The End of the Innocence (album)

Last updated
The End of the Innocence
Don Henley - The End of the Innocence.jpg
Studio album by
Don Henley
ReleasedJune 27, 1989 (1989-06-27) [1]
Recorded1987–1989
Studio A&M (Hollywood)
The Complex (Los Angeles)
Genre
Length53:11
Label Geffen
Producer
Don Henley chronology
Building the Perfect Beast
(1984)		The End of the Innocence
(1989)		 Actual Miles: Henley's Greatest Hits
(1995)
Singles from The End of the Innocence
  1. "The End of the Innocence"
    Released: June 1989
  2. "The Last Worthless Evening"
    Released: September 1989 (US)
  3. "New York Minute"
    Released: October 1989 (UK) [2]
  4. "The Heart of the Matter"
    Released: February 1990 [3]
  5. "How Bad Do You Want It?"
    Released: June 1990
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Robert Christgau C+ [5]

The End of the Innocence is the third solo studio album by Don Henley, the co-lead vocalist and drummer for the Eagles. The album was released in 1989, on Geffen Records, and was his last release on that label. It was also his last solo album before reforming the Eagles and it would be eleven years before he released another solo project, 2000's Inside Job .

Contents

The album is Henley's best selling release, selling over 6 million copies in the United States alone, peaking at No. 8. The album featured three Top 40 singles "The End of the Innocence", "The Heart of the Matter", and "The Last Worthless Evening". Those singles reached No. 8, No. 21, and No. 21 respectively. The album also featured "New York Minute" which reached No. 48 on the charts and was recorded by Henley and the Eagles for their live album Hell Freezes Over in 1994. Henley won another Grammy and an MTV Video Music Award nomination for the title track. In 2012, the album was ranked at number 389 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. [6]

Background

Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg
"The End of the Innocence"
From The End of the Innocence. It was written and performed by Henley along with Bruce Hornsby.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The song "I Will Not Go Quietly" features harmony vocals by Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose, who at the time was also on the same label.

Critical reception

Rolling Stone magazine wrote of the album at the time, "Returning to the theme of "Desperado," the former Eagle hitched some of his finest melodies (especially on the gentle title track) to sharply focused lyrical studies of men in troubled transition – from youth to adulthood, innocence to responsibility." [7]

Reviewing retrospectively for AllMusic, critic Vik Iyengar has written of the album, "Henley took some time before completing his highly anticipated third album, The End of the Innocence. Although he manages to duplicate much of the magic of his previous album, Henley has backed off of the synthesizers and expanded his musical palette." They also add that "Throughout the album, he manages to balance being cynical yet hopeful, and his great melodies allow his poignant lyrics to penetrate. This album is highly recommended for those who like their pop music with a message." [8]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The End of the Innocence"Henley, Bruce Hornsby 5:16
2."How Bad Do You Want It?"Henley, Danny Kortchmar, Stan Lynch 3:47
3."I Will Not Go Quietly" (featuring Axl Rose)Henley, Kortchmar5:43
4."The Last Worthless Evening"John Corey, Henley, Lynch6:03
5."New York Minute"Henley, Kortchmar, Jai Winding6:37
6."Shangri-La"Henley, Steve Jordan, Kortchmar4:55
7."Little Tin God"Henley, Kortchmar, JD Souther 4:42
8."Gimme What You Got"Corey, Henley, Lynch6:10
9."If Dirt Were Dollars"Henley, Kortchmar, Souther4:34
10."The Heart of the Matter" Mike Campbell, Henley, Souther5:24

Personnel

Production

Charts

Chart (1989)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [9] 40
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [10] 8
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [11] 60
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) [12] 16
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [13] 87
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [14] 48
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [15] 37
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [16] 15
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [17] 11
UK Albums (OCC) [18] 17
US Billboard 200 [19] 8

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [20] 2× Platinum200,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [21] Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA) [22] 6× Platinum6,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Awards

Grammy Awards

YearWinnerCategory
1989The End of the Innocence Best Male Rock Vocal Performance [23]

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References

  1. ↑ "RIAA".
  2. ↑ "Great Rock Disography". p. 253.
  3. ↑ "Great Rock Disography". p. 253.
  4. ↑ The End of the Innocence at AllMusic
  5. ↑ "Robert Christgau: CG: Don Henley". Robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  6. ↑ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone . 31 May 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  7. ↑ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 31 May 2009. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  8. ↑ "The End of the Innocence - Don Henley | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  9. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Don Henley – The End of the Innocence". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6453". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Don Henley – The End of the Innocence" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  12. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN   978-951-1-21053-5.
  13. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Don Henley – The End of the Innocence" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  14. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN   4-87131-077-9.
  15. ↑ "Charts.nz – Don Henley – The End of the Innocence". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Don Henley – The End of the Innocence". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Don Henley – The End of the Innocence". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Don Henley Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Don Henley – The End of Innocence". Music Canada.
  21. ↑ "British album certifications – Don Henley – The End of Innocence". British Phonographic Industry.
  22. ↑ "American album certifications – Don Henley – The End of the Innocence". Recording Industry Association of America.
  23. ↑ "Don Henley". Grammy.com. 23 November 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
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