Don Henley’s Last Top 40 Hit Came Right Before He Put His Solo Career on Hold for Eagles Reasons

When we focus on the last hit single from a notable musical act, the story usually goes that the artist or band simply ran out of steam, at least from a commercial sense. Their success levels diminish until they’re just no longer in range of the Top 40.

The case of Don Henley’s last hit was a little bit different from that. His last big hit single came when he was still very much one of the biggest musical stars on the planet. But an unexpected return to the glory days of his former band got in the way of him ever again reaching the Top 40 as a solo act.

Taking His Sweet Time

In terms of his solo career, Don Henley would never be confused for a fast worker. Although Eagles broke up right at the start of the 80s, Henley only released three albums during the decade. But you can’t argue with the results, as those three albums were all gems.

As he did with his former band, Henley managed to make music that was thoughtful and penetrating while still appealing to a mass audience. Critics heaped praise on the three albums, each of which contained at least one Top 10 hit single.

The longest quiet stretch for Henley in the decade came in between his second and third solo records. After Building The Perfect Beast turned him into an unlikely MTV star in 1984, Henley took his time before coming back with The End Of The Innocence in 1989. As it turned out, his audience was eagerly waiting for him to return.

What’s the “Matter” Here

As had been the case with his previous two records, Henley mixed aching songs about romance with sharp dissections of the world’s ills on The End Of The Innocence. The title track, written with Bruce Hornsby, managed to fulfill both of those briefs somehow, once again landing Henley in the Top 10.

“The Last Worthless Evening” followed that up at No. 21. As the album cycle neared an end, Henley gave a single release to the album’s closing track. Like his hit “The Boys Of Summer” in 1984, “The Heart Of The Matter” originated with a piece of music written by Mike Campbell, stalwart member of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers.

To create the lyrics, Henley teamed up with his longtime friend JD Souther, who had helped write several Eagles hits. The two weaved a touching tale of a man who’s dealing with the realization that his former lover has found someone new. He tries to not only accept the new reality but also to choose forgiveness over rancor.

Returning to the Fast Lane

“The Heart Of The Matter” landed at No. 21 in 1990. Considering that the album as a whole went double-platinum and contained three Top 25 singles, Henley certainly seemed to be in a place where a follow-up would have been another commercial juggernaut. But that follow-up didn’t come until 11 years later.

What happened? Well, relations among members of Eagles thawed to the point that the group decided to reunite. Henley turned his musical attention to the Hell Freezes Over reunion show and making new music for that project. Soon after, the band resumed their heavy touring schedule.

Even with all that, Henley narrowly missed another Top 40 hit when “Taking You Home”, a ballad from his 2000 album Inside Job, topped out at No. 48. One wonders what he might have done as a solo artist in the missing years, even though you can totally understand him taking on that lucrative gig with his former band instead.

(Photo by Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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