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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ธ.ค. 2021
- Don Henly’s “Boys of Summer” explained by none other than Mike Campbell from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
More information on this song than you can find anywhere, the hidden context, mystery and story behind this classic hit - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Whenever I hear the “Boys of Summer” song I’m immediately transported back to my youth. A time in my life when I was free from stress and the world was full of endless possibilities. Phenomenal song!!
Bittersweet for me, having surfed in California in the mid-1960's, with a group of friends, then things changed and fell apart in the 1970's and beyond.
Me too!
It is a special song for me too for that reason.
Yes, Music has a way to take us back in time for sure. Its just wonderful Sometimes it can even bring back times i had totally forgotten about. :-) I am such a huge fan of the music from my youth that I can remember where I was and what I was doing the first time I heard many songs.
Same here man. Same here. Most of the best songs of our time came from that decade and before. I think I am only a year older than you just guessing by your TH-cam (profile name) user name …whatever it’s called . Lol. 👊🏼🎵🎸🎵🤟🏼
I never realized Mike wrote the music for Boys of Summer......one of the most perfect pop/rock songs ever. It's a great day when you learn something new.
He also wrote the music for Don Henley's "Heart of the Matter", 2 of Henley's best songs.
@@Zero8880 I was young back then and never knew Mike even worked with Don until I bought "End of the Innocence" and was looking at the inlay card with a big picture of the band and Mike was standing there with Stan Lynch in the pic. hahaha.
@@petergunn3614 Right? It's crazy seeing all the connections between the great musicians of youth bc we didn't have the internet back then. Like how Henley's bandmate, Don Felder, knew Tom Petty from their Gainesville days, and he taught Petty how to play the guitar. And Henley's connection to Kenny Rogers, or Glenn Frey's connection to Bob Seger.
@@Zero8880 Yea it's pretty awesome, I remember when I listened to Felder tell that story of how little Tommy Petty wanted to learn the guitar.
I didn't know he was close to foreclosing on his House! That is a very stressful situation to be in. Glad this wonderful song pulled him out of it.
He's never wastes a note or plays a bad one. One of the greatest guitarists around.
Him, and my other favorite singer/ guitarist with the same last name( Glen Campbell)
Mozart was infamous for using too many notes. There are in fact, so many notes an ear can hear in the course of an evening. 😉 th-cam.com/video/H6_eqxh-Qok/w-d-xo.html
Definitely! For many years now, I'll hear a very restrained but FANTASTIC guitar solo on a Heartbreakers track and I'll just say to myself "what an efficient little piece of music".
Oh you know it! And he can play anything!! I like his early days where’d he’d play a 3min solo to Fooled Again.
My fave.
Was a serious hit and still one of the best songs ever written
G j
Nah. Just a good gong.
@Fully Duff what do you consider to be the 3 all time best songs ever written in rock and roll?
@@sniffableandirresistble th-cam.com/video/-JlmvtAHhnc/w-d-xo.html
@@sniffableandirresistble What a great question. Made my head spin.
Mike has inherited Tom’s speaking voice
I didn’t really notice until you pointed it out. So true. Thank you
Nobody ever heard him talk while Tom Petty was alive. I’m sure there were reasons why that is so.
Starting to look like him too
It was in his will.
Seriously! I had to do a double take to make sure this wasn’t Tom with a wig!
'The Boys of Summer' is easily in my top ten list of favourite pop songs of all time. Mike Campbell is also an enormously underrated guitarist as well. Great story.
The guy was in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Ginormously not underrated.
@@abellopez. maybe rather under-appreciated
As a side note; every true musician is in AWE of the greatness of MC.
No, this great guitarist is not 'underrated'. You are merely infected with the youtube comments section 'underrated' word fetish. I do wonder what drives this mass pathology from a psychological perspective..
Love that guitar. 40 years ago, I thought it was Mark Knopfler on guitar on that song.
About a year ago, I was driving and Boys of Summer came on the radio. Im 51, so of course I remember when the song came out and I’ve heard it hundreds of times. But as I was driving and listening, the guitar licks really caught my ear, and I found myself wondering who Henley hired to play guitar on that record, because it is just some amazing playing. I looked it up and found that, not only was it Mike Campbell, but that he wrote the music. So cool to now hear his story. Mike, you’re a phenomenal story teller. Thank you.
