"Walk Away" is a song written by

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has been a member of three successful rock bands: the James Gang, Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr B ...

and recorded by American

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

band

The James Gang James Gang is an American rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. The band went through a variety of line-up changes until they recorded their first album as a power trio consisting of Joe Walsh (guitars, lead vocals), Tom Kriss (bass), and ...

, being featured as the first single from the group's

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

'' Thirds'' (1971). The song peaked at No. 51 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Composition

"Walk Away" is a combination of

and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

, with some influence from

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...

. Walsh's guitar work incorporates different types of distortion, including

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...

. The lyrics are about the ending of a relationship.

Release and reception

The song peaked at No. 51 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on July 24, 1971.James Gang Walk Away Chart History , Billboard
/ref> The song was generally well-reviewed by critics.

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Matthew Greenwald called it "one of the most realized James Gang songs and recordings" and that Walsh's guitar "creates a universe of hard rock virtuosity."

Other versions

A live version of the song is on the

James Gang Live in Concert ''Live in Concert'' is a live album by the James Gang, released in September 1971. It contains highlights of a May 15, 1971 performance at Carnegie Hall, New York City. This album is the last James Gang release to feature Joe Walsh as guitarist an ...

album.

The Eagles The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles and six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s ...

, a band that Joe Walsh joined after the James Gang, have performed the song at concerts. Walsh's live cover reached #105 on ''Billboard'' in 1976.Joel Whitburn's Bubbling Under the Billboard Hot 100 1959-2004

Charts

;James Gang ;Joe Walsh

References

{{Authority control Songs written by Joe Walsh 1971 singles 1971 songs Song recordings produced by Bill Szymczyk ABC Records singles James Gang songs