Despite how successful or talented an artist is, they can still reflect on their earlier career and feel remorse about their mistakes. It might be a song they wrote, an album they had to release, or not making the right move. For instance, Scott Ian regretted Anthrax’s cover of Alice Cooper’s ‘I’m Eighteen,’ which was also coincidentally the song that helped John Lydon join the Sex Pistols.
On the other hand, the Who’s Pete Townshend also felt regret years after writing ‘Pinball Wizard’ because he believed it was a clumsy work. Like Townshend, Ozzy Osbourne and Dee Snider regretted recording some of their works too. As it turns out, Don Henley, the Eagles legend with numerous works in his music catalog, also feels remorseful while looking back on his career retrospectively.
Why Did Don Henley Feel Regret About His Music Career?
Don Henley was the drummer and co-lead singer of the Eagles between 1971 and 1980. However, he reprised these duties for the band’s reunions since 1994. Besides his career with the Eagles, Henley pursued a fruitful solo career. As of now, he has numerous hits under his sleeve, including ‘Sunset Grill,’ ‘Dirty Laundry,’ ‘The Boys Of Summer,’ and ‘The End Of The Innocence.’
Besides his two Grammy awards, the musician has sold over 150 million albums worldwide with the Eagles and over 10 million as a solo artist. Bearing in mind his extensive catalog and all of his achievements, it was surprising for his fans to hear that Henley had regrets about his career.
In a 2016 interview with Montreal Gazette, Don Henley revealed whether he wished he had a more extensive solo catalog. Henley stated that he regretted not making more solo efforts in the past. However, the musician said he was aware of his extensive music catalog with Eagles and as a solo artist. According to Henley, there are still many songs he can do in his set.
Here is what Don Henley told Montreal Gazette:
“I regret that I didn’t produce more work in the past — solo work. But on the other hand, when I tally it all up with the Eagles catalog and my solo catalog, there are a lot of songs there, you know? There are still songs I could do in my set. For example, I haven’t been doing ‘Taking You Home’ — because it’s f*cking hard to sing. But I’m not doing that; I’m not doing ‘Last Worthless Evening.’ I haven’t done ‘Wasted Time,’ but I might start doing that.”
So, it seems like Don Henley is aware that he has created a lot with the Eagles and as a solo artist. However, he apparently wasn’t satisfied with the five solo albums he released as he regretted not producing more solo work in the past. It is possible that he came to this realization when creating the setlists for his solo performances.
