Jethro Tull: “We Used to Know” (1969)
As is the main thrust of this blog in a greater sense, I feel the need to evangelize a bit about those other Jethro Tull songs due to the fact that, to the casual rock fan, Tull tend to get pigeonholed based on the songs radio has always played. Thus there’s an exaggerated emphasis on the Aqualung album, for example, which was a monster in the U.S. and may even indeed be the band’s strongest overall album.
Or it may not. For my money it’s Songs From the Wood. In Germany, The Broadsword and the Beast was a huge seller. And their 1969 sophomore LP Stand Up is a relatively overlooked trove of great songs that many Tull fans consider their favorite.
After the departure of Mick Abrahams following the band’s first album, This Was, guitarist Martin Barre was brought aboard. And more significantly, Ian Anderson took the reins, beginning to move the band from blues-influenced rock to a more folk-inflected style. It was a good idea: there was a glut of blues-rock bands in ’69, but Tull’s blend of folk and progressive rock made them relatively unique.
Having said all that, Stand Up was a transitional album, and does contain a mix: bluesy and folksy sounds, as well as a song written by Bach.
Maybe if you’re hearing “We Used to Know” for the first time you find it sounds vaguely familiar. The melody and chord sequence mirror those of the verses of the Eagles’ “Hotel California”, a fact pointed out by Tull fans with reactions ranging from mild interest to disdain.
The similarity in the songs is addressed by Ian Anderson in this interview clip:
So the Eagles toured as supporting act for Tull in ’72 and Tull played “We Used to Know” on that tour.
The only trouble with the theory that the Eagles heard and nicked their melody and the first 6 chords of an 8-chord progression in 1972 was this: Don Felder wrote the music to “Hotel California”, and Felder didn’t join the Eagles until 1974.
Still, it’s not difficult to believe Felder became acquainted with the Tull song prior to writing his. Furthermore, he reportedly wrote “Hotel California” in E minor (same key as “We Used to Know”) prior to changing the key to accommodate Don Henley, who couldn’t sing the song in its original key.
Next week we’ll discuss how “Take it to the Limit” rips off “If You Don’t Know Me by Now”…
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2025/03/30/songs-you-may-have-missed-772/
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/11/18/songs-you-may-have-missed-242/
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2025/07/12/recommended-albums-100/
Every Moment Has A Song 