Don Henley Song Survivor: Actual Miles

[Maleah]

I totally agree EF........melody is always important!

[katherine5832]

Both songs truly deserve to be in these top two positions and they are the ones I expected to be left standing when we first started.

The Heart of the Matter is a beautiful song that virtually anyone can relate to. Who can argue with that kind of sentiment? The lyrics are some of the best ever written by Don either as an Eagle or solo. It's definitely in my top 5 of favorite DH songs - maybe tied for number two with LWE.

However, The Boys of Summer will always be my favorite Henley song and one of my favorite songs of all time. I loved Dirty Laundry when it first came out, but it didn't really make me sit up and take notice of Don as a solo artist. When BOS came out, though, I was a Don fan for life. I know "a little voice inside my head said 'don't look back, you can never look back'", but this song instantly transports me to high school from the moment I hear the cymbals in the first few seconds of the song. It's not that I yearn to relive those days, but my high school days were not the angst-ridden times that so many other people experienced. My friends and I had a blast during high school and music played a huge part in our good times. Remember when MTV actually played videos?? It was a good day when we caught the BOS video in the rotation (bonus if we caught it more than once!). I know we're voting on the song itself, but it's hard to separate the song from that great video. And, not only are the song and video great, but how awesome are the Eagles when they perform this song live? I wouldn't care if the Eagles took out every other one of Don's solo songs from their set list, but they shouldn't touch this one. They rock on this song and it certainly is a crowd pleaser. And, while I really think Don could sing anything and make it sound sexy, I'm not sure if there are many moments that are sexier than "I never will forget those nights. I wonder if it was a dream. Remember how you made me crazy? Remember how I made you scream?"

So, while HOTM is a wonderfully poignant song and worthy of being in the top two, I have to vote for The Boys of Summer for the win.

[sodascouts]

Maleah, thanks for sharing that. Part of the song's power is its universal message even to those who haven't had a lost love, but have some other type of loss to deal with.

[Glennsallnighter]

'Heart of the Matter' is indeed a lovely song with poignant lyrics and beautiful music, but my Favourite Don Henley solo song always has been and always will be 'Boys of Summer', So with that in mind I vote for

BOYS OF SUMMER

For the win.

[glenneaglesfan]

Oh my goodness, all of you are putting good cases forward for both of these songs, but for me personally, Boys of Summer wins hands down. It was the early eighties - I'd just bought Eagles Live and probably thought them the best band on earth, and yet I couldn't find anything new. Then along came BOS, and DJs saying this was Don Henley, (formerly) of the Eagles. This was the track I recorded off the radio on to a cassette tape (along with Owner Of A Lonely Heart by Yes ). I LOVE this when they play it live, and my older son voted it as one of his favourite tracks.

I cast my vote for the Boys Of Summer

[Brooke]

OK, this is terribly hard. I consider both these songs to be masterpieces, no exaggeration. Boys of Summer has a great melody; it's wonderfully constructed and very evocative. I love listening to it...

But I've decided to go with The Heart of the Matter. It's the one that really touches me, and I'm not the only one - Don said in "Live Inside Job" that he gets more letters about this song than any other. Why? Because it has such a deep, emotional resonance. What an important message - forgiveness, letting go of resentments and anger and the desire to hurt people who you feel have "wronged" you in some way. So many people need to hear that. That message, on top of its beautiful melody and the fact that it in some ways emblematic of the Eagles HFO reunion (despite later acrimony) makes it my choice.


HEART OF THE MATTER for the win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I came in today to vote for BOS, but after reading these comments (and yours, Maleah), my mind is changed! I still love BOS and someday want to drive the Pacific Coast highway in a convertible with it blasting....baby!

When I bought Actual Miles, HOTM really stood out for me. I hadn't heard it before! Those lyrics were just amazing and hit me hard. When I met Don a few years ago, I told him that it was my favorite song and he told me a lot of people told him that. Right now I'm going through a mess with my side of my family and the words just fit the whole situation. I wish they could hear it and really, really listen to what is said there. It's so true.

I vote for Heart of the Matter!

[Glennsallnighter]

Thats a very heartfelt post Brooke! I hope things work out well with your family.

[Freypower]

These are very eloquent posts and I agree with everything that has been said about both songs.

I was lucky enough to see HOTM performed during the HFO period. I think it is a shame that the 'forgiveness' theme that seemed so important at the time of the reunion was so quickly forgotten by people who extolled its virtues at the time (and I do not mean Don or Glenn).

I have to vote for The Boys Of Summer to win because.... it's just more fun, that's all. I also think it's a superior record musically. There is more light and shade.

[DonFan]

I loved the outpouring of different emotions expressed in the moving posts that have been written about Don's last three songs. The man truly knows how to write music and lyrics that touch deep chords within us all, and then to sing those songs with that unbelievably expressive voice.... *sigh*

[katherine5832]

Wow! This is definitely going to be a close one. Do we have any super delegates that will be able to make the final decision? Sorry...I've been spending way too much time watching the Clinton-Obama drama unfold here in the U.S.! At least here on EOC we know how to keep our "campaigns" for our favorites civil! No matter what the outcome, this has been a lot of fun reading everyone's comments about not just our favorites, but about all of the songs on the album. I guess one thing we can agree on is that Don has a great body.....of work.