Look up the eagles boys of summer in australia 2005 the guitar solo is next level
Well that explains it. Boys of Summer is my favorite D Henley song and Mike Campbell is one of my favorite guitarists. I also realized later in life that many of the songs from my youth in the 70’s featured another of my favorite guitarists... Larry Carlton.
Buck Dharma (Blue Oyster Cult member/write of Don't Fear the Reaper) was a guest on "That Metal Show". Host Eddie Trunk asked him out of the blue if there was a song that he wished he'd written, and without a second's hesitation he answered: "boys of summer", which completely stumped Trunk.
A great song writer knows a great song.
This song is a Time Machine; It takes me back to the 80's and the best moments of my life. Thank you, Mike.
This particular song is 80s for me.
My first reaction was "don't you mean the 90's?", I could swear it came out around 1990. 1984!! Being old is weird
I feel that man I grew up in south n I luv tha lil stories they tell takes me back to a time b4 everything was so very socially politically correct when things where'nt perfect but they where fun lol nowadays i live on my memories
I can't put my Ray Bans on without thinking about this tune!
This song is timeless. A classic among classics.
Absolutely a song of a generation. Being able to see Don perform it with The Eagles was a dream come true.
Aw...I wish I'd seen the Eagles. I didn't know Don had been allowed to play that solo song with his old band. It's a fantastic song, I always loved it. I never get sick of it.
@@reesemorgan2259 Don does that and Joe Walsh goes off with his Jamesgang and solo tunes. If they are still touring I highly recommend seeing them. They played Hotel California in its entirety plus all the hits. About a 2 and a half hour show. Phenomenal!
1985 was 17.. it's been my ring tone for 5 years.. those were glorious days for us and MTV. peace ✌️
That guitar progression, to this day, is so catchy. It pulls you in , the guitar is almost like grabbing you by the shoulders , sitting you down and then pointing to a screen to make you watch. Something about that progression just grabs you. The tone, ...everything about that track is magic.
Yes en that lick during the break is fantastic !
agreed...and the guitar outro...pure magic!!
@@jamesparker1063
Absolutely. The outro , in a major key , just has this “that’s a wrap!” feeling , as if to say “you heard the message/story , and now here’s ‘The End’ “ - like it’s putting it to rest.
I don’t think I ever get tired of listening to it , and the album is great , too
Every interview I hear with Mike, at some point he says, "I don't want to get too long winded..." or something to that affect. And as soon as he says that, THAT'S when he tells the BEST part of the story.
So cool. The way Mike describes Henley hunched over the tape player, listening to the song so intently. Don was likely already intuiting the lyrics for it upon that first listen. A great song and a great melody will hit you like that.
Don probably wanted him out of his house so he wouldn't forget it, and already had it written by the time Mike got home!
@@DeflatingAtheism absolutely!
''I saw a deadhead sticker on a cadillac''- one of my favourite lyrics ever, on top of Campbell's beautiful riff. Btw , Henley simply wrote what he saw( a deadhead sticker on Joe Walsh's Cadillac ) but it sums up perfectly the baby boomer generation looking back at their ''glory days''. One of my favourite songs ever. This tune is to music what ''the big chill'' was to the movies.
It's one of my favorite lyrics, too, but don't be fooled by Henley's simple explanation. He understood the irony, the disillusioning implications, and the broader theme of the symbolism of the sticker and the Cadillac. Henley was a student of literature.
The song's title comes from the poem 'I see the Boys of Summer' by Dylan Thomas. The song and the poem ( and most of Dylan Thomas's poetry as well as most of Henley's solo work) share common themes of the relentless passage of time, the loss of our innocence, the failure of the passionate idealism of our youth to weather life's ever-changing seasons, grieving the death of our ideals and our quest for meaning, hopelessly grasping in denial for redemption through nostalgia, and the wisdom that comes from this realization.
It's about how the idealistic '60s became the cynical and hedonistic '70s which became the greedy, self-centered '80s, just like it's also about losing a summer love. But it's also, on a higher level, about universal themes that define our experience as human beings over the course of our lifetimes. Like everything else in this world, there is a deep meaning to be found in this song. It's just a question of how deep you're willing to look. The Boomers are not that different from you. They're just in a different place on this big conveyor belt to Hell we're all riding on.
