A debut album is a fickle thing to pull off–especially when it’s your first introduction as a solo artist after being in a mega successful band. Don Henley fell into that trap when he released his first solo single, “Johnny Can’t Read.” In hindsight, Henley thought the song was too controversial. Find out more about why Henley regretted this song, below.
[RELATED: The Bandmate Don Henley Said Didn’t Understand Rock N’ Roll]
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The Solo Song Don Henley Thought Was Too Controversial
Football, baseball, basketball games
Drinkin’ beer, kickin’ ass and takin’ down names
With the top down, get-a-round, shootin’ the line
Summer is here and Johnny’s feelin’ fine
Though the Eagles went through a couple of evolutions throughout their tenure, their roots were based in country-rock. Even when they decided to amp things up a notch, there were still western connotations in their music.
When Henley previewed his debut album, I Can’t Stand Still, with “Johnny Can’t Read,” he completely diverted from the sound he honed with the Eagles. Naturally, some fans found it hard to get on board.
“‘Johnny Can’t Read’ [the album’s first single] was the wrong thing to do,” Henley once said. “It was a little bit too much of a leftfield turn from the Eagles days, and it took a lot of people by surprise. It was too controversial. It pissed people off.”
But Johnny can’t read
Summer is over and he’s gone to seed
Johnny can’t read
He never learned nothin’ that he’ll ever need
The track is a jaunty, upbeat anthem that you’d sooner hear on a Billy Joel album. It was a far cry from Henley’s solo hits like “Dirty Laundry” or “The Boys of Summer.” The latter two songs fit in better with what he had already accomplished with the Eagles. “Johnny Can’t Read” left the listener with a lot of heavy lifting, trying to reframe Henley’s musicality in their minds.
Revisit the song, below. What do you think? Do you find “Johnny Can’t Read” controversial?
(Photo by John Shearer/WireImage)
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