# Life in the Fast Lane guitar solo

> Joe Walsh's guitar solo on Life in the Fast Lane by Eagles (1976) starts at about 3:52. From the album Hotel California. A rock classic from the 1970s.

Canonical URL: <https://greatestsolos.com/song/eagles-life-in-the-fast-lane/>

Eagles, 1976, from *Hotel California*. Solo by *Joe Walsh*.

Walsh's snarling riff and lead work gave the Eagles one of their hardest-rocking tracks soon after he joined.

Life in the Fast Lane is the moment the Eagles sounded like a real rock band, and Joe Walsh's guitar is the reason. The song is driven by his sharp, snarling riff, which carries the verses as much as any vocal line. His lead work adds bite and swagger, full of tart bends and aggressive attack that match the song's portrait of excess. Walsh brought a rougher, rowdier edge to a band known for harmonies and country-rock polish, and this track shows the fit working perfectly. Listen for how the riff and the lead lines interlock, and notice the grit in the tone during the solo, which sounds deliberately untidy compared with the band's earlier records.

Life in the Fast Lane by Eagles is ranked #390 in our consensus of 80 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Joe Walsh and the song was released in 1976. It appears on 1 lists, placing as high as #50 (SiriusXM (countdown transcribed on PRS Guitars forum)).

## In our lists

- [The 25 Greatest Rock Guitar Solos](https://greatestsolos.com/list/rock/) — #14
- [The Best Eagles Guitar Solos](https://greatestsolos.com/list/eagles-guitar-solos/) — #2
- [The Best Joe Walsh Guitar Solos](https://greatestsolos.com/list/joe-walsh-guitar-solos/) — #5
- [Top 20 Guitar Solos of 1976](https://greatestsolos.com/list/best-guitar-solos-1976/) — #20
- [The Best Outro Guitar Solos: Songs That End With a Solo](https://greatestsolos.com/list/best-outro-guitar-solos/) — #20

## Sources

- [SiriusXM (countdown transcribed on PRS Guitars forum): 50 Baddest Guitar Solos](https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/siriusxm-50-baddest-guitar-solos.58286/) — #50

### Who played the guitar solo on Life in the Fast Lane?

Joe Walsh played the solo on Eagles's Life in the Fast Lane (1976).

### Where does Life in the Fast Lane rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#390 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 80 published lists; it appears on 1 of them.

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