# The Eagles left Don Felder’s song unfinished, but he turned it into a piece of cult history: “I still have the reel myself”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-eagles-left-don-felders-song-unfinished-but-he-turned-it-into-a-piece-of-cult-history-i-still-have-the-reel-myself/
- Published: 2026-10-26T19:47:23+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-26T20:38:38+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/eagles-left-don-felders-song-unfinished-but-he-turned-it-into-a-piece-of-cult-history/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- The Eagles recorded a basic track for Felder’s “Heavy Metal”.
- Henley did not complete the lyrics, so Felder finished it himself.
- Felder says he still has the original reel.

## Summary

Don Felder’s “Heavy Metal” began as a track the Eagles recorded during work on *The Long Run*, but it stalled when Don Henley did not finish the lyrics in time. Felder later completed and rerecorded it himself, turning a shelved idea into a song released in 1984 and reflecting his frustration at having limited influence in the band.

Felder said he had 12 or 13 song ideas and still owns the original reel. The article describes his role as a guitarist whose instrumental foundations often depended on Henley or Glenn Frey for lyrics, while the two became the group’s dominant songwriters. It presents the song’s departure from the Eagles’ direction as a sign of the band growing apart, rather than a deliberate effort to undermine Felder.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.