About the Song: Joe Walsh and the Story Behind “In the City”
Sometimes, great songs are born not from grand plans but from quiet, neighborly moments of inspiration. Such was the case with “In the City”, Joe Walsh’s haunting contribution to the soundtrack of The Warriors — the gritty 1979 cult classic that captured the raw, chaotic spirit of New York City’s underground gangs.
From Santa Barbara to the Streets of New York
While living in Santa Barbara, California, Walsh found himself living next door to composer Barry De Vorzon, who was working on the score for The Warriors. The two musicians struck up a creative partnership after De Vorzon shared the film’s concept — a dystopian story of gang warfare and survival set against the urban sprawl of late-1970s New York.
“He explained to me that it was about gangs in New York and asked if I would do a song for it,” Walsh recalled. “He and I came up with the words after reading the screenplay.”
De Vorzon’s soundtrack already included tense instrumentals like “Theme From The Warriors”, “The Fight”, and “Baseball Furies Chase.” But when the pair co-wrote and co-produced “In the City”, they created something that transcended the film — a moody, introspective anthem that perfectly captured the loneliness and tension of urban life.
Writing for a Cult Classic
Walsh’s lyrics echoed the isolation and grit of The Warriors’ world — a story based on Sol Yurick’s 1965 novel — in which rival gangs battle their way across New York after being framed for murder. Though The Warriors was initially overlooked upon release, it slowly built a devoted fanbase, cementing its place as one of the defining cult films of its era.
“That movie still has a cult following,” Walsh later reflected. “Shaquille O’Neal once told me it was his favorite film ever. But when it first came out, it didn’t really get any recognition, and the song was just on the album.”
From Solo Track to Eagles Classic
When Walsh’s Eagles bandmates Don Henley and Glenn Frey heard “In the City,” they immediately recognized its potential. “They said, ‘Well, look, let’s redo it and give it the recognition it deserves,’” Walsh remembered. The song was re-recorded for the Eagles’ 1979 album The Long Run, where it took on new life — blending the band’s signature harmonies with Walsh’s raw, electric edge.
For Barry De Vorzon, learning that the Eagles wanted to cover one of his songs was both thrilling and nerve-wracking. “Joe called me up and said, ‘Hey Barry, I think the Eagles are gonna do “In the City.”’ I told him, ‘Joe, never bring this up again until you can walk into my house with the album in your hand — if it doesn’t make the cut, I’ll kill myself!’” he recalled with a laugh.
The Song’s Lasting Legacy
Over the decades, “In the City” has continued to live on in popular culture. The Eagles’ version appeared in a 2014 episode of The Simpsons (“The Winter of His Content”) and was featured again in a Rick and Morty parody of The Warriors in 2017. The song also became a highlight of the Eagles’ Hell Freezes Over live album in 1994, proving that its haunting message still resonates across generations.
More than four decades later, “In the City” stands as one of Joe Walsh’s most evocative works — a bridge between film, rock, and storytelling that captures the uneasy heartbeat of the modern world. It remains both a snapshot of its time and a timeless reflection on survival, loneliness, and finding identity in the chaos.