@@wulf67 Great analysis. Btw , I totally agree with your point- each generation can only be judged by the standards of their particular era, it is too easy to think that we are living at the end of History and judge them by today's standards. Many people read history from the end to the beggining.
@@wulf67 thank you so much for sharing this. I love learning the deeper meaning of things, especially the poetry that is the lyrics to music i love. Thank you
Henley, born in 1944, is not a baby boomer. That generation began in 1946
@@chatchaat Yeah, like a lot of great songwriters he's in between generations.
Terrific story and great song Mike. I loved "Boys of Summer" the first time I heard it in 1984 and still do to this date.
I was never a huge Eagles fan, but "Building the Perfect Beast" is one of my favorite albums ever.... it actually gave me a new appreciation for the band
First time I heard this I was listening in the car during a whiteout blizzard. Till this day I am immediately thrown back to that moment. How isolated the roads were, how great the song was.
This is one of my favorite songs ever. Mike Campbell on guitar and Don Henley on vocals. Creme’ de la creme’ in music🎸
Amazing to think this could have been a Tom Petty hit. I love Tom Petty, but it needed a vocal monster like Don Henley.
Don't Forget Kooch he's on the guitar too ✌️👍
He couldn’t possibly be “long-winded” talking about the process of making one of the most iconic songs of all time. Thank you for the insight. I have heard this song thousands of times and I crank it every time. It takes me back to a place I’ve never been but somehow I miss with every fibre of my being.
Exactly my thoughts
Who do you think’s doing that for kids these days?
Well said, sir.
Thanks for the story. I hope the royalties on this great song are still coming in. After 38 years I just read the Dylan Thomas poem which has transformed and added so much to my understanding of the lyrics.
Dylan Thomas poem? Which one do you mean?
Literally one of the best tracks every made, that melody just makes you feel q certain way and Don Henleys lyrics and vocals capture that perfectly
So true. There's 10 different emotions mixed up in that tune and lyrics. Amazing song.
So true! I was experiencing that exact story-line at the time (I was 23) so it really resonated. And for a long time I couldn't listen to song without remembering this crazy dame! But you know what ... as true as that experience did match up (it was scary ... Ray-Bans and all) I didn't need said experience to "HEAR" that song and groove on it. Thankfully the memory is long faded but not the tune ... except when I see a Deadhead sticker!
Btw, OWNER OF A LONELY HEART has a similar vibe ...esp. the guitar.
One of the most iconic songs ever: reflects so much of growing up in America, with all its showboating over genuine tenderness.
@@dianeorehek4633 Really like the "slant" of your comment! I knew the bittersweet feelings but couldn't put them into words. Song really summed up a lot of feelings ... "coming of age", beginning our real adulthood etc. What's amazing is Campbell created a piece of music smack in the middle of the 80's (might've saved the decade ... haha) that one would now be hard-pressed to hear (or not hear) the time-period ... i.e. simply timeless!
@@sunburstmike8745 Trevor Rabin (a South African) was the genius behind that great song . A magnificent song.
I always liked Mike’s licks, very tasteful with just the right amount of space between the notes that allows them to breath life into the song
Such a great story. Roger Linn really had something with his drum machines for a time. But the Linn drum machine company, according to Modern Drummer Magazine, went out of business because their drum machines were prone to errors and bugs, and the people using them got frustrated and started using other maker's machines. To think this classic almost was lost because of a finicky drum machine, shedding tape, and Don Henley almost wrecked his car!
You could never be long-winded when you're telling one of these stories, Awesome song, incredible story ! If you still have that demo I would give anything to hear it. Thanks for sharing !
I absolutely love these stories. How a song was created from scratch is always a great story. Told so frankly by Mike. What a treat.
I use to know Roger Linn, who was a guitarist & song writer, in the 1980s. His first drum machine was the LM-1, (Lynn/Moffett), came out in 1980. This was fully tunable. It was programed real drums, burned onto computer chips. I believe he used Art Wood for the drum sounds.
