The 10 best Don Henley solo songs
Many classic rock fans had their hearts broken when it was announced that the Eagles would no longer perform together. Following a massive fight after a gig in Long Beach, Don Felder and Glenn Frey made open threats toward each other before speeding away into the night, not reuniting until the 1990s. While the group’s signature sound made for a glorious harmony of voices, Don Henley would always have a massive solo career waiting for him.
Having the strongest lead vocal out of every band member, Henley was nicknamed ‘Golden Throat’ by industry mogul David Geffen for his versatility. From singing soul songs to making classic country-rock hits, Henley brought a heavy dose of emotion to every word that fell out of his mouth, whether it was about the loss of romance or what was pissing him off in the world.
Then again, his solo career was vastly different from the sounds he got used to writing with Glenn Frey. Compared to most Eagles albums, Henley’s solo career takes a more complex approach to American storytelling, pulling pages out of the playbooks of heartland rockers like Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen to make some of his grand epics.
With the help of some of the finest players in music history, Henley has crafted a strong lineup of classics that can stand alongside some of his best performances with his old band. Henley may not have been the young and hungry kid who sang ‘Witchy Woman’ anymore, but his years of experience made him a master storyteller.
Don Henley’s best solo songs:
‘Dirty Laundry’ – I Can’t Stand Still
Never for a second did Henley mince words about his distaste for the media. Coming from a performance background, Henley was never one to play the tabloid star, looking to tear down the people that were looking for a cheap way to make money. Instead of going after any paparazzi, Henley channelled all that energy into the making of ‘Dirty Laundry’.
Set to a steady groove, Henley takes on the role of the corporate pigs that like to do nothing more than to spread the dirt among the elite in Hollywood. As Henley talks about making his living off the evening news, he delivers a chilling look at what fame chasing can do to a person, always looking for that subtle shot of endorphins to satisfy them. Although the Eagles had their fair share of message songs throughout their history, Henley never sounded so venomous as he did on this track.
‘The Boys of Summer’ – Building the Perfect Beast
At the start of Henley’s solo career, there were still a lot of questions about what a former Eagle would sound like on record. While his debut was a good proof of concept, it would always be the second record that would either solidify Henley as a songwriting tour de force or a relic of days gone by. From the minute that ‘The Boys of Summer’ graces over the speakers, Henley silenced all of his detractors forever.
Being one of the first collaborations with Mike Campbell from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Henley soars over the backing track, talking about how lonely it can feel coming to the end of summer. While he may have been chasing after a girl the entire season, he can still remember the ideal picture of her in his mind, where her skin shines in the sun, and everything is being seen through a Wayfarer lens. Although this lady may have gone out with some of the meathead boys of summer, Henley assures her that his commitment will far outlast any run-of-the-mill jock.
‘The Last Worthless Evening’ – The End of The Innocence
For all of the great songs laced throughout Henley’s back catalogue, there were never that many true-blue love songs in the mix. Even though any Eagles song usually had a mellow, relaxed slant, any semblance of romance was usually from an outsider’s perspective, like the bar scene in ‘Tequila Sunrise’ or the nightclub in ‘Lyin Eyes’. After leaving behind the standard rock and roll hangups, Henley was ready to settle down on ‘The Last Worthless Evening’.
Coming after tales of young love on his first handful of albums, ‘Evening’ is about Henley pleading with his old friend to be his lover. While it’s unclear whether their relationship was platonic before, Henley assures his old flame that she doesn’t have to suffer through any more harsh breakups as long as he’s by her side. In the wrong hands, a song like this could have come off as unbelievably sleazy, but there’s a good chance Henley could have sold anything with a decent melody behind it.
‘All She Wants to Do Is Dance’ – Building the Perfect Beast
Throughout his career, Henley wasn’t exactly known for being the most energetic performer in the world. In fact, Henley once recalled a review that said his old band had made a career out of doing nothing but loiter on stage. When he wanted to, Henley could at least put a passable dance beat under his usual schtick.
Although ‘All She Wants to Do Is Dance’ is one of the more shallow songs that Henley would write, his commitment to the song is commendable, making a dance groove and showing off moves on MTV that were probably well outside his comfort zone. Featuring no writing input from Henley, this is the closest thing to a pin-up pop star he would ever become, looking to just dance along to his own beat and not have to worry about anyone else standing in his way. Like another rock legend that went solo in the ‘80s, ‘Dance’ is probably the closest thing to a ‘Sussudio’ that Henley would ever make.
