classy guy.
Pablo Lloyd
holy shit i am so fucking jealous. thats AWESOME!
Gary Donnelly
He must have been a great dad.
Tom Carpini
If 'Desperado Under the Eaves' was the only song WZ wrote, I'd still consider him one of the greatest songwriters ever.