Celebration of "I Can't Stand Still" [Archive] - The Border: An Eagles Message Board

sodascouts

08-13-2009, 12:07 PM

I think this album is underrated. I like it a lot... especially the ballads! In fact, it is my second favorite album of his.

I Can't Stand Still - not sure why they chose this as the title track since I think it is one of the weaker tracks - the synth sound in the verse just kind of plods along and is very dated, but the chorus is catchy, I think. I also like the couple lines that lead up to the chorus and build anticipation for it.

You Better Hang Up - this song cracks me up! I love it! Catchy melody and Don's wry vocal is great as he warns a guy from New York City that he better not fool around with the wife of a country boy because that country boy will get out the shotgun! If he answers the phone when you call that country girl... YOU BETTER HANG UP! LOL!

Long Way Home - this song starts slowly but by Don's agonized "I think there's something missing 'round here - I don't know where's it gone - but it's a long way back home" you're hooked. Holding that note for "long" (literally!) as the harmony changes brings a sense of change but still going nowhere. I love how the next verse goes from how all these ordinary things are breaking to what they symbolize: the breaking of their relationship. I've always thought "I fall asleep with colors flying over sand and foam" was a wonderful image. My only quibble is the use of the synth kind of distracts from the bridge. They loved that synth back then, lol.

Nobody's Business - not my favorite song on the album; it reminds of me the "incident." Still, I like the melody of the lines that precede the "chorus" (the chorus is essentially the title repeated twice): "And I knew I was wasting my time" or "But I knew I was doing just fine." And the sentiment - mind you own business people, don't spend all your time judging me and trying to "punish" me for what you perceive to be my sins - I totally agree with. The driving drumbeats works, too. I don't really understand who he's talking about when he says "revenge is sweet though it be once removed" - perhaps he believes there was some kind of conspiracy? Love the clever way he references the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale "The Emperor's New Clothes."

Talking to the Moon - what can you say about this one? It's magnificent. The achingly nostalgic voice, beautiful melody - but it's that melody's arrangement that really takes it up to the next level. While I like the melody shift at the "wind beneath the plains" part, I'm talking about the main bridge and everything after it - "goodbye, rodeo - it's a long, funny way for a man to go" - then the vocal energy builds - "and never change, and never change at all" - it comes to what you think is climactic moment and then there's a beat long full stop before you get taken up to the REAL climactic moment - "I. WAS. JUST. talking to the moon." Incredible - gives me chills. And then ending with that soft "Hopin' someday soon that I'd be over the memory of you..." As someone who grew up in Texas, I especially recognize just the type of town he's talking about, but you don't need to be from Texas to understand - he makes you understand no matter where you're from. I love this song so much. It's my next favorite after Heart of the Matter.... and when I'm in a certain mood, my most favorite.

Dirty Laundry - Don's biggest hit according to Billboard, getting up to #3. This is the one that gets folks at a Henley concert on their feet, clapping along to the beat and especially the "kick 'em when they're up, kick 'em when they're down." Of course many of us have heard it with the Eagles as well when they show a montage of what they perceive to be examples of yellow journalism. It's not my favorite of his songs and I've always wondered why Boys of Summer, The End of the Innocence, and Heart of the Matter never hit higher, but oh well. The synth manages not to sound dated here, maybe because we're used to it and it somehow seems right. Some of the dark humor in this song is absolutely scathing in its sardonic criticism of the callous shallowness of the news industry, his voice mocking but with an underlying anger. One line particularly has stuck with me: "It's interesting when people die." I sometimes think about it when you see those newspeople rushing to be the first on the scene in a tragedy, hoping to get there in time to film the worst of it. Recently, that helicopter crash in New York... interviewers eagerly asking witnesses to describe it in detail, encouraging anyone who might have taken some video of the accident to send it to the newsoom, hoping they might get footage of that moment where so many people died. I understand the need for reports of this type but the eagerness to present the "drama" of it disturbs me.

Johnny Can't Read - This one is a single? And this is the single they make a video for??? Maybe they thought its topic was more conducive to video, maybe they thought the kiddies would like the references to high school, I don't know - and I think the video isn't so bad - but the song itself... well, it doesn't do much for me. I get the "statement" it's trying to make - it's not exactly subtle - and I appreciate it but I don't think the song itself works. Now, looking back, we can chuckle at the datedness of the pop culture references. Never really understood the inclusion of "There's a new kid in town at the end" - why evoke the Eagles HERE? Maybe the idea was "OK, maybe this song isn't that great... but remember how I was in the Eagles and we had awesome hits like New Kid in Town and now because I'm a solo artist I'm kind of a New Kid in Town too? Get it?" lol

Them and Us - My least favorite song on the album. Again, I get it - nuclear bombs are bad! Nuclear war is bad! The song itself has a boring, plodding melody and the message is conveyed in a clumsy, simplistic way - unusual for Don. Even the use of the line from the Bible is trite. Disappointing. (JMHO)

La Eile - Pretty, although it seems kind of out of place after "Them and Us." I undestand it's leading up to Lilah, but it's jarring.

Lilah - But perhaps the inclusion of La Eile is a buffer between Them and Us and Lilah, so Lilah doesn't suffer by being after Them and Us. It worked. I love Lilah. A lilting melody, a lilting vocal, some of Don's most romantic lyrics - "the taste of your mouth, the smell of the perfume on your wrist." His longing vocal for the "simple pleasures" from a man who has spent so long pursuing temporary pleasures that are far from simple is especially effective. Another lyric I like: "we spend so much time weeping and wailing and shaking our fists / creating enemies that really don't exist." People can let themselves get SO riled up over petty crap - sometimes we gotta step back and ask ourselves, "Is this perceived 'wrong' against me really worth such anger? Is this really worth the bile, the resentment, the massive amount of time I am spending focusing on this when I could be using that time on something other than negativity and thoughts of how I can get revenge upon/humiliate/hurt my 'enemy'?" That "enemy" can never be hurt more than we are hurting ourselves with our continual fury. If you don't control it, it can go on for years... we all know (or have heard of) people like that and it's sad.

The Unclouded Day - one of my father's favorite hymns. I put out of my head the fact that Don doesn't really believe it and let myself be cheered by the lyrics that there is a Heaven where I will meet my friends and family who have passed away.

Freypower

08-13-2009, 06:57 PM

Soda, you do these reviews so well that again I am not sure if I can add anything.

I will just add a couple of random thoughts.

In Nobody's Business I have always suspected that 'revenge is sweet though it be once removed' is directed at Glenn. I would like to hope not but there it is. As for the 'emperor' line I have never understood it and even though you say it refers to the fairytale I still have trouble with it.

This is the only solo album where Don played drums (ICSS, You Better Hang Up, Them & Us, Lilah). I particularly like his playing in ICSS and Lilah. I know that he will never do this again and I am grateful for it.

Re You Better Hang Up, it sounds unfinished to me. I think another verse would have been helpful. Lyrically it is somewhat similar to Dylan's Motorpyscho Nitemare.

Not even Warren Zevon's backing vocals can save Them & Us, the first of many such songs that Don would write. Most of them are superior to this.

I take your point about La Eile being 'jarring' coming between Them & Us and Lilah. Lilah is a magnificent song, although the (presumably) name 'Lilah' itself seems strange to me.

Talking To The Moon is in the top five solo songs. I love it, but I find it hard to write about. Ditto with Dirty Laundry, which remains as timely as ever.

I love the direct and sincere way he sings The Unclouded Day, especially the first 'oh the land of the uncloudy sky'.

I'm sorry I couldn't be more comprehensive here.

sodascouts

08-13-2009, 07:48 PM

Hey, you can contribute without writing exhaustive opinions that no one really gets all the way through! lol

In Nobody's Business I have always suspected that 'revenge is sweet though it be once removed' is directed at Glenn. I would like to hope not but there it is.

You've mentioned this before but why would this be about Glenn when Glenn really didn't have any reason to "get revenge" on Don, and how could it be "once removed"? I'm not saying it's impossible that the lyric refers to Glenn but I don't really see a connection between Glenn and the lyric.

