The End of the Innocence (album)

The End of the Innocence
Studio album by Don Henley
Released June 27, 1989 (1989-06-27)
Recorded 1988–89
Genre Rock, Soft rock
Length 53:11
Label Geffen
24217-2
Producer Don Henley
Mike Campbell
John Corey
Bruce Hornsby
Danny Kortchmar
Greg Ladanyi
Stan Lynch
Don Henley chronology
Building the Perfect Beast
(1984)
The End of the Innocence
(1989)
Actual Miles: Henley's Greatest Hits
(1995)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Robert ChristgauC+[2]

The End of the Innocence is the third solo studio album by Don Henley, the lead vocalist and drummer for the Eagles. The album was released in 1989, on Geffen Records, this would be his last release on that label. It was also his last solo album of the 1980s and it would be eleven years before he released another solo album, until 2000's Inside Job.

The album is his best selling album, selling over 6 million copies in the United States alone, peaking at #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 #8, #21, and #21 respectively. The album also featured "New York Minute" which reached #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 for the title track. In 2003, the album was ranked at number 389 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

The song "I Will Not Go Quietly" features Guns N' Roses vocalist Axl Rose in the background, who at the time was also a member of 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."[3]

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."[4]

Track listing

No. Title 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" (Henley, Kortchmar) 5:43
4. "The Last Worthless Evening" (John Corey, Henley, Lynch) 6:03
5. "New York Minute" (Henley, Kortchmar, Jai Winding) 6:37
6. "Shangri-La" (Henley, Steve Jordan, Kortchmar) 4:55
7. "Little Tin God" (Henley, Kortchmar, J.D. Souther) 4:42
8. "Gimme What You Got" (Corey, Henley, Lynch) 6:10
9. "If Dirt Were Dollars" (Henley, Kortchmar, Souther) 4:34
10. "The Heart of the Matter" (Mike Campbell, Henley, Souther) 5:24

Personnel

"The End of the Innocence"
From The End of the Innocence. It was written and performed by Henley along with Bruce Hornsby.

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Production

Charts

Chart (1989) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[5] 40
Canadian Albums (RPM)[6] 8
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[7] 60
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] 87
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[9] 37
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[10] 15
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[11] 11
UK Albums (OCC)[12] 17
US Billboard 200[13] 8

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1989 "I Will Not Go Quietly" Mainstream Rock Tracks 2
1989 "If Dirt Were Dollars" Mainstream Rock Tracks 8
1989 "The End of the Innocence" Adult Contemporary 2
1989 "The End of the Innocence" Mainstream Rock Tracks 1
1989 "The End of the Innocence" The Billboard Hot 100 8
1989 "The Last Worthless Evening" Adult Contemporary 5
1989 "The Last Worthless Evening" Mainstream Rock Tracks 4
1989 "The Last Worthless Evening" The Billboard Hot 100 21
1990 "How Bad Do You Want It?" Mainstream Rock Tracks 8
1990 "How Bad Do You Want It?" The Billboard Hot 100 48
1990 "New York Minute" Adult Contemporary 5
1990 "New York Minute" Mainstream Rock Tracks 24
1990 "New York Minute" The Billboard Hot 100 48
1990 "The Heart of the Matter" Adult Contemporary 3
1990 "The Heart of the Matter" Mainstream Rock Tracks 2
1990 "The Heart of the Matter" The Billboard Hot 100 21

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)[14] 2× Platinum 200,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[15] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[16] 6× Platinum 6,000,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

Awards

Grammy Awards

Year Winner Category
1989 The End of the Innocence Best Male Rock Vocal Performance

References

  1. The End of the Innocence (album) at AllMusic
  2. Robert Christgau
  3. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/don-henley-the-end-of-the-innocence-20120525
  4. http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-end-of-the-innocence-mw0000198450
  5. "Australiancharts.com – Don Henley – The End Of The Innocence". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  6. "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Library and Archives Canada. March 31, 2004. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  7. "Dutchcharts.nl – Don Henley – The End Of The Innocence" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  8. "Officialcharts.de – Don Henley – The End Of The Innocence". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  9. "Charts.org.nz – Don Henley – The End Of The Innocence". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  10. "Norwegiancharts.com – Don Henley – The End Of The Innocence". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  11. "Swedishcharts.com – Don Henley – The End Of The Innocence". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  12. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  13. "Don Henley – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Don Henley.
  14. "Canadian album certifications – Don Henley – The End of Innocence". Music Canada.
  15. "British album certifications – Don Henley – The End of Innocence". British Phonographic Industry. Enter The End of Innocence in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  16. "American album certifications – Henley, Don – The End of the Innocence". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
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