Travel: The Most Famous Corner In Winslow Arizona

With Bobby being a die-hard Eagles fan, it only made sense that one of our stops on this road trip would be Winslow, Arizona.  The irony in this situation is that Bobby is a Chevy-man.   As the lyrics go: “Well, I’m a standin on a corner in Winslow, Arizona. Such a fine sight to see.  It’s a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford slowing down to take a look at me.”

The official name for this site is: Standin’ On A Corner Park.  The park was opened in 1999 to commemorate the song Take It Easy, sung by the Eagles and co-written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey.  The mural in the background was created by the artist John Pugh.  This type of artwork is called trompe-l’œil.  In this style of artwork, the artist creates a visual illusion, tricking your eye into believing a painted detail is a 3D object.  (Being picky, my issue with the mural is that if it was truly a reflection in the window, the woman would not be visible – that is my nitpick, just ignore the critic.)

The bronze statue is by the sculptor Ron Adamson.

In January 2016 Glenn Frey, the co-founder of the Eagles, passed away.  In honor of the singer, a second bronze statue was added to the park that September.  The statue was made to look more like the 1970’s version of Frey.

The photos below show the plaques at the park as well as the bricks that line the sidewalk noting the names and stories of donors.

In pre-Interstate 40 days, Winslow was a bustling town.  With the opening of the new road, the residents watched as the town slowly declined, being forgotten in the wake of a faster route.  In 1997 La Posada (hotel) was saved and restored and eventually found its way onto the National Register of Historic Sites.  With that, the Standin On A Corner Foundation was formed to bring about a revival of tourism to Winslow.  In 2006, the animated film by Pixar, titled “Cars”, helped bring additional attention to the area. (Totally unrelated side note: I believe Cars was the last film for both George Carlin and Paul Newman).  Winslow (in particular) is not shown onscreen.  However, La Posada and the souvenir shop at the corner are both mentioned in the credits.

And, for your listening enjoyment, the video of the Eagles singing live at Capital Center in 1977:

Jackson Browne started writing Take It Easy in 1971 with the intent of recording it for his debut album.  He was friends with Glenn Frey and when he found difficulty in finishing the song, Frey helped him out.  Browne had penned the beginning to the second verse “Well, I’m a standin’ on a corner in Winslow, AZ” and Frey added the “Such a fine sight to see. It’s a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford, slowin’ down to take a look at me.”

The rest is musical history.