Dirty Laundry – Don Henley

The song is about the callousness (and callowness) of TV news reporting as well as the tabloidization of all news. Henley sings from the standpoint of a news anchorman who “could have been an actor, but I wound up here”, and thus is not a real journalist. The song’s theme is that TV news coverage focuses too much on negative and sensationalist news; in particular, deaths, disasters, and scandals, with little regard to the consequences or for what is important (“We all know that crap is king”). The song was inspired by the intrusive press coverage surrounding the deaths of John Belushi and Natalie Wood, and Henley’s own arrest in 1981. Lines in the second verse, “Is the head dead yet?”, were likely inspired by the shooting of President Ronald Reagan in 1981, and specifically, the erroneous reports by all major news outlets that James Brady, Reagan’s Press Secretary, had died from his gunshot wound to the head.

 

When a Soldier Comes Home

 

WHEN A SOLDIER COMES HOME
This email is being circulated around the world – please keep it going
 

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When a soldier comes home, he finds it hard….
..to listen to his son whine about being bored.

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….to keep a straight face when people complain about potholes.

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to be tolerant of people who complain about the hassle of getting ready for work.

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…to be understanding when a co-worker complains about a bad night’s sleep.

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..to be silent when people pray to God for a new car.

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….to control his panic when his wife tells him he needs to drive slower.

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..to be compassionate when a businessman expresses a fear of flying.

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….to keep from laughing when anxious parents say they’re afraid to send their kids off to summer camp.

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….to keep from ridiculing someone who complains about hot weather.

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….to control his frustration when a colleague gripes about his coffee being cold.

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….to remain calm when his daughter complains about having to walk the dog.

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…..to be civil to people who complain about their jobs.

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…..to just walk away when someone says they only get two weeks of vacation a year.

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….to be forgiving when someone says how hard it is to have a new baby in the house.

The only thing harder than being a Soldier…

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Is loving one.

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Pass this on ~ Will you???