WHEN in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary….
Boomer Ballads: Don Henley – The Heart of the Matter (Live at Farm Aid 1990)
byVanderleunonFebruary 21, 2019
Embedded in the lyrics is a thought larger than personal tragedy:
These times are so uncertain
There’s a yearning undefined
People filled with rage
We all need a little tenderness
How can love survive in such a graceless age?
Saw Henley in an interview on PBS about a year ago and he believes that if you give all your stuff to him he can dispose of it in such a manner that all of it goes straight to the heart of the matter, whatever that matter might be. And if you question him on that point like the interviewer did a couple times, he rises up in his chair and gets a little huffy about it. His ocular glands flashed like neon lights on the strip, “How DARE You!???”
Henley was a medium grade drummer and couldn’t really do much more cause he frequently handled the vox too. That’s actually a pretty tough row to hoe, so I give him credit. But that is where he should stay because trying to run other people’s lives is distracting him from running his own life properly.
Driving straight through from southeastern Florida to south central Indiana at Christmas time in 1984 ALL the radio stations played “Boys of Summer” almost continuously. I could have done with a little bit of “Bitter Creek” thrown in now and then to break things up.
HFebruary 22, 2019, 5:56 AM
Well in the first place, Henley’s politics suck, but beyond that, there was a documentary out a few years ago made with the full participation of Henley and Glen Frey and all the rest and it was quite apparent that (a) Henley and Frey were narcissistic, egotistical assholes and that (b) they were kinda proud of it, actually. Shut up and sing, I say.
Matt BurchettFebruary 22, 2019, 2:44 PM
Henley was a song-writing monster for some years after the Eagles’ heyday. It takes genuine talent to craft memorable lyrics and melodies that hold together so well for so long. I confess that I love his singing voice and his tight, if basic, drum work. Even when his sophomoric political posturing oozes into the mix with “… this tired old man that we elected king” from The End of the Innocence,
I still admire the masterly smithing of words and tune. This can’t be taken from him.
If anyone sensed a delayed “but” coming … yes, there is one. But that “but” is obvious.
Real World Address for Donations, Mash Notes and Hate Mail
Gerard Van der Leun
1692 MANGROVE AVE
APT 379
Chico, Ca 95926
Green Pants Interior by Klahn
Who Am I? by Carl Sandburg
My head knocks against the stars.
My feet are on the hilltops.
My finger-tips are in the valleys and shores of universal life.
Down in the sounding foam of primal things I reach my hands and play with pebbles of destiny.
I have been to hell and back many times.
I know all about heaven, for I have talked with God.
I dabble in the blood and guts of the terrible.
I know the passionate seizure of beauty
And the marvelous rebellion of man at all signs reading “Keep Off.”
My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.
Duty, Beauty, Liberty, Country, Honor, Family, Faith — Plus a few simple easy to follow rules for guys
Men saw the stars at the edge of the sea
They thought great thoughts about liberty
Poets wrote down words that did fit
Writers wrote books
Thinkers thought about it
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
Many’s the road I have walked upon
Many’s the hour between dusk and dawn
Many’s the time
Many’s the mile
I see it all now
Through the eyes of a child
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
And close your eyes
Leave it all for a while
Leave the world
And your worries behind
You will build on whatever is real
And wake up each day
To a new waking dream
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Change, change come over
Change come over
Talkin’ about a change
Change, change
Change come over, now
Change, change, change come over
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
Gerard Van der Leun
Comments on this entry are closed.
Saw Henley in an interview on PBS about a year ago and he believes that if you give all your stuff to him he can dispose of it in such a manner that all of it goes straight to the heart of the matter, whatever that matter might be. And if you question him on that point like the interviewer did a couple times, he rises up in his chair and gets a little huffy about it. His ocular glands flashed like neon lights on the strip, “How DARE You!???”
Henley was a medium grade drummer and couldn’t really do much more cause he frequently handled the vox too. That’s actually a pretty tough row to hoe, so I give him credit. But that is where he should stay because trying to run other people’s lives is distracting him from running his own life properly.
Driving straight through from southeastern Florida to south central Indiana at Christmas time in 1984 ALL the radio stations played “Boys of Summer” almost continuously. I could have done with a little bit of “Bitter Creek” thrown in now and then to break things up.
Well in the first place, Henley’s politics suck, but beyond that, there was a documentary out a few years ago made with the full participation of Henley and Glen Frey and all the rest and it was quite apparent that (a) Henley and Frey were narcissistic, egotistical assholes and that (b) they were kinda proud of it, actually. Shut up and sing, I say.
Henley was a song-writing monster for some years after the Eagles’ heyday. It takes genuine talent to craft memorable lyrics and melodies that hold together so well for so long. I confess that I love his singing voice and his tight, if basic, drum work. Even when his sophomoric political posturing oozes into the mix with “… this tired old man that we elected king” from The End of the Innocence,
I still admire the masterly smithing of words and tune. This can’t be taken from him.
If anyone sensed a delayed “but” coming … yes, there is one. But that “but” is obvious.