In 1982 he put out the LinnDrum which used the same idea, adding some more sounds, but was partially tunable. I can say people loved this drum machine.
When I heard that song, It was just summer to me. Hairs on the back of my neck stood up. It still happens now.
I'm so glad it happened for you especially at that time. Your hard work paid off!
Jeeze, I always thought it was a Henley song...anyway, it's without a doubt in my top five songs ever, because as others have said below here, it has that something that just makes you feel a certain way. For me it's always melancholy for a youth and an America I hold dear in my memory and to which, sadly, I can only get little glimpses of in these modern times. This came on the radio in Oct of 2019 as I was midway through a 7000 miles road trip through SoCal, somewhere between the Salton Sea and El Centro and I just cried for what was lost. It only lasted a while but man, this song has that effect on me even on a carefree day. It is just magical. Mike Cambell, you are so cool, bless you.
Wow...well put brother....that song has quite an affect on me.
But it didn't even exist in the period Henly wrote about. The summer of love was not anything great. Great music yes, but otherwise ...
Mike, I am one of those fans that knew you wrote the song, when it came out, and knew a lot about the history of the song being presented to Tom and then Don getting it, but all those other details were so amazing to hear and the miracle that came out of this when you could’ve lost everything, not just the song, but your house, and who knows what else. Thanks for all the years of music and continued success for you and your friends and family.
You're welcome, SThompson. Sincerely, Mike.
@@terrencequinn4125 lol!!!!😂
Mike is an great underrated guitarist and songwriter, and Boys Of Summer is one of the most beautiful and haunting songs ever written.
One of the all time great songs of any time, genre, style, ever. Timeless.
Hes not underrated. Underrated by who? How is he underrated? You mean people who never heard him? Explain
underrated; hardly!
@@jcripp7974
He's rarely featured in guitar magazines or mentioned when people are speaking of great rock guitarists - that's what happens when you're a backing musician for a major solo artist. Sure, the band was called Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, but everyone knows Tom Petty - the average rock fan probably couldn't name any members of his band. Same with Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band or Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (although Clarence Clemens is fairly well-known, and Max Weinberg became well-known for being the bandleader in Conan O'Brien).
@@jcripp7974 i don't understand you people on the internet that hear the term "under rated" and take it as a knock & get offended.... not sure where you're from but where I come from it is a compliment. Usually meaning as much as the man is respected for his talent, he actually has the skills, the chops & experience to be held in an even higher regard by a larger group of people. Even If someone says jimi Hendrix is UNDER rated, they just mean they personally think he's even better than the everyday avg joe thinks, it's never a cut down even when talking about someone widely considered to be the best. I had a guy threaten to track me down & kill me because I mentioned somebody was under rated one time & I don't know if you guys are misreading thinking it read "over rated" or if you were just never taught what under rated actually means
Mike Campbell is simply the coolest dude ever! He's the Tom Hanks of rock 'n' roll. You just can't NOT like the guy. He's so down to earth, humble, earnest & somehow relatable despite having achieved more than one can imagine & played with absolute Titans. I could listen to his stories endlessly. He needs a series to just tell his amazing stories!
The 3 note lead part over those beautiful chords is what pulls me in. Then, Don's lyrics and melodies are so melancholy and nostalgic, you are hooked. Amazing song.
I don’t really have the right words to express my appreciation for Mike’s encouragement here. For the past couple of years I’ve been writing songs with an ethic that I’ve heard stated by Tom Petty, Rodney Crowell, other great songwriters: basically, commit to writing a certain number of songs a week and just show up and do it. In doing that, I’ve come up with more than a fair share of clinkers, or ideas that I didn’t think had any traction. Every once in awhile I revisit one of those and realize that, being my own worst critic, I didn’t give the song the shot it deserved. Sometimes the song stinks, but I learned a thing or two in seeing it through. Mike’s right, stay on it, stay with it, don’t give up when things get difficult.
