“Wisdom to impart”: Don Henley on the artist that got better with age
Some bands usually only have a limited time in the spotlight before people stop paying attention. The role of any artist might be to reflect the times they live in, but once that generation shifts once or twice, there comes a point where the public either forgets about them or refuses to acknowledge their existence anymore. Although Don Henley managed to make the best decision by taking a break from Eagles during the 1980s, he knew that some of the best artists in the world were the ones still honing their craft.
Because for any great artist, it was never about being in it for a few years before moving on to the next phase of their career. It’s a lifestyle in every sense of the word, and while many people tended to fade from relevance, they managed to put out some stellar music that didn’t usually conform to what people thought of them back in the day.
For instance, singer-songwriters like Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith had their own unique voices at the time, but judging them by their standards in the 1970s would be foolish. Smith had become far more than the poetic godmother of punk that everyone seemed to paint her as in her prime, and ‘The Boss’ has inhabited his own songs in a way that has been integral to the American spirit, like writing tunes about recovering from a tragedy like 9/11 on The Rising.
Even for someone like Henley who’s style hasn’t necessarily changed over the years, it’s easy to see growth in the way he writes. With age comes experience, and listening to what he came up with on albums like The End of the Innocence was a great way for him to remind everyone what was at stake beyond the music, like relationships falling apart on ‘The Last Worthless Evening’ or political satire on ‘If Dirt Were Dollars’.
Many of Henley’s colleagues, like Tom Petty, certainly had the same approach, but Leonard Cohen seemed to be in his own separate class. He was already in the same league as Patti Smith as one of the most poetic writers in rock history, but hearing him continue to get more direct and strip away all of the fat from his sound in the 1980s and into the 2000s brought about the image of someone who only had the muse as his true love.
“It’s frustrating for older artists because some people like Leonard Cohen get better as they get older.”
don henley
And with all of those years getting better and better, Henley considered Cohen a classic example of someone who could improve their craft over time, saying, “It’s frustrating for older artists because some people like Leonard Cohen get better as they get older; they actually have wisdom to impart, and they have things to say in their songs, and they don’t get played. You hear this mindless bubble gum crap. But that’s the way it works.”
Henley does have a small point about people wanting to relive their glory days by hearing the old tunes, but Cohen’s final album was a great way for him to come back into the cultural conversation. You Want It Darker managed to capture his death perfectly, with every song talking about him surrendering to the powers that be and leaving content, knowing that he lived a happy life.
Although that kind of photo finish isn’t reserved for every rock and roll artist in history, it does at least speak to the power that comes with having the right tunes at your disposal. Henley knew that it was all about improving his craft on every record, and in Cohen, he had a great example of what can happen when someone goes past their glory years and finds peace playing the music they want to play.
