[7] Souther later said that the song came about as a result of their "fascination with gunfire as an analogy" and added that "at some point some kid would come riding into town that was much faster than you and he'd say so, and then he'd prove it."

"[8] Similarly, Henley discussed the song's meaning in the liner notes of The Very Best Of: It's about the fleeting, fickle nature of love and romance.

"[10] Former Los Angeles Kings player Gene Carr, a friend of Frey's, speculated that he was an inspiration for the song.

[12] Cash Box said that "Bill Szymczyk’s production brings out the delicacy of the vocal harmonies, and the lyric here is quite effective.

"[5] In 2016, the editors of Rolling Stone rated "New Kid in Town" as the fifth greatest Eagles song, describing it as "an exquisite piece of south-of-the-border melancholia" and praising its complex, "overlapping harmonies.