As for the 'emperor' line I have never understood it and even though you say it refers to the fairytale I still have trouble with it.You know, I've never really analyzed the meaning of the insertion of this line in the song. I'll give it some thought and see what I come up with.

Lilah is a magnificent song, although the (presumably) name 'Lilah' itself seems strange to me. Oh, is that not a common name in Australia? It is in the States, though not as much as it used to be. Indeed, the fact that it's an old-fashioned name is part of the reason it was chosen, I believe.

Thanks for your comments Freypower! They definitely gave me food for thought.

Freypower

08-13-2009, 08:13 PM

I have always felt that Don thought Glenn would have been happy when the 'incident' occurred, hence the feeling of 'revenge' or at least thinking 'good, he's had his just desserts' - a bad situation occurred for Don but Glenn was not directly responsible and was therefore 'once removed'. I agree that it is probably reading too much into it. But then the lines 'I hope you feel better/I don't know what you proved' seems to be saying in an oblique way 'Glenn, you hurt me by breaking up our friendship and the band. Now this has happened to me. Feel better now'? It is extremely bitter but I can totally understand Don feeling this way, if I'm right.

sodascouts

08-13-2009, 10:39 PM

And some gems from DHO (http://www.donhenleyonline.com):

Talking to the Moon (Saratoga 1985)
http://www.donhenleyonline.com/multimedia/MP3/TTTMSaratoga85.mp3

Lilah (Saratoga 1985)
http://www.donhenleyonline.com/multimedia/MP3/LilahSaratoga85.mp3

Johnny Can't Read (Saratoga 1985)
http://www.donhenleyonline.com/multimedia/MP3/JohnnyCantReadSaratoga85.mp3

Them and Us (New York City 1985)
http://www.donhenleyonline.com/multimedia/MP3/ThemandUsNYC85.mp3

You Better Hang Up (New York City 1985)
http://www.donhenleyonline.com/multimedia/MP3/YBHUNYC85.mp3

Dirty Laundry (Foxboro 1993)
http://www.donhenleyonline.com/multimedia/MP3/DirtyLaundryFoxboro93.mp3

And click on this link for the page on Johnny Can't Read, including the video download:

Johnny Can't Read video page (http://www.donhenleyonline.com/solo/video/johnnycantread.htm)

Maleah

08-13-2009, 10:58 PM

Oh, is that not a common name in Australia? It is in the States, though not as much as it used to be. Indeed, the fact that it's an old-fashioned name is part of the reason it was chosen, I believe.

Yep, it's pretty common....although not as popular as it used to be....herre. In fact, it was my Mom's name! Although hers was spelled "Lila"

sodascouts

08-14-2009, 12:21 AM

OK, my analysis of the Emperor's segment. I C&Ped all the lyrics for context and highlighted the part in question.

I went out in the darkness
Just searching for someplace to be
Wasn't looking for trouble
I guess it was looking for me
And I knew I was wasting my time
But it was nobody's business
Nobody's business but mine

I was taking some comfort
I needed a break from the rain
I guess I was mistaken
And someone remembered my name
But I knew I was doin' just fine
And it was nobody's business
Nobody's business but mine

Well I guess for some
Revenge is sweet
Though it be once removed
I hope you feel better
I don't know what you proved

Well, yonder comes the Emperor, boys
He sure looks fine in blue
I hope you feel better, babe
I know you're scared too

Well it sure makes you wonder
The things that some people will say
They can see black and white but they
Don't seem to notice the gray

What a price for a victimless crime
When it was nobody's business
Nobody's business but mine

-----------------------------------------

I think the song is overall criticizing judgmental people, drama hounds, and those who love to hear about salacious scandals. It's similar thematically to Dirty Laundry in some ways but while Dirty Laundry is about the journalists who stir up drama, this song is about the people who eat that drama up. The reason the journalists go for sensationalism is because so many people enjoy it - it sells. Those people are Don's target here.

This song also seems more personal than Dirty Laundry. He stands outside of Dirty Laundry to criticize the media; in this song, he is the focus, the one who was wronged. He's been wronged by the segment of society that relishes scandal. He's angry about his loss of privacy, he's angry about how eager people were to think the worst of him, he's angry about the glee of some to see "how the mighty have fallen."

It's the glee many take when they see what they perceive to be an arrogant, dissolute, drug-addicted, drunken, sexually perverted, hedonistic rock star millionaire be brought low. We still see that today... isn't that what drives websites like PerezHilton.com and TMZ.com? They resent his success and they enjoy it when he suffers.

The revenge line is problematic in this context, but here goes: Perhaps it is that judgmental society that he feels is taking "revenge" on him - revenge in the sense that they took what they perceived to be his unrepentant attitude about his excesses and his shameless debauchery as an affront to society. They thought he deserved to have the arrogance kicked out of him. His "wrong" against them was his disregard for morality which disdained their moral code, and the vindication they felt when he fell was a form of revenge (once removed because they did not directly harm him, but took pleasure in it). They felt better because it made them feel superior, but what did they really prove?

Which takes us to the lines referencing "The Emperor's New Clothes." For those unfamilar with the fairy tale, here's how it goes:
There's an Emperor who cares more about his own self-aggrandizement than he does about his kingdom. He wants to be superior in everything; the most powerful, the most intelligent, the most well-clothed. It is the latter that drives the story.

Two con men tell the Emperor they can make for him some clothes out of the finest material in existence. "This material is special," they say. "Only those who are noble and high-minded can see it. The ignorant, the unworthy - the material is invisible to them." They 'show' it to him. You can see where this is going... the Emperor pretends to see the clothes because he doesn't want people to think that he's ignorant and unworthy. Everyone follows his lead; everyone is afraid they will be thought lesser if they admit they can't see the clothes.

The emperor decides to have a processional through town to show off his new "clothes." He marches through the middle of the town buck naked, and everyone just keeps saying how wonderful his clothes are... until some kid hollers "The emperor has no clothes!" The illusion is blown. Although the Emperor keeps pretending, everyone else realizes the truth.
In my opinion, the main theme of this fairy tale is the dangers of conformity. It's about how many people will go along with popular opinion, even if it goes against their own judgment, rather than appear to be lesser than those who hold that popular opinion. "The fashionistas in New York say all the elegant women wear brown sacks. They call it 'edgy' and 'postmodern' and say that those who can't appreciate such concepts are unsophisticated and small-minded. THAT's not me! I'm going to go pay $6000 for a designer brown sack today!"

So, what does this have to do with its placement in "Nobody's Business"?

Good question! Here's one idea. The lines are followed by "I hope you feel better babe, I know you're scared, too." Perhaps he's noting how so many people went along with the idea that he did something awful even if the facts show he didn't, just because they were afraid to appear to be condoning someone who was perceived to be depraved. The "high-minded" people thought he deserved what he got, and so everyone went along with it and believed the worst.

This is all speculation and honestly I could be WAY off base. It's just what I came up with.

Koala

08-14-2009, 02:18 AM

As always excellent comments on each song!
I like the album very much! My favorite songs of this album are I Can not Stand Still - Long Way Home - Talking To The Moon - Lilah - Dirty Laundry!

TimothyBFan

08-14-2009, 08:31 AM

I can't possibly contribute anything here that you guys haven't already said about it. But I do want to go on record as saying I LOVE THIS ALBUM!!! It's my second favorite of Don's and I in fact had played it the other night when Larry and I were out listening to vinyl. Yes, I even like Johnny Can't Read! :hilarious:

BTW--I want to say how well of a job I think you do for these birthdays and anniversaries Soda! Amazing work!!! I, for one, really really appreciate it and probably should tell you that more often!! Thank you!!!

sodascouts

08-14-2009, 11:26 AM

Thanks for the compliments!

I wish I had time to do these kind of reviews for all the albums, but I do them when I get a chance. I figure the ones I don't get around to this time I can analyze on their next birthday!

DonFan

08-16-2009, 10:00 PM

I love this album too. Talking to the Moon is one of my absolute favorite Don songs--turns me to mush every time! I actually met and talked to Don under the "hot September sun down in Texas," so that song has a special meaning for me.

One random question--what do you think is behind the cover shot of him playing with matches?

