A soft, sorrowful song by a band known for grand anthems became one of their final chart confessions — and it still refuses to answer the question at its heart.
On their late-1970s album, the Eagles inserted a song that trades stadium sweep for intimate, uncertain conversation. “I Can’t Tell You Why” is built around a couple on the verge: voices frayed, decisions half-made, a melody that refuses to let go. The result was a surprise hit and a rare moment when the band let a new member lead the emotional center.
Timothy B. Schmit, who had joined the group a few years earlier to replace Randy Meisner, was given the lead vocal on the track and brought a fragment of a tune he had been carrying. He recalled the moment the band accepted the unfinished piece and helped shape it into a single.
“It was co-written by me and Don (Henley) and Glenn (Frey). I did bring a portion of that song, unfinished, to them back then, because I was new in the band and they wanted to introduce me on a good note, no pun intended. And I had this little piece of a tune that they really liked. It was loosely based on my own experiences.”
— Timothy B. Schmit, Eagles bass player and co-writer
That handshake between a newcomer’s fragility and the band’s veteran craft made the song different from the Eagles’ more sprawling catalogue. Where earlier hits could feel like cinematic widescreen, this one is a lamp-lit kitchen: close, domestic, quietly combustible. The lyrics intentionally avoid resolution — the couple argues and then drifts back toward each other without explanation — and the music mirrors that push and pull with a warm, soulful arrangement.
Musically, the song softened the Eagles’ sound. Schmit’s alto voice carries a vulnerability absent from many of the band’s earlier records; the arrangement leans on gentle keyboards, restrained guitar, and a rhythm that keeps a steady, human heartbeat beneath the words. It appealed to radio formats that favored grown-up listeners, and the single climbed strong on the charts, becoming one of the group’s last major hits on mainstream pop playlists while performing even better on adult-focused stations.
The lyrics do much of the heavy lifting, turning ordinary domestic friction into a broader meditation on why lovers stay and why they leave. The song refuses tidy resolutions; instead it offers repeated, aching surrender.
“And I can’t tell you why”
— Timothy B. Schmit, Don Henley and Glenn Frey — lyric credit, writers and members of the Eagles
For older listeners who grew up with FM radio in its golden years, the song often surfaces as a quiet, private memory. It speaks to the long marriages and long fights that define many households: nights of argument that end with the television in the background and two people choosing to stay. The ambiguity is its power — years later, people still debate whether the couple in the song reconciles or simply settles into a weary truce.
Behind the scenes, the track marked a moment of transition for the band. Schmit’s arrival changed the group’s vocal texture and songwriting dynamics; giving him the lead on this track signaled a willingness to reshape roles. It also underscored the collaborative nature of the band’s later work, where small, personal songs could sit alongside their epic, chart-topping material.
Radio programmers found the song ideal for adult listeners; critics noted the band’s softer touch and the song’s emotional directness. For fans who remember the late-1970s era, it remains one of the Eagles’ defining late-period statements — intimate, unresolved, and quietly devastating. The record fades the pair in mid-argument, leaving a single plaintive line to hang in the air —
“Every time I try to walk away / Something makes me turn around and stay”
— Timothy B. Schmit, Don Henley and Glenn Frey — lyric credit, writers and members of the Eagles