Don Henley’s “The Boys Of Summer” song is one of my favourite songs from my younger days – released during the Summer of my Life.
It started with a tune that popped into Mike Campbell’s (of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers fame) head one day. He played it for Tom Petty who didn’t think it would fit in the mood of their soon-to-be-released “Southern Accents” album. Mike then played the tune to Don Henley (the Eagles) who loved it. And the rest is goldmine chart hi$tory.
“The Boys Of Summer” became the lead single from Don Henley’s 1984 “Building The Perfect Beast” album.
One day, Mike Campbell was in the car with Tom Petty, listening to the radio when “The Boys Of Summer” came on the air. Embarrassed, Mike quickly switched radio channels but every channel was playing the highly popular song. Tom actually enjoyed listening to the song but regretted turning the song down. Do read Mike Campbell’s awesome “Heartbreaker” memoir.
In 1986, Don Henley won the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for “The Boys Of Summer” at the 28th Annual Grammy Awards.
“The Boys Of Summer” was ranked No. 416 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The poignant song is about the passage of one’s Life from Youth to Middle Age.
I love the verse – “I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac”
The song is about about Ironic Affluence – a Hippie driving a capitalistic Cadillac.
Till today, I adored that Capitalist Hippie image.
My weathered authentic USA “Boys Of Summer” car license plate (above image). I put a Grateful Dead tattoo decal for completing hippie aura of the license plate. I love it that the license plate was issued from California, where the song originated from.
This license plate is my treasured birthday gift from my wife and kids.
Grateful Dead Temporary Tattoo Decals (above image). I bought the decal probably in the 1990’s at the now defunct Towers Records at Sunset Boulevard for 99 cents. Yeah, them good old days. I waited 30 years to finally use the decal.
I will let Don Henley explain the essence of his song– “I was driving down the San Diego freeway and got passed by a $21,000 Cadillac Seville, the status symbol of the right-wing upper-middle-class American bourgeoisie – all the guys with the blue blazers with the crests and the grey pants – and there was this Grateful Dead “Deadhead” bumper sticker on it.”
May We All Remain Boys/Girls of Summer at heart!
May we grow older but never old.
Enjoy The Road Not Travelled!