Mike, WE we're really lucky that you saved that song. It was released in 1985 and 37 years later Boys Of Summer has remained a classic and covered by many artists. There is no higher compliment or recognition than that. Also, someone here said you were "underrated" as a musician and songwriter. Quite the contrary. You and The Heartbreakers along with Tom Petty are the best American Rock Band to ever grace a stage. I know this to be true because I worked 22 years in Concert Production including 7 years as a Stagehand and there was simply no one better at performing live than you guys. I say phooey to underrated. You are considered one of the best by your peers and fans. You don't have the personality or antics of a Keith Richards but you certainly are up there in that upper echelon of guitarists. Thank you for sharing this with all of us. Boys Of Summer is one of those songs that will be around forever. It just goes to show that, you can start out with something so basic, change it around or rearrange it and without ever knowing what you got, it becomes a standard. I have watched Don Henley perform it live and it gives me goosebumps. I remember Don's solo tour in '85 at the Concord Pavilion where I was a Stagehand. Every song was perfect.
It's really impressive that Henley could impart such a perfect melody/lyric into a raw music bed track...and have it seem it was birthed at the origin of the song. I would love to hear Dons side of the story, and what he felt/imagined on first listen. That's what you call a mix of chemistry, magic and maybe a touch of divine intervention right there!
As a songwriter I needed that...I needed to hear that...🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏Thank you Brother Mike.
Mike is absolutely one of my favorite guitarists. Everything his does is super tasty. I have always loved boys of summer too. Used to listen to it with my mom when it first came out. Good memories. That song really captures a feeling. I thought it was so cool to learn he wrote the music. It’s amazing that the money from it saved his house from foreclosure too. Hehe.
Boys of Summer - Don Henley
In the Summertime - Mungo Jerry
School's Out - Alice Cooper
My top three summer songs.
I could listen to this guy talk all day long 😊
So grateful to this man for coming up with this arrangement for what would become "Boys of Summer".
The greatest song of the 80's and the film clip was perfect too. Mike's guitar on that track is his best work.
Love your stories Mr.Campbell. Thanks for sharing with us.
That's a beautiful VOX Super Beatle amp! A Super Beatle was the first amp I ever played through (we also ran our vocals and bass through it). There was a music store in Glendale, CA (and a sister store in Alhambra) called Pedrini Music. A true Mom and Pop independent store, back when Guitar Center was also a single independent store (across the street from where it is now on Sunset).
I grew up with one of the Pedrini kids, and when they got that VOX we immediately plugged in an Epiphone SG and a Precision bass and started playing Am/Dm7 - i.e.; Light My Fire. We were in the 5th grade.
Man I wish I had that amp today!!
Thank you for creating an all time classic. I get a summer vibe everytime i hear it, driving with the top down with a blonde babe in the passenger seat, hair blowing in the wind on a sunny hot day with the blue ocean on one side of the road.
Had zero idea he wrote that. Incredible song, incredible story.
Glad I’m not the only one who didn’t know anything about it
I didn’t know either. Wow.
I didn’t know either…and I know stuff. Huh.
Wow neither did I. Boys of Summer is my all time favorite song ever and takes me back to my teenage years in the early eighties every time.
Likewise! whenever I heard it, always felt the playing was super tasteful.
I love how Campbell presented the song to Henley, and Henley turns around and tells him, "I've written the best song..."
In the space of a car ride back home!
I think Henley added the lyrics.
That comment would have driven me to violins.
Woah, I never knew Mike wrote that music. What a treasure. One of the best songs I've ever heard. Beautiful. Love Mike.
Absolutely loved the back story. Also loved how Don slowed it down. That just hit me.
One of the most underrated song writers of our time. Thanks for your music.
One of my top five favorite guitarists of all time. Melodic, tasty, catchy, and always just right for THE SONG. Everything I want in a lead/rhythm guitarist.
Mike did his job and beyond that’s for sure. He’s melted into his guitars with no shred just beautiful music. Every note is precise and well delivered with perfect timing. 🤘🏻🎸🎶😎
I flew out of New Zealand and was in Sydney for a coupe of weeks and watched Boys of Summer on MTV back in the day for the first time and I couldn't get it out of my head for weeks if not months telling everyone it was something special, I was not wrong. Great story on a Great Song, thanks Mike
That song saved my life in 1984, 85, 86, 87. Glad we got it, due to miracles.
I told everyone this was a mike Campbell song for years. Had to explain to many he was the guitarist for tom petty. Followed this guy most of my life. Very underrated player. Great song writer. Fantastic even !
