web analytics

Pop Rock Nation

Tag: The Boys of Summer

  • Infatueighties #62: “King of Pain”

    For those who are actually following this and wonder where #63 went, it’s “The Boys of Summer” by Don Henley, which I already discussed at length here. Let’s move on to one of the only artists viewed as being as pretentious as Mr. Henley. Yes, folks, that would be Gordon Sumner, who you know better as Sting. Sting, along with Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland, was a member of The Police, who recorded the song you find at #62: “King of Pain”. See how it all ties together?

    Anyway, there are quite a few Police songs that I wanted to include in here (Side 1 of “Zenyatta Mondatta” might be my favorite side of an album ever), but “King of Pain” gets the nod because it’s the song that best marries the highbrow intelligence of many of Sting’s lyrics to a simple yet effective pop tune. How effective? I was 7 when this record came out and I loved it despite the fact that I had no bloody idea what The Police were talking about. “There’s a blind man looking for a shadown of doubt”? Whaaa???

    Anyway, “Synchronicity” is one of only a handful of albums (I can only think of six) with more than one song on this list, a testament to the legacy The Police left in only five short years of making records. Sting saving the rainforests may have muted their impact somewhat, but these were the records that turned me on to rock music. So let’s temporarily forget about the pompous ass-iness, the tantric sex and the cash-grabbing reunion tour (although they were quite good when I saw them) and remember how damn good this song is.

  • Friday Throwback: "The Boys of Summer"


    GG is headed out of town, so he entrusted me with the Throwback column this week. With Memorial Day weekend hearalding the beginning of summer, I thought it would be a good idea to post this classic video.

    A lot of people give The Eagles shit. They gave ’em shit back in the day for being a laid-back California rock/country band (and for selling a shit-ton of records), and they give ’em shit today for charging hundreds of dollars per concert ticket (and also because Don Henley and Glenn Frey seem to be complete and total douchebags). All I can say to that is…they won’t be the last assholes to make good music. I’m a huge fan of The Eagles and while I can’t say Frey even made enough good solo material to make a good Greatest Hits EP, Henley’s work is as solid as it is frequent. His solo career has consisted of: 1982 album, 1984 album, 1989 album, 1995 hits comp, 2000 album…that’s it.

    Anyway, “The Boys of Summer” is more of a reflective song than it is a “lay the blankets out and crank the radio up” kind of song. It has that END of summer, wistful feel, which I’m sure those of us who are undergoing some kind of transition-whether it be graduation or aging or whatever-can relate to. Bottom line-it’s a fantastic fucking song. That synthesizer part is one of the most recognizable parts of any song from that era-right up there with the drumbeat that opens “Billie Jean” and the sax part that opens “Careless Whisper”. Enjoy, and have a safe and enjoyable weekend.