# What is your opinion of Don Henley? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 30, 2011, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-opinion-of-don-henley/598096 "2011-09-30T01:56:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Haunted\_Pasta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/94ad74/32.png) [@Haunted\_Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haunted_Pasta)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-opinion-of-don-henley/598096/41 "2011-09-30T18:52:53Z")
I liked his solo tunes when they were new, but, as with most classic rock songs I once liked, I eventually reached the point where I’d heard them enough to last for the rest of my life. He totally gets credit from me for “All She Wants To Do Is Dance.” Not for its musicality (passable but not great), but for the sly mocking of a lot of the very people the song would appeal to in the first place. They don’t really know the words, or at least don’t get their meaning- they just like the song. And thus make the song’s point. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-opinion-of-don-henley/598096/42 "2011-09-30T18:59:03Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > Only song of his solo stuff I find listenable is _End of the Innocence_ which is for all practical purposes a Bruce Hornsby song. BH wrote the music and lyrics, and played piano on the track. The story I read is that Bruce wrote the music first, then Don wrote the lyrics at Bruce’s request. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-opinion-of-don-henley/598096/43 "2011-09-30T19:06:29Z")
The Evidence: “Dirty Laundry” “Johnny Can’t Read” “The End of the Innocence” “The Last Worthless Evening” “The Heart of the Matter” “Month of Sundays” “New York MInute” “All She Wants to Do is Dance” “Building the Perfect Beast” “Sunset Grill” “The Boys of Summer” “The Garden of Allah” “They’re Not Here, They’re Not Coming” “Dammit, Rose” “My Thanksgiving” “Goodbye to a River” That’s a body of solo work as good as–or better than–most artists. (Yeah, I’m a fan.) ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-opinion-of-don-henley/598096/44 "2011-09-30T19:10:34Z")
I once called the rock radio station in my major American city and complained about an abominably bad Don Henley song they were overplaying. The DJ apologized to me. I’ll take the pit of filth, thanks. The sounds of my own madness will be more soothing. ---
**Author:** ![fjs1fs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fjs1fs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fjs1fs)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-opinion-of-don-henley/598096/45 "2011-09-30T20:14:43Z")
> [@Pitter\_Patter](#): > > This. Great album, but Henley himself? Meh. How “Meh” can he be if the album is “Great?” I don’t understand that, unless you think a really huge number of albums are great. ---
**Author:** ![fjs1fs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fjs1fs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fjs1fs)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-opinion-of-don-henley/598096/46 "2011-09-30T20:16:02Z")
> [@Dr.Rieux](#): > > The Evidence: > > “Dirty Laundry” > “Johnny Can’t Read” > “The End of the Innocence” > “The Last Worthless Evening” > “The Heart of the Matter” > “Month of Sundays” > “New York MInute” > “All She Wants to Do is Dance” > “Building the Perfect Beast” > “Sunset Grill” > “The Boys of Summer” > “The Garden of Allah” > “They’re Not Here, They’re Not Coming” > “Dammit, Rose” > “My Thanksgiving” > “Goodbye to a River” > > That’s a body of solo work as good as–or better than–most artists. > (Yeah, I’m a fan.) Well put, and this body of work was all created after being in perhaps the best American rock and roll band of all time. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-opinion-of-don-henley/598096/47 "2011-09-30T20:18:44Z")
_New York Minute_ was a pretty cool song. \* Not Enough Love in the World\*, too. ---
**Author:** ![Claire\_Beauchamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ec9cab/32.png) [@Claire\_Beauchamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire_Beauchamp)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-opinion-of-don-henley/598096/48 "2011-09-30T20:32:54Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > You needed at least one more option: _I enjoyed both his work with the Eagles and his solo stuff, and also, India Arie completely fucked up "Heart of the Matter._ This. I chose “better than the Eagles” because, while I don’t think that’s true, it’s more true than “Meh.” ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-opinion-of-don-henley/598096/49 "2011-09-30T21:12:04Z")
> [@Dr.Rieux](#): > > The Evidence: > > “Dirty Laundry” > “Johnny Can’t Read” > “The End of the Innocence” > “The Last Worthless Evening” > “The Heart of the Matter” > “Month of Sundays” > “New York MInute” > “All She Wants to Do is Dance” > “Building the Perfect Beast” > “Sunset Grill” > “The Boys of Summer” > “The Garden of Allah” > “They’re Not Here, They’re Not Coming” > “Dammit, Rose” > “My Thanksgiving” > “Goodbye to a River” > > That’s a body of solo work as good as–or better than–most artists. > (Yeah, I’m a fan.) Add “I Will Not Go Quietly,” “Driving With Your Eyes Closed,” “Not Enough Love In The World,” and “Inside Job” and that’s the perfect Don Henley playlist there. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-opinion-of-don-henley/598096/50 "2011-09-30T23:14:45Z")
Completely off topic, but Lisa Marie Presley does a version of “Dirty Laundry” that I quite enjoy. Imagine that. ---
**Author:** ![pamela7777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e36b37/32.png) [@pamela7777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pamela7777)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-opinion-of-don-henley/598096/51 "2011-09-30T23:21:43Z")
My favorite song is All I want to do is dance lol I like him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-opinion-of-don-henley/598096.md?page=2)