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Don Henley

“The Boys of Summer” is a song released in 1984 by
Eagles vocalist and drummer Don Henley, with
lyrics written by Henley and music composed by
Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the
Heartbreakers.

The lead single from Henley’s album Building the
Perfect Beast, “The Boys of Summer” was released
on October 26, 1984. It reachednumber five on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US, number one on
the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart, and number 12
in the UK Singles Chart.

The music video won several awards. “The Boys of
Summer” was also performed live by Henley with the Henley’s work embodies many cultural
reunited Eagles; a version is included on the group’s contradictions. Those are also inherent in The Boys
2005 DVD Farewell 1 Tour: Live from Melbourne. of Summer which despite Henley’s environmental
activism, superficially extols car culture.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike
Campbell wrote a demo for “The Boys of “The Boys of Summer” reached No. 5 on the Bill-
Summer” while experimenting with a LinnDrum board Hot 100 and topped the Billboard Top Rock
drum machine. He showed it to Tom Petty, but they Tracks chart for five weeks. It was also a hit in the
felt it did not fit with the record they were working United Kingdom, reaching No. 12 on the UK
on, Southern Accents. At the suggestion of Singles Chart. A re-release of the single in 1998 also
producer Jimmy Iovine, Campbell played it for Don reached No. 12.
Henley, who wrote the lyrics and recorded the
vocal. They rerecorded the song after Henley In 1986, Henley won the Grammy Award for Best
decided to change the key. Male Rock Vocal Performance for the song. “The
Boys of Summer” was ranked No. 416 on Rolling
The song is cemented by a repetitive guitar riff. The Stone magazine’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of
song was recorded in the key of F♯ major with a All Time. “The Boys of Summer” is included in The
tempo of 88 beats per minute. Henley’s vocals span Pitchfork 500, Pitchfork Media’s “Guide to the
F♯3 to A♯4. Greatest Songs from Punk to Present.”

The lyrics appear to be about the passing of youth The music video to “The Boys of Summer” is a
and entering middle age, with the nostalgic theme of French New Wave-influenced piece directed by
“summer love” and reminiscence of a past Jean-Baptiste Mondino. Shot in black-and-white, it
relationship. In a 1987 interview with Rolling Stone, shows the main character of the song at three
Henley explained that the song is about aging and different stages of life (as a young boy, a young adult
questioning the past—a recurring theme in Henley’s and middle-aged), in each case reminiscing about a
lyrics. “The End of the Innocence”, and “Taking You past relationship. Interspersed with these scenes are
Home”. In an interview with NME in, Henly segments of Henley singing the words of the song
explained the ‘”Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac” lyric while riding in a pickup truck. The young boy in the
as an example of his generation selling out. video is played by a seven-year-old Josh Paul, while
the girl is played by Audie England.
“I was driving down the San Diego Freeway and got
passed by a $21,000 Cadillac Seville, the status The video won the Video of the Year at the 1985
symbol of the right-wing upper-middle-class MTV Video Music Awards (leading Henley to
American bourgeoisie – all the guys with the blue comment at the Awards the following year that he
blazers with the crests and the grey pants – and there had won for “riding around in the back of a pickup”).
was this Grateful Dead “Deadhead” bumper sticker It also won that year’s awards for Best Direction, Best
on it!” Art Direction, and Best Cinematography. The Best
Direction award was presented to Mondino by
Musicologist David Ingram has stated that Henley’s then-former Eagles bandmate Glenn Frey.

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