"Johnny Can't Read" is the first solo single released by

Don Henley Donald Hugh Henley (born July 22, 1947) is an American musician and a founding member of the rock band Eagles. He is the drummer and one of the lead singers for the Eagles. Henley sang the lead vocals on Eagles hits such as " Witchy Woman", " D ...

, included in his debut solo album ''

I Can't Stand Still ''I Can't Stand Still'' is the debut solo studio album by American musician Don Henley, drummer and co-lead vocalist for the Eagles. It was released in August 1982 by Asylum Records. Henley, Danny Kortchmar and Greg Ladanyi produced the album. '' ...

'' (1982). His then partner, former actress

Maren Jensen Maren Kawehilani Jensen (born September 23, 1956) is an American former model and actress, best known for portraying Lieutenant Athena in the 1978–79 television series '' Battlestar Galactica''. Jensen also made guest appearances in several US ...

, performs backing vocals. It reached #33 in Cash Box magazine and charted at #42 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''s Hot 100 chart. The accompanying music video was very popular on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

Meaning

The song focuses upon reading

illiteracy Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in Writing, written form in some specific context of use. In other wo ...

. The song also reflects Henley's respect for reading and his reading background. As he stated in the book ''Heaven Is Under Our Feet'',

"I began to read when I was five. My dad sometimes read me the 'Funny Papers' on Sundays and my mother, a college graduate and former schoolteacher, read to me almost every day from books. As I grew, she made sure that there was always reading material in the house that was suited to my age and ability."

As for his respect for reading, he stated, "American Literature, like the air we breathe, belongs--or should belong--to everybody."

Critical reception

'' Cash Box'' called it "a wry rockin’ romp about the woefully inadequate education most kids receive,

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mech ...

doesn’t point the guitar at anyone in particular but considers the possible results of a frustrating situation."

Personnel

* Don Henley – lead vocals *

Andrew Gold Andrew Maurice Gold (August 2, 1951 – June 3, 2011) was an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and record producer who influenced much of the Los Angeles-dominated pop/soft rock sound in the 1970s. Gold played on scores of rec ...

– keyboards *

Danny Kortchmar Daniel "Danny Kootch" Kortchmar (born April 6, 1946) is an American guitarist, session musician, producer and songwriter. Kortchmar's work with singer-songwriters such as Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, David Crosby, Carole King, David Cassidy ...

–

baritone guitar The baritone guitar is a guitar with a longer scale length, typically a larger body, and heavier internal bracing, so it can be tuned to a lower pitch. Gretsch, Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, ESP Guitars, PRS Guitars, Music Man, Danelectro, Sch ...

* Kenny Edwards – electric guitar *

Bob Glaub Bob Glaub (born May 10, 1952)Hageman, William (April 29, 2005)."The aces of bass: Five giants of an overshadowed instrument", Knight Ridder Tribune News Service. is an American bass player and session musician. He has played with such artists an ...

– bass * Mark Towner Williams – drums *

Louise Goffin Louise Goffin (born March 23, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and producer of the 2011 album ''A Holiday Carole''. Signed by record executive Lenny Waronker to DreamWorks in 1999, Goffin released ''Sometimes a Circle'' in 2002. She went ...

– harmony vocals *

– harmony vocals

Chart performance

References

External links

''Heaven Is Under Our Feet'', book by Don Henley"Johnny Can't Read" official music video at Dailymotion.com
{{authority control 1982 songs Don Henley songs Songs written by Danny Kortchmar Songs written by Don Henley 1982 debut singles