“Dirty Laundry” by Don Henley

"Dirty Laundry" comes off I Can't Stand Still, Don Henley's 1982 debut as a solo artist, and it's the sound of a man with a serious grudge against the news business. Henley wrote it with Danny Kortchmar as a jab at mass media sensationalism, and the groove is slick and sardonic to match: Jeff Porcaro's drums locked tight, Steve Porcaro on keyboards, Roger Linn credited with effects, Timothy B. Schmit in the backing chorus, and not one but two guitar solos, from Joe Walsh and Steve Lukather. Henley produced it with Kortchmar and Greg Ladanyi.

It topped Billboard's Top Album Tracks chart in October 1982 before it was even a single. Once it went out as a 45, the album's second single, it sat at number three on the Hot 100 for three weeks and went gold.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.