Changing key for your voice is the most magical thing. I didn't know about it until I did some quick test of my vocal range, which showed I'm most comfortable in an A or Bb key range. Just from knowing that one fact about my voice, I went from struggling to sing songs in G and E to being able to relax and have fun singing, and all because I was finally in the right key for my voice. I wish I had known that when I was jamming with friends years before that! I swear, it's like adjusting your chair for your height or wearing the right glasses prescription.
"Boys Of Summer" takes me back to vacation in Cancun Mexico in 1985. One of the few TV channels in the hotel had music videos and this was on frequent play. Great memories of being 23 year's old!
Mike and that sound...the counterpoints and fretless bass...timeless.
Campbell is an under appreciated gem. And Boys of Summer is the best solo song Henley ever did. Every time I hear the song it takes me back to high school in '78 and my girlfriend (whose brown skin did shine in the sun) right before our lives went in directions that we never could have anticipated.
I feel ya....that song also reminds me of an ex....her dad drove a cadillac too.
Mike Campbell is a genius and one of my favorite guitar players. One of those guys who always knows how to serve the song.
Merry Christmas Mike. Fascinating story. What a gift. Thank you. Feel blessed. 🙏 🎸
I have always LOVED this tune and had no idea Mike was behind it. It def has some of his,signature sounds on it. Just a beautiful track all around
Beautiful lyrics to a haunting tune = perfection
Thanks to Mike Campbell for the incredible track and work on this song. Also fantastic work on End Of The Innocence a truly gifted musician. I'm just stunned so many people never bother to read the album covers and information credits. I never knew it was Mike Campbell when I first heard it, by I sure did the second I bought the tape which was only days later.
Mike,
I had this on constant repeat in 1984, 1985, 1986, etc. Drove my family & friends nuts! 😅
This summer, as in many summers past, I’ll be opening the sunroof, rolling my windows down and cruising with this, one of my all time favorite tunes taking me back in time! ☀️😎🎸🎹🥁❤️🔥
Listening to the process and many Divine interventions is fascinating. I am certainly thankful that that the “almost didn’t happen,” happened!
This is a song that I literally melt into myself and let the FLOOD of my moments in life take me away from the best DAYS that were the 80's and living amongst "The Living" since most have now past on in my life....WHAT A SONG!
I stumbled upon this video today - oh my gosh. LOVED hearing all of these details behind the song! Mike, you are one of my favorite guitarists. What a delight to hear you talk about the process of writing this famous (for good reason) hit song.
Fantastic story teller. I was right there with the whole process and will have a new appreciation for Boys Of Summer from now on.
WOW. Incredible story of an INCREDIBLE song. One of the best songs ever made in my humble opinion. Any song that transports you is special.
One of the greatest songs and to think it almost didn't happen on so many occasions. Thank God that it did. So many great memories from this song
Had a hard time choosing between “when Doves Cry “ & “Boys Of Summer” for 1984 best song! Good memories! Also John Waite’s “Missing You “ !!!!!!
I remember this song when i was young like 10 yrs old , I'm 44 now and when I hear it , It just something about it, the beat, the beach sounds, the voice, I have it in my playlist still today, in my camptrip list, but I listen to it every other day 😊
My favorite song of all times, the only song that gives me goose bumps everything I hear it and I've heard it thousands of times
Don was fortunate to collaborate with Mike on that tune. Great tune, good to hear the backstory, Mike!
Beautiful song that always reminded me of the 1960's guitar work of Roger McGuinn and the Byrds. Thanks Mike for this musical masterpiece and Ken for uploading the video.
Very telling, how Mike describes the song saving his home he was about to lose to foreclosure...
We think these musicians are loaded with cash from their first hit, but it doesn't often work
that way.
@moparedtn I was surprised by that comment too. Plus the fact that he said "thanks to my wife" he had a 4 track Teac. The song was released in 1984 by which time Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers had achieved major world wide success and Campbell had co-written some of the band's hits. It's hard to see him as destitute at the time.
I’m guessing a lot of guys were getting screwed over before they got wise to publishing rights and stuff. The horror stories we’ve all heard. Jim croche passing having made almost no money. Unreal.
