Dirty Laundry (Don Henley song)

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"Dirty Laundry"
Single by Don Henley
from the album I Can't Stand Still
B-side"Lilah"
ReleasedOctober 12, 1982
Recorded1982
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

"Dirty Laundry" is a song written by

Top Album Tracks chart in October 1982, prior to being issued as a 45 rpm single. Lyrically, the song describes mass media sensationalism
.

Released as the second single from I Can't Stand Still, it spent three weeks at number 3 on the

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

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 girl overdosed at his Los Angeles home.[3] The "bubbleheaded bleach blonde" mentioned in the song was rumored to have been Christine Lundstedt (Christine Lund) of KABC-TV in Los Angeles, but Henley has categorically denied this. [4]

Among the musicians on the record were

sleeve notes also mention musicians George Gruel, Roger Linn and Steve Porcaro.[5]

Although an official music video was never made, Global News produced a parody video in 1985 (credited to the "News Brothers", all Global News reporters) featuring the song.[6][7][8]

Personnel

Chart performance

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[15] 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. ^ Zimmerman, Lee (July 22, 2011). "Airing Don Henley's "Dirty Laundry" on His 64th Birthday". New Times Broward-Palm Beach. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Dirty Laundry by Don Henley Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2014-05-10.
  5. ^ Sleeve notes to Dirty Laundry in the Actual Miles CD of 1995.
  6. ^ Sean O'Shea (2019-11-18). "Paul Dalby, 'debonair' Global News journalist, dead at 73". Global News.
  7. ^ Brian Rolli (2022-10-22). "When Don Henley Waged War on the Media With 'Dirty Laundry'". Ultimate Classic Rock.
  8. YouTube
  9. ^ "Synth icons: Linn Electronics Inc LM-1 Drum Computer". musicradar.com. 25 April 2014. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  10. ISBN 0-646-11917-6
    .
  11. ^ "Top 100 1983-01-15". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 2015-12-16.
  12. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-08-11. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  13. ^ "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1982". Cashbox Magazine. Archived from the original on 2012-09-21. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
  14. ^ "Talent Almanac 1984: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 52. December 24, 1983. p. TA-18.
  15. ^ "American single certifications – Don Henley – Dirty Laundry". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links

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