AmarilloByMorning

08-19-2009, 12:15 PM

Well, yonder comes the Emperor, boys
He sure looks fine in blue

Not to be political here, but since Mr. Democrat always is... why's the emperor wearing blue? Shouldn't he be in red? Don't try and tell me it rhymed nicely; the man's a master lyricist.

On a divergent topic... what's with the cover image? Playing with fire? Can it really be that simple? He doesn't seem the straightforward type.

sodascouts

08-19-2009, 12:52 PM

Since DF asked that question about the cover, I've been trying to figure it out. He's in the set that you can see at the end of Johnny Can't Read where he's grading papers. You only get to see it for about 20 seconds. But before I get into my thoughts on that, thought I would share some trivia...

Regarding red v. blue: I remember reading that the red state / blue state phenomenon only started during the presidential election of 2000. Before then, networks chose whatever colors they liked to represent the two parties on the election map. Most of them did go with red and blue but they assigned them to different parties (way to confuse America, lol). [Here is where I go to Wikipedia to make sure I'm remembering correctly.] Back in 1980, NBC used blue to denote the states Reagan took. Because the states Reagan took were in blue, "NBC newsman David Brinkley famously referred to the 1980 election map showing Ronald Reagan's 44-state landslide as resembling a 'suburban swimming pool.'" I think it's certainly a possibility that Don was thinking of that quote when he referred to the "Emperor in blue" - if it was indeed referring to Reagan.

sodascouts

08-19-2009, 01:02 PM

OK, so as I said, the set for the cover is the same as the set for the last scene of Johnny Can't Read. I wish I had a better screen shot but this tight close-up on the paper he's grading is the only one I got:

http://www.donhenleyonline.com/images/jcr10.jpg

Of course you can download the video to see it if you so choose - the shot starts at 3:16.
Download video as .mpg (20 megs) (http://www.donhenleyonline.com/multimedia/videos/johnnycantread.mpg)
Download video as .wmv (9 megs) (http://www.donhenleyonline.com/multimedia/videos/johnnycantread.wmv)

And for those who don't have the CD, here's a blowup of the cover:

http://www.donhenleyonline.com/images/icsscover.jpg

Still thinking about what it means!

AmarilloByMorning

08-19-2009, 02:51 PM

Regarding red v. blue: I remember reading that the red state / blue state phenomenon only started during the presidential elections of 2000.
Ahhhh.... you have much knowledge. :) I knew Mr. Left Wing wouldn't let me down! "Suburban swimming pool..." That's brilliant. If we'd had blogs back when I was a democrat I would have avatar'ed the heck out of that quote.

His facial expression on the cover is absolutely incomparable. If he ever regarded me in such a manner, I would melt into a little pile of Ruffian goo. Someone would have to scoop me off the floor with a spatula.

By my best (squinting) guestimate there are twenty matches laying on the counter and he's grasping the twenty-first. Some significance to the number? There weren't twenty Eagles singles, were there?

sodascouts

08-19-2009, 03:23 PM

If you try hard enough, you can attribute great significance to any number! I remember once arguing in a paper that because John Donne used the word "think" 33 times within a verse that was 100 lines long, he was attempting to tie salvation to the concept of a "New Jerusalem" (Jesus lived 33 years and Isaac was born to Abraham when he was 100, and Isaac is the father of Israel...hence Jerusalem blahblahblah). And honestly I think it could very well be true - the man was obsessed with numbers!

But... another argument would be... I was overthinking it.

Could be possible to do that here, too! But it is fun. ;) But I only see 19 matches... wouldn't be good to devise all sorts of meanings to the wrong number!

sodascouts

08-19-2009, 03:44 PM

We should also note that this version is in the liner notes of my CD - I don't know where the placement is on the LP:

http://www.donhenleyonline.com/images/DHenleyICSS02.jpg

Freypower

08-19-2009, 07:32 PM

Can I just comment on the 'red' and 'blue' business. Traditionally red has been the colour of the left and blue, particularly in Britain, is the Conservative colour (Margaret Thatcher always used to wear blue). I am fascinated by the fact that now in the US the colours are the opposite.

I always naively thought that the emperor in blue could have been just a reference to the police who arrested Henley. It's unlikely though. I don't know what colour uniforms the police wear in California.

sodascouts

08-19-2009, 08:38 PM

The police are traditionally the "boys in blue." Even in places where they wear different colors to work by day, the dress uniforms are always blue - at least in my experience.

TimothyBFan

08-20-2009, 06:35 AM

We should also note that this version is in the liner notes of my CD - I don't know where the placement is on the LP:

http://www.donhenleyonline.com/images/DHenleyICSS02.jpg

I just pulled out my original LP---this shot is on the back cover and the shot earlier in the thread, where he's looking at the match, is on the front cover.

While we are analyzing--did anyone notice the different times on the clocks in both pics? This one is around 12:20 and the other picture around 12:05. Probably just a difference in the time of the shots but then again....:headscratch: Just a thought.

sodascouts

08-20-2009, 11:20 AM

Thanks for the info - and very observant of you, TBF! I totally missed that. I imagine it is just the passing of time during the shoot but you never know. It is kind of funny they would put a working clock on the wall... But if they wanted to deliberately indicate the passage of time between the two photos... hmm! Interesting!

So, when we're trying to figure it out, some more observations (admittedly most of these are pretty obvious but I'm trying to collect 'em):

The bare, bleakness of the kitchen.

The stove seems a bit odd to me - maybe it's just because it's older but it doesn't make sense to me to put a burner over nothing but a drawer.

It also seems odd to put a toaster on the kitchen table.

Everything's black, white, and gray except for the clock, which is red (this lends credence to the idea that the different times are deliberate since your eyes are drawn to the clock - although I didn't notice it! lol). Even Don's pants, which are light brown, look a bit off-white. His clothing certainly doesn't stand out. Same for the matches. Gray tones vary from the paint on the wall to the steel toaster, table, and chair.

The box of matches looks like it could easily be knocked off - part of it's hanging off of the table.

Don's sleeves are rolled up.

The line of matches we've already mentioned... they indicate that he's just spending time watching the matches burn down, placing the burnt ones in a row, then getting another one out of the box to watch it burn down... doing it again and again... it's the most obvious oddity of the photo.

I think he looks hypnotized by the flame in the first photo, and caught by surprise in the second. (Subjective, I know).

The black, white, and gray tones surrounding him kind of makes it look like he and the clock are the only color elements in an forties/fifties-era black-and-white photograph. (Another subjective thought),

Any other observations? Even obvious ones?

Freypower

08-20-2009, 07:02 PM

He mentions a toaster in Long Way Home! Does that count? :hilarious:

He seems to be trying to evoke the era of the 50s in some way which I can't work out. He grew up in the 50s, after all.

AmarilloByMorning

08-21-2009, 03:48 PM

But... another argument would be... I was overthinking it.
Certainly not! That never occurs in academia - no such beast!

I always naively thought that the emperor in blue could have been just a reference to the police who arrested Henley. It's unlikely though. I don't know what colour uniforms the police wear in California. Actually that's not naive at all! That's the interpretation I employ as well.

Random Observations:
- The scene does seem particularly evocative of the '50s.
- Perhaps a desire to eliminate his past... what better method than fire?
- Or a symbolic desire to remove the staid societal practices embodied by that period in history?
- He could be a "grown-up" version of a kid who had been home-schooled in that kind of setting... and never learned to read, so he turned to crime to occupy himself. Arson, anyone?
- Not to harp upon the obvious; but, uh, he's not standing.
- He seems to be wearing something a private school would consider a uniform. (Pointedly not mentioning the top button being unfastened.)
- Sitting markedly crooked in the chair - good intentions gone awry?
- Dinky little kitchen clock with obvious wire, clearly meant to convey low-rent or lack of concern for appearances.
- Continual variations on white. Shades of innocence? While the path he's following (the floor) is equally divided between innocence (white) and contamination/indulgence (black)?
- Perhaps it's not a kitchen; it does have a diner floor, and it seems to be a table one would employ in such an establishment. Turning the store into a home? Bringing the store home? Bringing the business home? Turning the focus of his business toward domestic concerns? Writing about his home life as opposed to the "parade of ______" or however Felder phrased it?

Watch, we'll go thru all this and in an interview he'll be like, "Well, I just wandered onto a set and it seemed swell; they already had a camera set up..."

