The songs Don Henley is most proud of
The Eagles ushered in a new form of rock music that hit America and then, subsequently, the world by storm. Their blend of country and rock was completely unlike what people had experienced before, and its effect was undeniable. Even now, there are Eagles songs that people hear and can’t help but smile at. During their final tour, they haven’t struggled to sell out arenas, which stands as a testament to how well a lot of the band’s music has aged.
At the heart of what the band did was Don Henley, someone with an exceptional attitude when it came to writing music. He captured moments in time like nobody else and approached each song individually with such a specific goal that they became separate entities in their own right. This means that his discography is mixed and exciting.
For instance, when you consider the Eagles’ biggest song, ‘Hotel California’, there was always a clear intention to have that song stand out as much as possible, both in its lyrical theme and the instrumentation. Glenn Frey remembers writing that song with Henley, saying, “Everybody wants to know what that song was about, and we don’t know”.
He continues, saying they “Wanted to write a song that was sort of like an episode of the Twilight Zone… It was just one shot to the next – a picture of a guy on the highway, a picture of the hotel, the guy walks in, the door opens, strange people”. The track ended up being a hit, propelling the Eagles to a level of stardom that more hits saw them maintain for some time.
So, when you have that many great songs under your belt, which is the best? For Henley, the success of a track didn’t play much of a part in how proud he was of them. Instead, it was more about his mindset and what he was trying to do with his music. When asked in the ‘80s which songs he was proudest of, his solo albums came to mind (alongside a couple of Eagles tracks) because they reflected a transition period when Henley made it as his own songwriter outside of his partnership with Frey.
Henley and Frey were considered by many to be the John Lennon and Paul McCartney of country rock, so when the Eagles broke up, it was a bold move to try and make it as a solo artist. That being said, Henley released a few albums that did well and cemented him as his own musician as well as a member of the Eagles.
“On my first solo album I’m particularly proud of this song ‘Lilah’, which is about the war in Northern Ireland… and err, I’m pretty proud of this new album,” he said, “I was nervous the first album because it was my first solo album and I wasn’t sure if I could quite do it, you know. This time I had a lot more confidence, I took more chances, tried to stretch a little bit, you know. I think we accomplished that.”