‘New York Minute’ – The End of The Innocence
Throughout his career, Henley was fascinated with writing various commentary tracks. From his time in the Eagles with ‘The Last Resort’, Henley saw his microphone as a platform to say whatever was on his mind. While he had always kept political songs near the chest, ‘New York Minute’ was a good look at the glamour and gore that goes down when entering the Big Apple.
With the chilling sounds of a synthesiser setting the tone, Henley paints a picture of Harry, finding himself on the wrong side of the law and never returning to his cushy Wall Street job. As much as Henley was singing about the horrors that come with New York, the chorus of “everything can change” can also symbolise hope, knowing that someone’s luck can turn them into a superstar overnight in the city. Although Henley always kept a distance between Eagles material and his solo career, this became one of the only songs good enough for the band to include on their live album, Hell Freezes Over.
‘Leather and Lace’ – Stevie Nicks duet single
The affair between Stevie Nicks and Don Henley was exceedingly brief. After Nicks left Lindsey Buckingham, she and Henley began an on-and-off relationship while Nicks juggled other boyfriends, including Mick Fleetwood. Henley even claimed that he and Nicks were at one point expecting a child together, for which Nicks had an abortion.
All of that emotion seemingly came to an end when Henley entered into a relationship with Lois Chiles in the early 1980s, but there were certainly some lingering feelings that brought the pair back to each other. Those loose ends formed the basic fabric of ‘Leather and Lace’, a track that was originally written for Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter but later became an essential part of Henley’s musical legacy when his and Nicks’ version became a top ten hit in 1982.
‘Sunset Grill’ – Building the Perfect Beast
Henley had a remarkable ability to cut through the overblown production of the 1980s. It was probably due to his voice, an instrument that didn’t seem constrained to any single era or genre. Even when Henley was surrounded by some of the schlockiest and most regrettable of synthesisers and drum machines, he always found a way to rise above it all.
‘Sunset Grill’ has a hell of a pedigree behind it: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench helped write the track, Scandal singer Patty Smyth sings backup, session ace Pino Palladino plays fretless bass, and even Randy Newman helped programme the synthesisers. But the song is still pure Henley, searching for simplicity in the breakneck world of 1980s Los Angeles.
‘The End of The Innocence’ – The End of The Innocence
One of Henley’s most underrated traits was finding the right collaborators for any given project. From his earliest days as an Eagle, Henley was always more of a team player when it came to songwriting, famously focusing more on the words than on the musical accompaniment. When he stopped writing with Glenn Frye, Henley had a healthy crop of talented artists who were ready and willing to assist him in his solo efforts.
As we learn later in this list, maturity was always a part of the Don Henley experience. So when he and Bruce Hornsby teamed up for a song about breakups, lost youth, and the unstoppable march of time, it turned out to be a signature song. ‘The End of the Innocence’ might be Henley at his most jaded, but the uplift and hope found in the music are impossible to ignore, especially when another brilliant collaborator comes in for a solo: jazz saxophone great Wayne Shorter.
‘Taking You Home’ – Inside Job
Henley took his time between The Age of Innocence and Inside Job. In the 11 years between releases, Henley had rejoined the Eagles and transitioned from a contemporary pop music force to a respected rock and roll elder statesman. That shift could be felt all over Inside Job, a record that meditates on the passing of time with nearly every song.
‘Taking You Home’ literally starts with the line “I had a good life”, setting the stage for some real ruminations. But ‘Taking You Home’ isn’t about getting older – it’s about the acceptance of love and finding strength in your partner. That’s pretty sentimental, and so is ‘Taking You Home’, but Henley always seems to have that little bit of sincerity that keeps you from rolling your eyes.
‘A Younger Man’ – Cass Country
Don Henley never leaned into the brash exuberance of youth. Even when he was circling the globe with the Eagles in his 20s, Henley always came off as one of the more mature and hardened stars in rock and roll. Maybe that came from his small-town Texas upbringing, or maybe it’s always been a part of his personality, but Henley’s soul always seemed to be well beyond his years.
When those years finally caught up with him, Henley wore advanced age like a badge of honour. Of course, it helps that his voice has stayed pristine across more than 50 years of use. ‘A Younger Man’, from Henley’s most recent solo effort Cass Country, sees the singer grapple with the broken promises and unfulfilled dreams that come with getting older. For someone who has aged as gracefully as Henley, it’s a song that fits hit like a glove.