I keep looking at the toaster and picturing the fantastic Eddie Izzard skit about toasters. Plus the look on Henley's face in the second one soda posted keeps distracting me. Rough sequence of events: 1) brilliant inspiration; 2) casual glance at the image to accentuate the concept; 3) complete dissolution of former coherency; 4) sudden urge to peruse Henely photos for hours on end....

Ive always been a dreamer

08-22-2009, 03:04 PM

Well, I wasn't around during the celebration of the anniversary of I Can't Stand Still. I love this album - it is my second favorite of all of Don's solo work. This is another one where I don't think there are any really bad tracks. I want to comment on each of the songs, but I haven't had time yet.

However, as far as the cover art, of course, this is all subjective and I enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts. I guess I take a more simplistic approach to its meaning. I always just interpreted it as Don "playing with fire" i.e. the stove, toaster, and matches. I think of the time change on the clock as "time, time ticking" - maybe even as in a ticking time bomb. The 50's small town setting is very traditional and probably very similar to Don's childhood surroundings. I figure he used the contrast to help portray his rebellious side. The reflection of the male image in the toaster is maybe the "man", the "establishment". or even the media keeping an eye on things.

AmarilloByMorning

08-23-2009, 09:09 PM

Anyone else watch Mad Men? Every time they show the Draper's kitchen it conjures images of the album cover for some reason. It's set in the '60s, but has the same vibe.

sodascouts

08-23-2009, 10:06 PM

I haven't seen that but I've heard of it.

I'm still trying to figure out what the cover means! :hilarious:

Ive always been a dreamer

08-24-2009, 08:41 PM

As I said earlier, ICSS is also my 2nd favorite of Don’s solo albums. Even though I think the album is slightly uneven, it is not nearly as much as BTPB or Inside Job, IMO. None of the tracks are really bad. The lyrics and vocals in many of the songs are among Don’s best work. This is actually one of those albums that I like more every time I listen to it. As I have done with many of the other solo albums, I will rate these in the order that I like the songs. So here goes …

I absolutely love this song

Dirty Laundry – This song is even more relevant today than it was when Don wrote it – he must have had a crystal ball. I still love the song and never tire of it. It doesn’t hurt that it absolutely ROCKS live. Personally, I hope the Eagles never drop the song from their set list.

Lilah – All the ballads on this album are gorgeous. However, this is my favorite. One of my all time favorite lines that I use often is “the world got in my way” – I can soooo relate to this. I also totally agree with Soda about the other lyrics that she mentions, especially the “… shaking our fists, creating enemies that really don’t exist” lines. All of us know people who do this and Soda’s comments are dead on, IMO. To sum it up in a nutshell, the imagery that Don creates with the lyrics and music in this song are nothing short of amazing.

Long Way Home – The use of the extremely slow tempo in this song is so effective and appropriate. This song also has one of my favorite lines – “There's three sides to every story - there's yours and there's mine and the cold, hard truth”. So very true! It’s just a constant reminder to me how everyone perceives their own version of the truth. Again, such wonderful use of music and lyrics to convey a message.

Talking To The Moon – I think this song is magnificent as well, although unlike many of you, it is my least favorite of the 3 ballads by a smidgeon. Soda pretty much summed up my thoughts about it.

Nobody's Business – Another all-around great song that rocks. I would love to hear this live, but that probably ain’t ever gonna happen. Regarding the line about “revenge is sweet though it be once removed” I interpret as when someone may not directly be responsible for plotting the revenge, but they take pleasure from a distance when something bad happens to the other person. I guess the line could have been directed at Glenn, but I don’t ever recall Don implying that, therefore, I hesitate to draw that conclusion. My guess is that there are quite a few people the line could have been directed at. As far as the Emperor, I also always figured that Don was referring to the police here.

Them And Us – Now, here’s where I part company with many of you because I think this is an awesome song. I think the lyrics are extremely clever here – especially when Johnny makes an appearance. :wink: I also love the ending lines – “It's all over, nothing left to save. Tell me...What was the question anyway?” Even though the message is uncomfortable, the music and melody make the song very easy to listen to for me.

I like this song a whole lot

You Better Hang Up - I like this song, but not as much as some of the others. The chorus is too repetitious and while the lyrics are interesting, there is nothing unique about them. I really like the music though.

La Eile - Very lovely music that leads into Lilah. It's almost as if the two songs are one. Obviously, I disagree with Soda's assessment with regard to the song being a buffer between Them and Us and Lilah.

I like this song

The Unclouded Day - This songs lyrics are, obviously, very uplifting and Don sings the song beautifully. However, I always found the melody and music to be a bit bland and repetitious for my taste. I thought it was an interesting choice of songs for Don to include on his first solo effort. I don't recall Don ever claiming that he does not believe in a higher power, but rather just expressing disillusion about some of our traditional religious practices.

I Can't Stand Still - Although I do think this album is aptly named, it's too bad that the title track isn't a little more interesting. Again, it's not a bad song, but it isn't any better than average, IMO.

Johnny Can't Read - Again, even though this is my least favorite track on the album, it isn't really a bad song. The lyrics are pretty harsh, but Don attempts to temper them with humor and sarcasm. I don't think it works very effectively though. I think this is one of those Henley songs that comes across as 'trying too hard'. Contrast this with The End of the Innocence whose lyrics are equally as scathing. However, Don uses beautiful melodic music that softens the message for the listener instead of it sounding like a rant.

AmarilloByMorning

08-25-2009, 12:40 PM

:robinhood:
Ohhh, man! Soda and dreamer, I enjoyed reading your play-by-plays so much I might have to actually purchase the entire album and post my own. Kind of a reverse Robin Hood effect - inspiring the poor to give to the rich by way of royalties. You might consider attempting to negotiate a broker's commission? ;)

Soda- re: "The Unclouded Day" Don's an atheist then? (Sigh.) Has he actually confirmed that or are we extrapolating? I don't read a lot of interviews because they taint the music for me. I'm sure you'll know offhand. :)

So can the green Robin Hood smiley become my avatar? (Kidding.) I'm really loving him, though. Maybe I can photoshop Glenn into a green outfit and work some animation magic. I don't have plans this Saturday night...

sodascouts

08-25-2009, 01:29 PM

I didn't call Henley an atheist. The atheist believes there is no higher power, period. I think he has said he sees God in nature or something like that fairly recently, so unless he has changed his views, he is not an atheist. I'm afraid I cannot cite the quote where he states that he sees God in nature, but he has stated it more than once, so it probably could be found with little effort by someone who was interested.

But the song is not vaguely religious. It's Christian. (See story of the song (http://www.huntington.edu/ubhc/biographical/alwoodjk.htm))

I think it is safe to say that when this song was recorded in 1982, he was not a Christian. Can I give you a direct quote from a 1982 interview that states that? No. If I am mistaken, I apologize.... but I think few would argue he was.

I do remember that in 1979, in the Rolling Stone interview (http://www.donhenleyonline.com/articles/RS79.pdf), you can find Don's beliefs at that time period vaguely stated in there. I don't have time to look up the particular page, but I remember he said something about it in that article.

You can also do a search using the DHO search engine (http://search.freefind.com/find.html?id=67308943) for words like "God", "religion", etc. I don't know what you'll find there - maybe nothing of consequence - but if you really want to know, it's worth a shot.

I wish I could claim the encyclopedic knowledge that you have attributed to me, but sometimes, all you remember is that you read something somewhere. To find the specific citation, you gotta look it up... myself included.

If anything I've said is inaccurate or a misrepresentation, I am happy to be corrected by someone who knows better.

AmarilloByMorning

08-25-2009, 02:39 PM

I didn't call Henley an atheist. The atheist believes there is no higher power, period. I think he has said he sees God in nature or something like that fairly recently, so unless he has changed his views, he is not an atheist.
Ahh, got it. I apologize if I inadvertently adopted a contentious tone; such was not my intent. He should set the Emily Dickinson poem "Some Keep the Sabbath" to music - "Instead of getting to Heaven, at last / I'm going, all along." That'd be fabulous. I'll read all the links you were courteous enough to provide.

