The End of the Innocence

iTunes Review

Released at the end of the ‘80s, Don Henley’s The End of the Innocence was immediately noted as an album that captured the mood of an era. Built from lush studio tracks with musicians of definitive musical pedigree, Innocence still managed to secure its human soul, as Henley sounded justifiably outraged at the societal shifts that he so clearly benefited from. The title track was a landmark. Written with Bruce Hornsby, whose keyboards influence the track, “The End of the Innocence” draws connections between a growing spiritual void found in the materialistic world where “lawyers clean up all details” and people separated from that “small town in each of us.” “I Will Not Go Quietly” and “If Dirt Were Dollars” further sound out Henley’s uncomfortable rebel status. “Little Tin God” admits “a new day is dawning, on fewer than expected,” while “The Last Worthless Evening” and “The Heart of the Matter” represent the love song as pure pop perfection, as Henley’s timeless melodies meet his smoky, radio-ready voice with all cylinders firing at once.