10 Best Songs With The Word 'Easy' In The Title

Feature Photo: Photography Stock Ruiz / Shutterstock.com

The word “easy” has shown up in rock, pop, country rock, and singer-songwriter classics in all kinds of ways. Sometimes it describes love, sometimes freedom, sometimes money, and sometimes something that is not easy at all. This list brings together ten positions, with a tie at number one, featuring songs that use the word in very different ways.

# 10 – It’s So Easy – Guns N’ Roses

Guns N’ Roses released “It’s So Easy” on their 1987 debut album, Appetite for Destruction. Produced by Mike Clink, the track is one of the rawest and most aggressive songs on the record, with Axl Rose, Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan, and Steven Adler delivering the sound that defined the band’s early years. It was also issued as an early UK single before the album became a worldwide phenomenon.

# 9 – Ballad of Easy Rider – Roger McGuinn

Roger McGuinn’s solo version of “Ballad of Easy Rider” appeared in the 1969 film Easy Rider and on its soundtrack. McGuinn sings and plays acoustic guitar, with fellow Byrd Gene Parsons adding harmonica. The Byrds later recorded a separate version for their album Ballad of Easy Rider, but the film performance remains its own distinct recording and one of the songs most closely associated with the movie’s restless sense of freedom.

Read More: Top 10 Roger McGuinn Songs

# 8 – Take It Easy On Me – Little River Band

“Take It Easy on Me” appeared on Little River Band’s 1981 album Time Exposure, produced by George Martin. Glenn Shorrock sings the main lead vocal on the released version, with Wayne Nelson taking the bridge. The song became another major American hit for the band and remains one of the strongest examples of their polished harmony-driven sound.

Read More: Top 10 Little River Band Songs

# 7 – Easy Come, Easy Go – Bobby Sherman

Bobby Sherman released “Easy Come, Easy Go” in 1970, and the song became one of the biggest hits of his career. Produced by Jackie Mills, it reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and later appeared on the album Here Comes Bobby. Its bright, easygoing pop arrangement fits the title perfectly.

Read More: Top 10 Bobby Sherman Songs

# 6 – Easy Money – Billy Joel

Billy Joel opened his 1983 album An Innocent Man with “Easy Money.” Produced by Phil Ramone, the song helped establish the album’s celebration of the rhythm and blues, soul, and pop music that influenced Joel when he was young. It also served as the theme song for the 1983 Rodney Dangerfield film Easy Money, making the title work on more than one level.

# 5 – Pure and Easy – The Who

“Pure and Easy” was written by Pete Townshend as a central piece of his ambitious Lifehouse project. The Who recorded the song during the sessions that produced Who’s Next, but it was left off that album and later appeared on Odds & Sods in 1974. Roger Daltrey sings the lead vocal on The Who’s band recording, while Townshend also released his own demo version. The song’s grand idea of a perfect musical note made it one of the most philosophical pieces to emerge from the Lifehouse period.

# 4 – It’s So Easy – Linda Ronstadt

Linda Ronstadt recorded “It’s So Easy” for her 1977 album Simple Dreams. Buddy Holly and Norman Petty wrote the song, which The Crickets first released in 1958, but Ronstadt turned it into a polished country-rock hit with producer Peter Asher. Her version reached the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the defining recordings from one of her biggest albums.

# 3 – Easy to Be Hard – Three Dog Night

Three Dog Night recorded “Easy to Be Hard” for their 1969 album Suitable for Framing. Written by Galt MacDermot, James Rado, and Gerome Ragni for the musical Hair, the song gave Chuck Negron one of his great early lead vocals. Three Dog Night’s version reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and turned the song into one of the band’s first major hits.

Read More: Top 10 Three Dog Night Love Songs

# 2 – It Don’t Come Easy – Ringo Starr

Ringo Starr released “It Don’t Come Easy” as a solo single in 1971. George Harrison produced the recording and played guitar, while Ringo delivered one of the strongest vocals of his early solo career. The song reached number four in both the United States and the United Kingdom, proving that Ringo could step out from behind the Beatles’ drum kit and score a major hit of his own.

Read More: 10 Most Rocking Ringo Starr Songs

# 1 – TIE – Take It Easy / Peaceful Easy Feeling – The Eagles

We could not pick just one Eagles song for the top spot. “Take It Easy,” written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey, opened the Eagles’ 1972 debut album and became the band’s first single, reaching number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. Glenn Frey’s lead vocal and the band’s harmonies helped establish the relaxed country-rock sound that became one of their trademarks.

“Peaceful Easy Feeling,” written by Jack Tempchin, appeared on that same debut album and was released as another single. Glenn Frey again handled the lead vocal, with Bernie Leadon, Randy Meisner, and Don Henley helping create the harmonies that made the recording so distinctive. One song tells you to take it easy, while the other sounds like the feeling you get when you actually do.