You can also do a search using the DHO search engine (http://search.freefind.com/find.html?id=67308943) Ohhhhh.... danger is imminent.... I did not know that existed. Heee-he! Horses! Cowboys! The keywords of my life, in they go!

I'm listening to the looping sample of ICSS on amazon and he sings so dang high. I realize he's a countertenor and whatnot but sometimes I cringe on his behalf. I really ought to work at some point here but it's much more enjoyable to debate things, and so difficult to muster motivation when you're fatigued. Thanks all for keeping me company, in cyberspace.

Troubadour

08-25-2009, 06:39 PM

Just adding a little to the 'atheist' discussion... From what I can remember, Don has never said he doesn't believe in God - he just remains cynical. I think that is more to do with organised religion and the faults he sees in it. I have heard him state that he lost a lot of faith in a higher being when his father died. The traditional church upbringing didn't satisfy him anymore - it didn't answer his questions. The impression I get is that, perhaps like many of us, he would like to believe in God, but is, or has been, disillusioned with the whole idea of religion. There is an interview that took place in Caddo Lake, in the early '90s, during which Don is asked whether he believes that his father can see him now (or words to that effect.) Don thinks about it and says, "On a good day." He's not entirely dismissive of the idea of a higher power, I don't think, but neither is he a firm believer.

I would also recommend watching this video. If not for Don's mentions of 'divinity in nature', then for his husky voice, his weathered hat and his delicious stubble. Off to dreamland again...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A164rFlmNF0

Freypower

08-25-2009, 07:33 PM

I'm listening to the looping sample of ICSS on amazon and he sings so dang high. I realize he's a countertenor and whatnot but sometimes I cringe on his behalf. I really ought to work at some point here but it's much more enjoyable to debate things, and so difficult to muster motivation when you're fatigued. Thanks all for keeping me company, in cyberspace.

Countertenor? I thought that was the name given to the 'castrati' singers of the 18th century. If any member of the Eagles comes anywhere near that, it's Schmit, but I don't think he does.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countertenor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countertenor#The_countertenor_voice

This specifically states that the term countertenor is only used in classical music. Henley is a standard tenor, like Frey.

Ive always been a dreamer

08-25-2009, 09:59 PM

Troub - I totally agree with your comments about Don and his religious beliefs. Based on everything I've read, my interpretation is that it's not that Don doesn't believe in God or Christianity - he is just a disillusioned Christian. Like many of us, his faith has been tested at times, and he questions what he perceives as hypocrisy in organized religion. However, I don't remember ever reading that he totally disavowed God or Christianity. Now I am basing my comments on just how I interpreted what I have read. Like Soda, if I missed something, anyone please feel to correct me.

TimothyBFan

08-28-2009, 11:19 AM

Thanks for this whole religion discussion in this thread. I didn't know those things about Don. Seems Don and I have something in common afterall.

thelongrun

08-28-2009, 03:45 PM

May be I am so into the oldtimesalwaysbettertimes spirit, I don't know maybe I can help it but... As No Fun Aloud seems to me the best Glenn's work (special mention for Strange Weather), ICSS is for me the best Don's piece.

sodascouts

08-28-2009, 03:59 PM

You know, thelongrun, I can see what you're saying. It holds second place for me, but it's a strong album.

OK, well, I've decided to go basic with my interp of the cover.

This album cover represents Don's emergence from the past and coming into his own. The Eagles are the past - yes, the 70s and not the 50s, but the use of the 50s retro in black and white makes the point more effectively than using images that would recall a few years prior. The fact that the kitchen is so cheap and undecorated represents the creative limitations he suffered as an Eagle.

The only things that are color: Don and the clock. Don's color represents that he is no longer trapped in the past and limited by it. The clock that is also in color symbolizes that fact that it's indeed time for him to assert himself as a solo artist.

The center of the photo, and what always catches everyone's eye, is the flaming match. Fire = danger; he's taking a risk. The way he's staring at it as if hypnotized by it intrigues me. Perhaps the urge to take the risk has seized control of him and he has no other choice but to answer the call and step out. No longer can he resist it as he has done in the past (blow out the match and put it aside). Again, it is time.

The "Johnny Can't Read" aspect may be because that song explicitly mentions the Eagles at the end... "there's a new kid in town"... so it also is that theme of kicking the past to the back.

I also haven't dealt with a lot of the additional symbols one can derive from the cover, but I think I'll stop here because I believe that's the gist. ;)

Ive always been a dreamer

08-13-2010, 09:36 AM

HAPPY BIRTHDAY "I CAN'T STAND STILL"!!!

Today Don's first solo album turns 28 years old. Wow! I still love this album and it remains my second favorite of Don's solo material. I was going back through this thread, and that is quite an interesting discussion that we had about the album last year. :thumbsup:

tequila girl

08-13-2010, 10:01 AM

Happy Anniversary to "I can't stand still" :thumbsup::thumbsup:

I'm afraid i'm not as eloquent as you lot, but i've enjoyed reading back from the beginning of this thread and have duly noted all of your very interesting theories

My favs are, in no particular order

Long Way home
Nobody's business
Talking to the moon
Lilah
The unclouded day

Troubadour

08-13-2010, 02:47 PM

Happy Birthday I Can't Stand Still!

The beginning of a great collaboration between Don & Kootch. :heart:

Long Way Home, Talking To The Moon and Lilah are stunning ballads. These three songs in particular contain some beautiful lyrics. My favourites being:

We spend so much time weeping and wailing and shaking our fists,
Creating enemies that really don't exist - Lilah

All these comings and goings that cut like a knife,
These small simple pleasures that make up a life - Lilah

Oh Lilah, this ground we hallow is ours to tend but not to keep - Lilah

When the hot September sun down in Texas has sucked the streams bone and turned the roads to dust - Talking To The Moon (aah, the imagery)

There's three sides to every story;
There's yours and there's mine and the cold, hard truth - Long Way Home

I fall asleep with colours flying over sand and foam - Long Way Home

You've also got to love the album that brought us Dirty Laundry!

You don't really need to find out what's going on,
You don't really want to know just how far it's gone...

http://www.donhenleyonline.com/images/DHenleyKootch.jpg

http://www.donhenleyonline.com/images/DHenleyJapan04.jpg

Glennsallnighter

08-13-2010, 07:15 PM

I'm not as familiar with all the songs on this album as the hardcore Don Fans, so I wouldn't be able to do any kind of appraisal. But Lou, those lyrics that you have posted are gorgeous, and I love the pics of Don and Danny! The first one is extremely cute!

sodascouts

08-13-2010, 09:15 PM

As I said last year, I love this album, especially the ballads. I agree that te lyrics Troub posted are great!

However, I have wondered about the "I fall asleep with colours flying over sand and foam" line though from "Long Way Home (http://www.donhenleyonline.com/solo/icss/longwayhome.htm)" - it seems out of place, although the image is poetic. Does it function like the "go on sleeping" line of "Best of My Love", signifying the gap between the dream and the reality?

Koala

08-14-2010, 02:19 AM

I love this album!:thumbsup:
I really like all songs, however, the ballads are my favorites! Troub, love the lyrics that you have posted!

Ive always been a dreamer

08-14-2010, 11:36 AM

Troub, as you know, those lyrics that you posted are also some of my very favorites. But you left out one of my most frequently used lines - from 'Lilah" ... "ere I could begin, you know the world got in my way". I can relate to that one a lot more often than I like. :wink:

However, I have wondered about the "I fall asleep with colours flying over sand and foam" line though from "Long Way Home (http://www.donhenleyonline.com/solo/icss/longwayhome.htm)" - it seems out of place, although the image is poetic. Does it function like the "go on sleeping" line of "Best of My Love", signifying the gap between the dream and the reality?

Soda, my interpretation of the line in Long Way Home is the same as yours. Of course, unlike the line in BOML, the imagery in this line is of a beach to me. In the song, I think of "home" as a metaphor for happier times. Maybe when Don's dreams about the beach, he's also longing to return to happier times.

"This house don't work and this dream don't work no more
And lover, neither do you and I
I fall asleep with colors flying
Over sand and foam
But it's a long way back home"

Freypower

08-15-2010, 07:43 PM

Soda! You spelt 'colours' the English way! :hilarious:

I think it's a peculiar line. It sounds like he is on a yacht. As with the Fourth of July lines in Month of Sundays it doesn't seem to fit the rest of the song.

