Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Rewriting pop music history?

Newly discovered artifact points to alternate, original version of San Diego-scribbled song "Peaceful, Easy Feeling."

If you believe the history - and up until now, you would have had no reason to doubt it - then you think that songwriter Jack Tempchin penned the last verse of "Peaceful, Easy Feeling," which was later recorded by the The Eagles and became one of the band's biggest-selling singles, at the Hillcrest Wienerschnitzel on Washington while waiting for his order.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/nov/30/36253/

So accepted and enshrined is this bit of accepted pop-cultural mythology that Mayor Jerry Sanders has issued a proclamation - mere days before leaving office - designating tomorrow, December 1, as "Peaceful Easy Feeling Day" in San Diego.

But a recent discovery in the archives at The San Diego Museum of Trash (formerly known as the Mira Mesa Landfill) has cast doubt on the historical record. "What we have found may change everything we know about the history of this important song," attests Dr. David Dumpster-Diver, who acquired the artifact in a complicated grey-market deal involving a half-eaten Big Mac and a swallow of Popov-brand vodka.

The item in question appears to be a Wienerschnitzel paper placemat/menu, heavily stained and deeply crumpled. "But the typography and pricing are correct for the time period," observes Dumpster-Diver. "And the oily residue, which apparently acted as a preservative, is consistent with the fries Tempchin claims to have ordered."

What is not consistent - and this is the really amazing part - is the collection of lyrics scribbled onto the back of the placemat, lyrics that, if they prove to be authentic, could be the original words to "Peaceful, Easy Feeling." And if that's the case, then that's not even the real name of the song. "Rather, the title reflects something much more germane to the moment in which Tempchin was writing. In this version, it's 'Greaseful, Queasy Feeling.' It's our contention that Tempchin was originally writing about his lunch."

Most of the placemat has, unfortunately, been eaten by rats. But Dumpster-Diver points to one faded scrap showing a chorus that may have predated the famous lines, 'Cause I got a peaceful easy feeling/ And I know you won't let me down/ 'cause I'm already standing on the ground. They read, 'Cause I got a greaseful, queasy feeling/ way down deep inside my gut/ 'cause it's already heading toward my butt.

"I mean, sure, it's poetry," concluded Dumpster-Diver. "You could even argue that it's better than the version that eventually made it into the studio with the Eagles. But that's not the point. The point is that the public deserves to know the truth about its pop songs."

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Our riparian woodland begins to look like fall, Orb Weavers help decorate

Comet of the century?
Next Article

A rope course designed to resemble the Giant Dipper at Belmont Part

Maruta Gardner Playground - a parent's playground

If you believe the history - and up until now, you would have had no reason to doubt it - then you think that songwriter Jack Tempchin penned the last verse of "Peaceful, Easy Feeling," which was later recorded by the The Eagles and became one of the band's biggest-selling singles, at the Hillcrest Wienerschnitzel on Washington while waiting for his order.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/nov/30/36253/

So accepted and enshrined is this bit of accepted pop-cultural mythology that Mayor Jerry Sanders has issued a proclamation - mere days before leaving office - designating tomorrow, December 1, as "Peaceful Easy Feeling Day" in San Diego.

But a recent discovery in the archives at The San Diego Museum of Trash (formerly known as the Mira Mesa Landfill) has cast doubt on the historical record. "What we have found may change everything we know about the history of this important song," attests Dr. David Dumpster-Diver, who acquired the artifact in a complicated grey-market deal involving a half-eaten Big Mac and a swallow of Popov-brand vodka.

The item in question appears to be a Wienerschnitzel paper placemat/menu, heavily stained and deeply crumpled. "But the typography and pricing are correct for the time period," observes Dumpster-Diver. "And the oily residue, which apparently acted as a preservative, is consistent with the fries Tempchin claims to have ordered."

What is not consistent - and this is the really amazing part - is the collection of lyrics scribbled onto the back of the placemat, lyrics that, if they prove to be authentic, could be the original words to "Peaceful, Easy Feeling." And if that's the case, then that's not even the real name of the song. "Rather, the title reflects something much more germane to the moment in which Tempchin was writing. In this version, it's 'Greaseful, Queasy Feeling.' It's our contention that Tempchin was originally writing about his lunch."

Most of the placemat has, unfortunately, been eaten by rats. But Dumpster-Diver points to one faded scrap showing a chorus that may have predated the famous lines, 'Cause I got a peaceful easy feeling/ And I know you won't let me down/ 'cause I'm already standing on the ground. They read, 'Cause I got a greaseful, queasy feeling/ way down deep inside my gut/ 'cause it's already heading toward my butt.

"I mean, sure, it's poetry," concluded Dumpster-Diver. "You could even argue that it's better than the version that eventually made it into the studio with the Eagles. But that's not the point. The point is that the public deserves to know the truth about its pop songs."

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Banchan, bibimbap and bendy straws

Paying attention to details in a Convoy Korean joint
Next Article

Plentiful, Easy Money Over?

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader