Don Henley, Dirty Laundry | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 15^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2023), we recollect and reflect on “Dirty Laundry” by Don Henley.

“Dirty little secrets, dirty little lies / We got our dirty little fingers in everybody’s pie,” The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome. In the 15^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2023), we recollect and reflect on 🎵 “Dirty Laundry”, performed by 🎙 Don Henley. 

“People love it when you lose / They love dirty laundry.” 🏆 Grammy winning rock musician 🎙 Don Henley has a legitimate point. No, people are not a fan of literal dirty laundry (who wants stinky clothes)  but they are a fan of bad stuff about people. For example, Henley sings at one point, “It’s interesting when people die / Give us dirty laundry.” Woo!  On 🎵 “Dirty Laundry”, Henley drops a song for the ages about, well, people honestly.  A standout from his 1982 debut album,  💿 I Can’t Stand Still, “Dirty Laundry” peaked at no. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Furthermore, it was nominated for a 🏆 Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male at the 25^th Annual Grammy Awards.  So, who and what song did “Dirty Laundry” lose the Grammy to? Oh, one 🎙 John Mellencamp – 🎵 “Hurts So Good”.

“Can we film the operation? Is the head dead yet?

You know, the boys in the newsroom got a running bet

Get the window on the set!

We need dirty laundry.”

The theme and lyrics are just one of the things that make “Dirty Laundry” awesome.  The production and sound are 1980s to the core, which is incredibly sweet, to be honest. Not only do you get some great guitar riffs, but you also get the boxy drums and rich keys/synths.  Throw in the gang vocals on the chorus, and “Dirty Laundry” is a whole vibe: “Kick ‘em when they’re up / Kick ’em when they’re down / Kick ‘em when they’re up / Kick ‘em when they’re down.” The laundry may be filth but dis song right here – a surefire bop!

🎙 Don Henley • 💿 I Can’t Stand Still • 🏷 Don Henley and Past Masters Holdings, LLC • 🗓 1982

Don Henley, “Dirty Laundry”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 15 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner/The Musical Hype; Don Henley and Past Masters Holdings, LLC; John Alan Sperry, PIRO via Pixabay]