While I like the album a lot I agree that the ballads are the best tracks with the exception of Dirty Laundry.

aivliss

02-01-2011, 12:34 PM

I love this album, all of it.
I can't say how many times I played it back in the early eighties... but the result is that nowadays I can still remember all the lyrics although I haven't listened to it for so many years now...

sodascouts

08-13-2011, 01:06 AM

Happy birthday I Can't Stand Still! It was released on this day in 1982.

Going back and reading this thread is fun - we had some good discussion going on!

Like we've been doing for other albums, I'm going to rate the songs from my fave to my least fave:

1. Talking to the Moon
2. Lilah
3. Dirty Laundry
4. Long Way Home
5. The Unclouded Day
6. You Better Hang Up
7. Nobody's Business
8. I Can't Stand Still
9. La Eile
10. Johnny Can't Read
11. Them and Us

The last two are the only ones I really don't like. I can't believe they chose the lackluster "Johnny Can't Read" as Don's lead single and didn't even make a video for the hit "Dirty Laundry"!

WalshFan88

08-13-2011, 01:16 AM

Happy Birthday "I Can't Stand Still"!

I go back and forth between Dirty Laundry and The Boys Of Summer for my favorite Henley solo song but Dirty Laundry is probably my favorite Henley solo song. I love the lyrics, the guitar solos, everything. Although my favorite Henley album is probably Building The Perfect Beast, my fav Dirty Laundry was not on that album.

whitcap

08-13-2011, 04:16 AM

Happy Birthday I Can't Stand Still!

Here's my list:

1. Lilah
2. The Unclouded Day
3. Dirty Laundry
4. You Better Hang Up
5. Talking to the Moon
6. Nobody’s Business
7. Long Way Home
8. La Eile
9. Them and Us
10. Johnny Can’t Read
11. I Can’t Stand Still

Ive always been a dreamer

08-13-2011, 11:04 AM

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO I CAN'T STAND STILL!!!

Okay, I'm a little late to the party here, but I'll compile the results of our lists here after a week the same way we've been doing for the other albums recently.

So, here's my list ...

1 Dirty Laundry
2. Lilah
3. Long Way Home
4. Talking To the Moon
5. Nobody’s Business
6. Them and Us
7. You Better Hang Up
8. La Eile
9. The Unclouded Day
10. I Can’t Stand Still
11. Johnny Can’t Read

Henleyfan

08-13-2011, 12:07 PM

Like everyone else I love this album. But then again I love all of Don's albums :-)

My favorite songs on this album are:

Dirty Laundry
Talking to the Moon
Lilah

It really depends on my mood on which one is my favorite on a particular day. I love them all!

sodascouts

08-13-2011, 08:46 PM

My favorite songs on this album are:

Dirty Laundry
Talking to the Moon
Lilah

Those are my top three too, Henleyfan!

Freypower

08-14-2011, 12:23 AM

1. Talking To The Moon
2. Dirty Laundry
3. Lilah
4. Nobody's Business
5. I Can't Stand Still
6. Long Way Home
7. The Unclouded Day
8. Johnny Can't Read
9. You Better Hang Up
10. La Eile
11. Them & Us

Koala

08-14-2011, 02:40 AM

1. Dirty Laundry
2. Lilah
3. Talking To the Moon
4. Long Way Home
5. Nobody’s Business
6. I Can’t Stand Still
7. Johnny Can’t Read
8. You Better Hang Up
9. The Unclouded Day
10. La Eile
11. Them and Us

Windeagle

08-14-2011, 04:56 PM

I'm doing this from ancient memory because I haven't played this album since my turntable was packed away in 1994. I have not yet replaced it on CD (ran out of cash after the first round of CD acquisitions!).

Anyway, here's what I recall from reading lyrics on liner notes:

1. Talking to the Moon
2. Lilah
3. La Eile (which I always considered part of Lilah)
4. Dirty Laundry
5. Them and Us
6. The Unclouded Day
7. I Can't Stand Still
8. You Better Hang Up
9. Nobody's Business
10. Johnny Can't Read
11. Long Way Home (just because it's the only one that I can't remember how it goes even after looking at the lyrics)

Everything from about 8 down is pretty interchangeable. For me, Them and Us was saved by a rockin' guitar line and The Unclouded Day benefited from being great to sing along with at top volume in the car.

I wish I could do the Soul Searchin' poll over in the Frey thread, but that's one that I never owned and haven't found on CD yet.

Ive always been a dreamer

08-16-2011, 10:24 PM

I'll go ahead and give everyone an update of the current standings - Lilah is in first place now with Dirty Laundry being just 2 points behind in second place. Talking to the Moon is 1 point behind in third place, and Long Way Home is in fourth place.

Speaking of Long Way Home ... Awww - what a shame about it being a victim of Windeagle's bad memory. It's a gorgeous song - in fact one of my favorite Don solo songs. Windeagle, you should definitely try to give the song a listen. These polls for the solo albums sounds like a good reason to start familiarizing yourself with some Eagles solo material. :thumbsup:

sodascouts

08-16-2011, 10:54 PM

Lilah over Dirty Laundry and Talking to the Moon at this point? That's a surprise!

LWH has some great lines in it:

"The heat don't work, the toaster don't work, the car don't work... and I guess I know why. This house don't work and this dream don't work no more... and lover, neither do you and I."

"I fall asleep with colors flying over sand and foam." Nice.

Freypower

08-16-2011, 11:01 PM

And I STILL don't get that line about the sand & foam. I just think 'he's in a boat. Nice for him'.

The end of Long Way Home, all that 'sha la la la' stuff, to me goes on too long. I like most of the song but get bored with that part.

Maybe people like Lilah because it seems more intimate & confessional than Talking To The Moon. I prefer the latter because it is more stark & open musically. As with LWH, I am not crazy about the 'tura lura lura' ending of Lilah.

Windeagle

08-17-2011, 10:22 PM

My first Border homework assignment!

Ok, I found a cover version of LWH on Youtube, so I remember it now. It still was my least favorite ballad on the album, but I can move it from the bottom to #6. Everything else just shifts down by one.

For me, LWH was a little too slow, though the lyrics are indeed pretty. I liked Lilah for its Celtic feel (Carbon Leaf, another Celtic-influenced band, is my other big fandom). As for Talking to the Moon, I love the sheer intensity of Don's vocal on it. He rips your heart out with that one.

Windeagle

08-17-2011, 10:30 PM

As for the "sand and foam" line, I always took that as a memory or a dream of a day at the beach with the girl. I pictured a cloudy, windy day that stirred up the surf and furled the flags out wide in the wind.

sodascouts

08-17-2011, 11:00 PM

It's so interesting how people perceive that line. I always envisioned the "colors flying over sand and foam" to be a vivid sunset reflected in an ocean which is crashing onto the shore. Something kind of like this:

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/glennfreyonline/misc/899d5bfb-0638-4cb4-8e31-ef4c259706a1.jpg

It could function symbolically as the beauty he seeks, but finds only in his dreams.

You know, I always liked the line because I thought "colors flying" was such a creative, expressive way to describe the vivid colors that sweep across the sky at sunset, how those colors can convey a sense of motion as they inevitably plunge into the blackness of night. If he meant a flag, well, it's not quite as creative and romantic as I'd initially thought, but still good. lol

Windeagle

08-17-2011, 11:37 PM

The sunset colors of the sky is an interesting idea too. I'm admittedly influenced by my own experiences, so I never thought of that.

I grew up in a New England seaport town. We don't have ocean sunsets. Instead, for me, romance would be a guy in a sweater, walking on a beach on a chilly, blustery day with waves crashing around and flags on the boardwalk threatening to come loose from their ropes. But that's just me. :)

It's really cool to see how each person's interpretation of a line in a song varies based on their own lives and experiences.

sodascouts

08-17-2011, 11:40 PM

When you put it that way, it indeed sounds very romantic, Windeagle.

