Which outside songwriter co-wrote "New Kid in Town" with Don Henley and Glenn Frey?

J. D. Souther co-wrote “New Kid in Town” with Don Henley and Glenn Frey.

Souther initially had the chorus and basic idea, but the song was completed when he, Frey, and Henley worked together during the writing sessions for Hotel California. The collaboration brought together three important figures in the Southern California country-rock scene: Souther as an outside songwriter, and Frey and Henley as the Eagles’ central creative partnership.

The Eagles released “New Kid in Town” as the first single from Hotel California in December 1976. Frey sang lead, Henley handled major harmony and drum parts, and the recording became the group’s first U.S. No. 1 single. It also won the 1977 Grammy for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices.

The lyric is often treated as a straightforward romantic song, but Henley described it as a comment on the music business and the arrival of new competition. Souther was not an Eagle, although he wrote or co-wrote several major songs associated with the band, including “Best of My Love” and “Heartache Tonight.”