"Dirty Laundry" is a song written by Don Henley and Danny Kortchmar, from Henley's debut solo album I Can't Stand Still, released in 1982. The song hit number 1 on the BillboardTop Album Tracks chart in October 1982, prior to being issued as a 45 rpm single. Lyrically, the song describes mass mediasensationalism.
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 over one million in the United States.[2]
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", and thus is not a real journalist. 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 paramedics treated a 16-year-old female who was subsequently suffering from drug intoxication at his Los Angeles home.[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]
Eagles performances[]
During the 1994 reformation of Eagles, Glenn Frey suggested that the entire band perform this and other solo hits of Henley's, stating that he liked them and despite differences the band had had over the years, they admired Henley's solo work. During the performances of Frey and Henley's solo songs, Eagles' touring drummer Scott F. Crago handles most of the drumming duties.
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