Dirty Laundry (Don Henley song)

"Dirty Laundry" is a song written by Don Henley and Danny Kortchmar, from Henley's debut solo studio album I Can't Stand Still, (1982). The song hit number 1 on the Billboard Top Album Tracks chart in October 1982, prior to being issued as a 45 rpm single. Lyrically, the song describes mass media sensationalism.

"Dirty Laundry"
Single by Don Henley
from the album I Can't Stand Still
B-side"Lilah"
ReleasedOctober 12, 1982
Recorded1982
Genre
Length5:36
LabelAsylum
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Don Henley singles chronology
"Johnny Can't Read"
(1982)		 "Dirty Laundry"
(1982)		 "I Can't Stand Still"
(1982)
Audio sample
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Released as the second single from I Can't Stand Still, it spent three weeks at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1983. The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in March 1983, representing sales of a million copies in the United States.[2]

History

The song is about the callousness of TV news reporting as well as the tabloidization of all news. Henley sings from the standpoint of a news anchorman who "could have been an actor, but I wound up here". The song's theme is that TV news coverage focuses too much on negative and sensationalist news; in particular, deaths, disasters, and scandals, with little regard to the consequences or for what is important ("We all know that crap is king"). The song was inspired by the intrusive press coverage surrounding the deaths of John Belushi and Natalie Wood, and Henley's own arrest in 1980 when he was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and possession of marijuana, cocaine, and Quaaludes after a 16-year-old female prostitute overdosed at his Los Angeles home and subsequently died. The "bubbleheaded bleach blonde" mentioned in the song was rumored to have been Christine Lundstedt (Christine Lund) of KABC-TV in Los Angeles, however Henley has categorically denied this. [3]

Among the musicians on the record were Timothy B. Schmit and Joe Walsh, two of Henley's bandmates of the Eagles. Walsh performs the first guitar solo, followed by Steve Lukather of the band Toto; the guitar basic tracks are played by Danny Kortchmar who also helped Henley compose this song.[3] The sleeve notes also mention musicians George Gruel, Roger Linn and Steve Porcaro.[4]

Personnel

Chart performance

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[11] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References
  1. Sleeve notes to Dirty Laundry in Actual Miles CD of 1995.
  2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 282.
  3. "Dirty Laundry by Don Henley Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2014-05-10.
  4. Sleeve notes to Dirty Laundry in the Actual Miles CD of 1995.
  5. "Synth icons: Linn Electronics Inc LM-1 Drum Computer". musicradar.com. 25 April 2014. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  6. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  7. "Top 100 1983-01-15". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 2015-12-16.
  8. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-08-11. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  9. "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1982". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
  10. "Talent Almanac 1984: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 52. December 24, 1983. p. TA-18.
  11. "American single certifications – Don Henley – Dirty Laundry". Recording Industry Association of America.
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