I Can't Stand Still

I Can't Stand Still is the debut solo studio album by American musician Don Henley, drummer and co-lead vocalist for the Eagles. It was released in 1982 by Asylum Records. Henley, Danny Kortchmar and Greg Ladanyi produced the album. I Can't Stand Still achieved gold status, and peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard 200 and at the same position on the UK Albums Chart. Three singles were released from the album, including the hit "Dirty Laundry", which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Henley's best-selling single. The title track "I Can't Stand Still" reached number No. 48 and the controversial track "Johnny Can't Read" reached No. 42 on the charts. The album showcased some of Henley's frustrations at the time. "Dirty Laundry" displays his disgust with the media and tabloid news coverage, and "Johnny Can't Read," shows his displeasure with the American educational system.

I Can't Stand Still
Studio album by
Don Henley
ReleasedAugust 1982
RecordedJanuary-May 1982
Genre
Length42:20
LabelAsylum
Producer
Don Henley chronology
I Can't Stand Still
(1982)		 Building the Perfect Beast
(1984)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Robert ChristgauB+[2]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide[3]

Critical reception

Robert Palmer of The New York Times was surprised by I Can't Stand Still and wrote that it "rings with the righteous indignation of a man who has taken a good look at what's going on around him and decided at least to speak his mind about it...The record doesn't offer any solutions, but how many pop records do? I Can't Stand Still scores points for its palpable anger; for its lean, stripped-down arrangements; for the lack of self-indulgence in the playing, the production and Mr. Henley's soaring vocals, and for its overall point of view, which links the disparate songs together and gives the album an admirable coherence. As far as this listener is concerned, it's better than anything Mr. Henley did with the Eagles."[4]

Reviewing retrospectively for AllMusic, critic Mike DeGagne has written of the album, "Henley's first solo album may still have had the ghost of the Eagles lingering in the corners, but for the most part it showcases his stalwart partnership with producer and songwriter Danny Kortchmar." and then added that "Henley's adept combination of lyrical wit and thought-provoking staidness begins to materialize on I Can't Stand Still, paving the way for an extremely accomplished solo career."[5]

Track listing

All songs by Don Henley and Danny Kortchmar, except where noted.

No.TitleLength
1."I Can't Stand Still"3:33
2."You Better Hang Up" (Danny Kortchmar)3:21
3."Long Way Home"5:28
4."Nobody's Business" (Don Henley, Bob Seger, J.D. Souther)3:43
5."Talking to the Moon" (Henley, Souther)4:39
6."Dirty Laundry"5:36
7."Johnny Can't Read"3:22
8."Them and Us"4:01
9."La Eile" (Traditional)0:52
10."Lilah"4:09
11."The Unclouded Day" (Josiah K. Alwood, J.F. Kinsey)3:36

Personnel

Production
  • Don Henley – producer
  • Danny Kortchmar – producer
  • Greg Ladanyi – producer, recording, mixing
  • Niko Bolas – additional engineer, assistant engineer
  • Jim Nipar – additional engineer
  • Jamie Ledner – assistant engineer
  • Wayne Tanouye – assistant engineer
  • Doug Sax – mastering
  • Mike Reese – mastering
  • The Mastering Lab (Los Angeles, CA) – mastering location
  • Paul Gurian – art direction
  • Ron Coro – graphic coordinator
  • Kristen Kasell Nikosey – graphic coordinator
  • Jo Ann Callis – photography
  • Front Line Management – management

Charts

Album

Chart (1982) Peak
position
Australian (Kent Music Report)42[6]
US Billboard 200[7] 24

Singles – Billboard (United States)

Year Single Chart Position
1982 "Dirty Laundry" Club Play Singles[8] 47
1982 "Dirty Laundry" Mainstream Rock[9] 1
1982 "Johnny Can't Read" Mainstream Rock[9] 29
1982 "Johnny Can't Read" Pop Singles[10] 42
1982 "You Better Hang Up" Mainstream Rock[9] 44
1983 "Dirty Laundry" Pop Singles[10] 3
1983 "I Can't Stand Still" Pop Singles[10] 48

References
  1. Mike DeGagne. "I Can't Stand Still – Don Henley | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-05-10.
  2. "CG: Don Henley". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2014-05-10.
  3. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. 2004. pp. 375–376.
  4. Robert Palmer. "The Pop Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  5. Mike DeGagne. "I Can't Stand Still – Don Henley | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  6. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 137. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  7. "Don Henley Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  8. "Don Henley Chart History: Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  9. "Don Henley Chart History: Mainstream Rock". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  10. "Don Henley Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
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