Tom petty and the Heartbreakers suffered for a long time fighting their record label and trying to change the pillaging record/music industry, they all suffered greatly as all p
I kinda wonder if he meant to say ‘close on’ instead of ‘foreclose on’?
Because he said “House we were about to foreclose on.” Obviously you don’t foreclose on your own house.
Plus at that time in the 80s interest rates on mortgages were crazy high. Prob over 10%. So if you had a bunch of money come to you would just pay your mortgage off.
I read the Tom Petty book, and there was definitely financial issues at times between the band members and Tom. Tom was very up front about it. Stan was the most outspoken about it.
I was stunned when I first learned that Mike composed this. That guitar melody at the end (the outro) is just frickin' _brilliant._ Simple but perfect for the song. It's my favorite part of the whole thing actually. Once I knew it was Campbell, I re-listened and heard that bit of "southern" picking toward the end (Mike is from Florida)... It all started to make sense. Stellar track! Great to hear the story of how it came to be. (...and how it almost _didn't_ ).
Classic song made by some classic guys what an era of music! How lucky we were
Amazing story !!! Fantastic chord progression meets perfect tempo and killer lyrics and singing !!
Ditto
One of the best tunes ever, definitely captures the feel and spirit of the subject.
So cool. No matter what tools he’s using, he makes something true. Love this tune. Classic.
Thank you Mike Campbell for the great story! Who don't have a the fondest memories of when we hear that song that first day on KLOS! Just awesome!
One of the best vocal performances of the eighties! Thanks for sharing the story Mike :)
Loved that song for ever. It had a very deep meaning for me because I was going though one of those hurtful breakups at the time. Heard the song, liked it. Then came the breakup, she dumped me. The song took on a whole new meaning.
That song still holds up. It always moves me. Thank you Mike…
I've been playing this song at almost every gig for that past 15 years. Never gets old. Never get tired of playing it. Never get tired of singing it.
Always great to see Mike Campbell. Magic song. Magic musician
What an amazing song. It invokes pure emotion as most Don Henley vocals do
Never realised Mike had such a hand in writing this classic. Good to see his "post heartbreakers" life is developing well.
Mike is such a treasure. 100% genuine too
Love the song by Mike and sung by Don and what a great telling of the birth of how it was created. Do musicians today even know how easy they have it in regard to equipment and tech when it comes to working in the studio? the hard part now is creating memorable songs like BoS as we all know, most music is pretty forgettable today.
One of the greatest timeless songs ever. Mike Campbell is one of the greatest sidemen in RR history.
Such a great sideman that I consider him a front man
Beautiful song about nostalgia and looking back at our youth
What I would give to just sit in that room and listen to mike tell these stories !!!!!!!!!! This has completely made my day 🙌
Fascinating story Mike. Thanks. These songs we hear don't just fall out of the sky do they? A lot of work an thought and analysis and discussion and pushing and pulling goes into it. Really enjoyed your rendition of the songs development and wishing you all the best.
This song, for me anyway, was QUITE haunting. I don't know why, but it was.... AND still is. The kind you never forget. And the kind that immediately takes you back to the time when it came out. And Haunted!
Very melancholic. Hauntingly beautiful song!
What a brilliant song. And how could anyone not possibly love Mike Campbell. What a legend.
great story Mike, this is one of my favorite songs of the 80’s and didn’t realize you co-wrote it, wrote the music, genius!
I love this song. It brings so many images into my mind and, like others have said here, takes me back to a time that means a lot to me.
I think a lot of great songs have elements of happy accidents. The structure of the Boys of Summer was not accidental but obvious getting all the parts and pieces to work together was accidental to a certain point.
A lot of advances were beginning to happen during the BOS era because so much of that now is done through the magic of electronics and computers.
You and Tom and the rest of Heartbreakers produced such classic songs I would think that you would just sit on those laurels and just retire. Yet you have not done that and are still producing good music. We are still indebted to you.
Oh, my God, this is Beautiful!!! Thanks for the lesson.
When he said “Tom”, and stopped, to specify it was Tom Petty, there was what I saw as a second of remembrance...
What a lovely story and an uplifting and well deserved ending for MIke and his family.
Thank you for the story - another dimension to a truly fantastic song ! 🙂