EaglesKiwi

08-19-2011, 04:53 AM

My top 3 are Dirty Laundry, Talking To The Moon and Lilah. The rest I haven't heard enough to rank - yet. :)

DL will always be special for the memories of dancing in the aisle at Rod Laver... :hilarious::rockon: (the rest of the audience was SITTING DOWN!!! :confused:)

Judy

08-19-2011, 09:15 AM

DL will always be special for the memories of dancing in the aisle at Rod Laver... :hilarious::rockon: (the rest of the audience was SITTING DOWN!!! :confused:)

That is the one bad thing about being in front. People aren't getting up, so you can't either.

Brooke

08-19-2011, 10:46 AM

1. Dirty Laundry
2. Talking To The Moon
3. Lilah
4. Nobody's Business
5. Long Way Home
6. The Unclouded Day
7. Them and Us
8. I Can't Stand Still
9. You Better Hang Up
10. La Eile
11. Johnny Can't Read ( I absolutely hate this song! lol)

The end of Long Way Home, all that 'sha la la la' stuff, to me goes on too long. I like most of the song but get bored with that part.

As with LWH, I am not crazy about the 'tura lura lura' ending of Lilah.

I'm with you on these parts, Fp.

"The heat don't work, the toaster don't work, the car don't work... and I guess I know why. "

When I first heard this line I was amazed that Don would sing about the toaster! :lol:

Judy

08-20-2011, 02:43 AM

I'm with you guys on all the stuff in the last post, but I don't hate Johnny Can't Read. I still like what the song says, there's a school girl fantasy to the video :blush: and it's Don at his worst acting. He couldn't act his way out of a paper bag, but he could sure as hell sing his way out of one. :thumbsup:

I pretty much agree with Brooke's list, except I have to move my funeral song up to # 4 :angel: & put JCR where that was.

Ive always been a dreamer

08-27-2011, 02:34 PM

Okay - First of all, I have to apologize for the delay in posting the results of our I Can't Stay Still poll. Sorry Don, but I got delayed cause your one of your bandmates played a little gig that I had to go see. :wink: :wink: There were several folks who commented or posted partial lists, but I only counted those who actually posted a full list. As it stands now, we actually have a couple of ties. So - without further delay, here's the standings as they are now ...

1. Dirty Laundry - 69 points
2. Lilah - 69 points
3. Talking To the Moon - 67 points
4. Long Way Home - 44 points
5. Nobody's Business - 44 points
6. The Unclouded Day - 40 points
7. You Better Hang Up - 33 points
8. I Can't Stand Still - 29 points
9. La Eile - 26 points
10. Them and Us - 24 points
11. Johnny Can't Read - 17 points

So congratulations to our top vote-getters so far, Dirty Laundry and Lilah!!!

Thanks to those who participated. As I said earlier, if anyone else wants to still post their list, it's not too late. Go right ahead - I'll update the standings if this happens. Since the results are so close right now, each person's list can definitely change the results.

sodascouts

08-28-2011, 03:36 PM

Wow, I'm really surprised Lilah beat Talking to the Moon!

EaglesKiwi

08-29-2011, 03:53 AM

I listened to the top 3 this morning (admittedly off the Inside Job Live DVD since it was handy), and each of them was my favourite when it was playing... until the next one started... :nahnah:

thelongrun

08-29-2011, 04:51 PM

BEST DON'S ALBUM SO FAR IMO. 8)

sodascouts

08-13-2012, 01:12 AM

Happy 30th birthday to "I Can't Stand Still," Don's first solo album!

WalshFan88

08-13-2012, 03:08 AM

Happy Birthday!

Dirty Laundry is probably my favorite Don solo song.

sodascouts

08-13-2012, 12:46 PM

I love it! Unfortunately, it's out of print and not available on iTunes or a comparable site. You have to buy it from a reseller. That's another thing that mystifies me about Don's war against YouTube. In some cases, like with I Can't Stand Still, he's not getting any royalties regardless (although it's true that "Dirty Laundry" does appear on an in-print CD - his collection).

My favorite Don solo song is on this album (tied with "Heart of the Matter"). Shh, don't tell, but it's on YouTube (for now)! Note: This video is also out of print and only available from resellers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qclL5JMisX0

Oh my gosh, this song is magnificent, and this version is incredible. So moving and powerful.

Troubadour

08-14-2012, 02:39 PM

Yep - this album has some gorgeous ballads, and that is one of the best.

Happy Birthday, I Can't Stand Still!

Ive always been a dreamer

08-14-2012, 11:49 PM

HAPPY 30TH ANNIVERSARY I CAN'T STAND STILL!!!

I love this album too. Although The End of the Innocence is my favorite of Don's solo albums, the one is definitely second on my list. I also love the gorgeous ballads.

EaglesKiwi

08-15-2012, 04:45 AM

I haven't been on the Border for a week so didn't know about the anniversary, and purely by coincidence I was listening to this in the car on the way home from work. :)

That version of Talking To The Moon is indeed beautiful. :inlove:

tjrrockandrollmaster

03-30-2013, 02:16 AM

I have two copies of this on vinyl MINT CONDITION and made copies to CD. This was his best solo work IMHO! Don played much of the drums here plus guests like Timothy B Schmit on backing vocals on the title cut, YBHU, LWH and bass on Nobody's Business. Jeff Porcaro (rest his soul) drums on LWH, TttM and Dirty Laundry. Bill Withers backing on The Unclouded Day done in a reggae fashion. Garth Hudson of The Band on synthesizers on Talking to the Moon. Joe Walsh and Steve Lukather rock out on guitar solos on Dirty Laundry.

Freypower

03-31-2013, 10:48 PM

Houston Debutante

04-01-2013, 11:28 AM

Yeah, for some reason Don didn't really drum on his own solo albums very much, not even on half of the songs there.

Ive always been a dreamer

08-14-2013, 07:09 PM

HAPPY 31ST ANNIVERSARY I CAN'T STAND STILL!!!

Don's first solo album remains my second favorite of his solo work. Of course, I'm eagerly awaiting the release of Cass County to see if that changes anything. If any of you haven't ever heard this, I would encourage you to give it a listen, if possible.

zeldabjr

08-14-2013, 07:12 PM

I don't have this CD...so I just ordered it!!!

Ive always been a dreamer

08-14-2013, 07:19 PM

Good for you! I don't think you'll be sorry. I really love it. After you listen to it you'll definitely have to let us know what you think. There's some pretty interesting discussion in this thread as well. :thumbsup:

WalshFan88

08-14-2013, 10:41 PM

I bought this on vinyl last weekend. What a coincidence! Love that album... I go back and from Dirty Laundry to Boys Of Summer as my fav DH solo tune.

Congrats!

WalshFan88

08-15-2013, 05:09 AM

And here's a picture:

http://i39.tinypic.com/264qnir.jpg

sodascouts

08-17-2013, 09:19 PM

Love this album, especially the ballads. Happy belated birthday to it!

UndertheWire

06-02-2014, 07:22 AM

I cam across and interview with Danny Kortchmar where he talks about records he's been involved with including "I Can't Stand Still" and "Building the Perfect Beast". As it's more recent than the previous post on this thread, I thought it could go here.
http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/session-king-producer-danny-kortchmar-on-12-career-defining-records-587265/11

DivineDon

08-13-2014, 09:48 AM

I see today is the anniversary of the release of 'I Can't Stand Still'. :yay:

I love this album, particularly the ballads, Long Way Home, Lilah and Talking to the Moon. My brother's favourite DH song is Dirty Laundry and I also love Nobody's Business, my favourite line from that is my signature '...it sure makes you wonder the things that some people will say. They can see black and white but they don't seem to notice the grey...' How true and profound you are, Don :applause:

btw I know I'm in the minority but I also love Them and Us!

sodascouts

08-13-2014, 11:52 AM

This album's ballads are some of my favorite Don Henley songs of all time. "Talking to the Moon" is as powerful, if not even more so, than "Heart of the Matter." I adore it and even get choked up by it sometimes - heck, by both of them.

You beat me to the punch, lol, but...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, I CAN'T STAND STILL!!

shunlvswx

08-13-2014, 12:37 PM

Happy 32nd Birthday to I Can't Stand Still. I'm 2 years older of this album. LOL

This is the only solo album I don't have of Don's. Of course I don't have his greatest hits, but this is the only studio album I don't have of his.

