"Desperado" is a ballad by the Eagles, an American rock band, written by group members Glenn Frey and Don Henley, and sung by Henley. It first appeared on the 1973 album Desperado, and has later appeared on numerous compilation albums. Although "Desperado" was not issued as a single, it would become one of the Eagles' best known songs; the song was ranked No. 494 on Rolling Stones 2004 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.