‘The Long Run’: The Eagles album Don Henley called “tongue-in-cheek cynical”
When thinking of soft rock legends Eagles, most people reflect on the tales of rock ‘n’ roll excess and somewhat salacious in-fighting. However, there is more to the band than most would give them credit for, with their music a multi-faceted body of work that stretches far outside the confines of symbolising the pitfalls of an era long since passed.
While ‘Hotel California’ and the album of the same name might be their masterpiece, apart from being conceived during an era of rampant hedonism and celebrity extravagance, even that record goes much deeper than commentators believe. It is an ode to the hopes and dreams conjured by the essence of California and the extensive mythos attached to the City of Angels. The music may be soft rock, but there’s an enigma attached to it, fitting of a place that has seen millions flock there to build fortunes.
Although Eagles have had many members in their time, with most partaking in songwriting duties, Don Henley had a more prominent role than most in bringing their songs to life. Just like his other primary songwriters, Glenn Frey and Don Felder, Henley created many complex moments. One of the most notable examples of this is 1974’s ‘On the Border’, which, according to him, is a sardonic “kiss-off” to the controversial president, Richard Nixon. To be fair to him and the band, it was accomplished subtly.
Another charge sent in Don Henley’s direction is that he has “no humour”, according to outspoken Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon. Lydon told Cream in 1992: “Don Henley, that’s the man. That’s the man responsible [for the dull seriousness of “doom-laden” music]”.
He continued: “There’s a man with no humour. Same with Sting, he’s gone and taken himself far too seriously, hasn’t he? ‘I am an intellectual, honest, please believe me. Look how unshaved I can be.'”
Yet, regardless of how easy it would be to accept this notion, it’s clear that Lydon’s assertions are simply not true. As well as ‘On the Border’ being a reflection of Henley and the group’s character, according to the man himself, much of his work is comedic and has much more to it than what meets the eye.
Per Henley’s account, the band’s 1979 album, The Long Run, is brimming with facetious and “cynical” humour, which is interesting, given that it contains ostensibly blue moments such as ‘I Can’t Tell You Why’. Furthermore, Henley maintained that all its tracks, which include ‘Heartache Tonight’ and ‘Those Shoes’, are not to be taken seriously, as they are imbued with his dry humour.
Discussing the nature of the album not long before it was released in a statement, Henley said the album was “tongue-in-cheek cynical” and that “most of the humour is so dry nobody will think it’s funny.”
Henley was right; nobody thought The Long Run was a comic masterpiece. He’s too sarcastic for even John Lydon to perceive.
Listen to The Long Run below.