Lisa

08-13-2014, 12:44 PM

"I Can't Stand Still," with "The Unclouded Day" and "Lilah," was an auspicious debut for Don Henley';s solo career. He kept going, and his solo recoding catalog became a treasure chest of songs.

Lilah

08-13-2014, 12:48 PM

I love all of his albums/CDs, but overall "I Can't Stand Still" is my favorite. There isn't a song on it that isn't compelling. I know that Don felt let down by it's sales which were good, but not indicative of the quality of the music. He blamed people not being ready to face the reality of "Johnny Can't Read" and the decision to release it as the first single as well as it being under marketed by his label. I think that is probably spot on, but it is an under appreciated body of work(by the masses-not those that are in "Henley Heaven").

sodascouts

08-13-2014, 01:09 PM

"Johnny Can't Read" being the lead single, and the only one for which a video was made despite the success of "Dirty Laundry", is inexplicable to me. It is one of the weakest songs on the album. Imagine if "Dirty Laundry" had given the video treatment - it might have risen even higher than #3 - or one of the magnificent ballads had been made a single.

Shun - you MUST get a copy of this album!

shunlvswx

08-13-2014, 01:23 PM

You guys are convincing me. I will get it. I really don't like Building the Perfect Beast album(only a few songs I like on there and that's usually the song I already knew) and I was afraid I wouldn't like I Can't Stand Still. That's why I've been holding off getting it.

sodascouts

08-13-2014, 01:26 PM

PS You also might want to look back over this thread (although it would take some time). It's one of the best album appreciation threads we have, I think, because we dove deep!

I love that newer members are adding insights, too. Keep it up, everybody!

L101

08-13-2014, 06:21 PM

I've only recently got this album and have to say I love it especially the ballads where Don is always at his best!!

I particularly love La Eile (this is my ringtone at the moment :D) and Lilah - wow that song is amazing, its so heartfelt. I've always loved the Uilleann pipes and the Chieftans and they really add to the song.

Can't understand why Johnny can't read was the lead single though as Dirty Laundry would have been so much better.

I also love I can't stand still - its so unDon like but it works in an odd way :-|

Houston Debutante

08-14-2014, 07:12 PM

The song I Can't Stand Still has Don jealous, I find that sexy ;)

Happy anniversary to this album, I think it's my favorite but I go back and forth, I love all his albums.

Lisa

08-15-2014, 09:04 AM

I guess that makes me the new kid in an old town. I bought "I Can't Stand Still" during the year it came out, and I think I took a few months to decide what I thought of the changes in music that Don Henley introduced to his material then.
I realized that a solo direction gave Don the opportunity to express some of his roots.

shunlvswx

08-13-2015, 09:43 PM

Happy 33rd Birthday to Don's very first solo album, I Can't Stand Still.

I listen to this album for the first time last month and I love. Great songs on there. I usually hear of course Dirty Laundry, You Better Hang Up and The Uncloudy Day.

A great album that is underrated.

AlreadyGone95

08-14-2015, 02:02 PM

I have this album on vinyl, but I've yet to listen to it in full. Unlike Glenn's No Fun Aloud, I Can't Stand Still is available on Spotify, so I don't have an excuse for not listening to it yet.

That being said, I love Dirty Laundry. When I listened to it for what I thought was the first time back in May, I realized that I knew the song from my childhood, especially the "kick 'em when they're up, kuck 'em when they're down" part.

I also like Johnny Can't Read. (I'm in the minority here, I believe). As a member of this current generation, that song speaks volumes. I know that some people think that it's too harsh, but to me, it reminds me of the sad reality of some of my school years and my classmates. I went to one of the poorest public schools in the state, and suffice it to say that some of my classmates were like Johnny. I'm just glad that I managed to escape that.

Lilah is also a great song. Unfortunately, those are the only 3 songs that I'm familiar with right now.

Fleurette767

08-14-2015, 02:10 PM

Dirty Laundry told it like it was, and still is.

NOLA

08-14-2015, 03:14 PM

Happy anniversary to I Can't Stand Still!

My two favorites are "Talking to the Moon," a wistful ballad set in TX, and "Them And Us," Don's lyrical nod to the Cold War.

I don't know why, but the line, "We'll all be good and crispy," from TAU makes me laugh! Wasn't that a slogan for KFC at one time?

DivineDon

08-17-2015, 11:16 AM

This is my favourite album of Don's. Talking to the Moon, Long Way Home and Lilah are my favourites but I love the whole album. :)

WS82Classics

08-13-2016, 08:40 AM

A very happy 34th anniversary to Don Henley's "I Can't Stand Still" album.

I'll admit I'm not as aware of his solo works(beyond the hits) as I am of the others. Should probably try to rectify that.

"Dirty Laundry," the one I know best from this album, is a classic.

Jonny Come Lately

08-13-2016, 09:05 AM

Happy 34th anniversary to the album that launched Don's solo career!

I must admit I don't know this album quite as well as his other 1980s releases. I don't think it was available on iTunes in the UK until recently either. However, I loved reading through this thread, as the song/lyric analysis is very detailed. Dirty Laundry is one of his best solo tracks and he absolutely rocked it live when I saw him in June! I also really like Long Way Home. Another of the tracks I'm more familiar with is Johnny Can't Read, which I'm not so keen on, but I partly chalk that down to his choice of name for the illiterate kid!

WS82, I remembered a topic I saw a while back that you might find interesting if you want to explore Don's solo music further. I've provided a link here:

https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4243

buffyfan145

08-13-2016, 10:22 AM

Happy 34th Anniversary to "I Can't Stand Still"!!! :D My Dad has this on vinyl, cassette, and CD and it was played a lot while I was growing up as well as Don's 2nd album. He's always been more of a Don Henley fan, as well as one of my younger aunts, so I was hearing his solo stuff the most out of all the Eagles when I was kid but Dad also loved Joe's while Mom loved Glenn's.

Ive always been a dreamer

08-13-2016, 03:53 PM

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO I CAN'T STAND STILL!!!

Just love this album. Thematically, I find it very similar to The End of the Innocence in it rebellious discontent. Interesting that these are my two favorite Don solo albums. I guess I like discontent rebel Don best. :cheers:

shunlvswx

08-13-2016, 05:37 PM

Happy 34th Birthday to I Can't Stand Still.

I love a lot of the songs on this album. This is the only album I don't have of Don's.

RudieCantFail

08-14-2016, 04:36 AM

I'm a couple hours late for the celebration of this album, but anyways, happy 34th anniversary to I Can't Stand Still! This and TEOTI are the top 2 Henley albums for me. I have a hard time picking which one's my favorite b/c I don't have an great urge to skip songs on ICSS but I do for Shangri-La on TEOTI. I think I like ICSS better than TEOTI, just based on my urge to skip if I'm studying or driving. I bought this for $6 at my local used music store about 4 months ago.

Thanks to the previous detailed posts on the songs on this thread, I appreciate Long Way Home and Talking to the Moon more now. Before, I dismissed them as slow songs that didn't hold my attention when driving. Now, I'll listen up for it. The songs that I like on the album are: I Can't Stand Still, Nobody's Business, Dirty Laundry, Lilah, and The Unclouded Day. The rest of the songs are good, but these are the ones that I put on my phone.

I like Don's demeanor for the title track b/c it sounds like angry passion. The lyrics are a bit obsessive for me, and I didn't mind them before. Watching O.J. Made in America kind of ruined the song for me, but I try to ignore the effects of that documentary on me. Let's just say it made me paranoid for a couple weeks.

I like the drums for Nobody's Business, and I just like how the song goes and how he sings it. For Dirty Laundry, it's the one that's the most popular on the album, and as mentioned in previous posts, it's too bad that it wasn't the lead single. If it was, then more copies probably would have been bought and buying a physical copy of this album wouldn't be as difficult. It also makes me a little sad that DL is the only song that he plays live as of late.

Lilah is my favorite ballad on this album, and I like how sweet and tender the lyrics are as well as how personal and reflective they sound. I know he has sang this on Inside Job Live, so that's a plus. Lastly, I'm a sucker for the reggae sound of The Unclouded Day.