Outlaw Man
song written by David Blue and recorded by the Eagles
"Outlaw Man" is a song written by David Blue and recorded by the American rock band Eagles. The song was chosen by the Eagles for their second album, Desperado, as the song fits the theme of a Western outlaw gang of the album. It is the second single released from Desperado after "Tequila Sunrise".
Background
Glenn Frey provides the lead vocals on this song, with the other members singing harmony on the chorus "Woman don't try to love me don't try to understand. The Life upon the road is a life of an Outlaw man."
Billboard said it had a "strong, Western flavored country rock sound... and polished vocal harmony." Record World said that it "is a natural for both AM and FM airplay" and that it is "well produced by Glyn Johns."
Personnel
Glenn Frey: lead vocals, acoustic guitar
Bernie Leadon: harmony vocals, lead guitar, guitar solo
Randy Meisner: harmony vocals, bass guitar
Don Henley: harmony vocals, drums
Jim Ed Norman: electric piano
Charts
Other recordings
The song was also recorded by David Blue and released on his 1973 album Nice Baby and the Angel.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Outlaw Man” as song written by David Blue and recorded by the Eagles. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as song written by David Blue and recorded by the Eagles. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3808733. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1973.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
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The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Outlaw Man”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Outlaw Man primary sources, Outlaw Man archive and Outlaw research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Outlaw Man”?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Outlaw Man” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.