"Desperado" is a song by the rock-country band Eagles, written by Glenn Frey and Don Henley. It first appeared on the 1973 album Desperado, and has later appeared on numerous compilation albums.
Don Henley stated in the notes written in the booklet to Eagles' 2003 "The Very Best Of" compilation, that Desperado was a piece of a song that he had written in 1968. He said,
Accompanied by Glenn Frey on piano, the lead vocalist, Don Henley, begs the subject of the song, a "desperado", to return home, and tells him that the things he enjoys doing will hurt him eventually.
While this is one of the Eagles' signature songs, it was never released as a single. "Desperado" was voted #494 in the List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.