Breakups often leave things unsaid, but Glenn Frey had no problem getting his feelings out—through music. Instead of having a final conversation, he channeled his emotions into “The Girl From Yesterday”, a song that served as a not-so-subtle message to his ex.
Inspired by a Painful Split
Frey’s first marriage to artist Janie Beggs lasted only a few years. Even though he later remarried, he clearly had some unresolved feelings about his past relationship. Instead of letting them fade, he put them into lyrics that cut deep. The title alone makes it clear—this song was a way of saying, “You’re in the past.”
Writing Out of Spite
Frey co-wrote the song with Jack Tempchin, who recalled the process years later:
“I remember it clearly because I have a little house in Hollywood, and that’s where Glenn would come, and we would write. He went through a divorce, and then he later got happily married. I was going through some bumpy times, so he was like, ‘Let’s get even with the old girlfriend in a way by writing a song called “The Girl From Yesterday.’”
Frey paints a picture of someone stuck in the past, longing for something that’s never coming back. That bitterness is all over the lyrics:
It wasn’t really sad the way they said goodbye
Or maybe it just hurt so bad, she couldn’t cry
He packed his things, walked out the door and drove away
And she became the girl from yesterday
He took a plane across the sea to some foreign land
She stayed at home and tried so hard to understand
How someone who had been so close could be so far away
And she became the girl from yesterday
A Cathartic Goodbye
Was Frey assuming too much about his ex’s feelings? Maybe. But “The Girl From Yesterday” wasn’t about accuracy—it was about closure. Songwriting gave Frey the last word, turning his frustration into a lasting piece of music. And whether or not his ex ever heard it, the song still stands as a powerful (and slightly petty) breakup anthem.