Don Henley Had Bob Seger To Thank for the Feel of His Signature Song, “Boys Of Summer”

After Eagles split up, frontman Don Henley tried his hand at a solo career and found some success. His biggest hit came in the ’80s with “Boys Of Summer,” with lyrics that both look back on a failed relationship and perfectly describe the final days of summer. But Henley has fellow musician Bob Seger to thank for what became the song’s finished version.

Mike Campbell, the lead guitarist for Tom Petty, originally wrote the music for “Boys Of Summer” and presented it to Petty himself. However, Petty passed on it, as he felt it didn’t fit in with the album he was working on at the time, Southern Accents. Campbell eventually played it for Henley.

“We sat at opposite ends of a long table, and he put the cassette on,” Campbell said in an interview with Classic Rock. “He didn’t tap his foot or move his head. Just sat there, with his arms folded. He listened all the way through. I thought he hated it. He goes, ‘Okay, I’ll see what I can do with that.’ And I left.”

“Boys Of Summer” Was a Hit for Don Henley

Henley then wrote the song’s lyrics and took it into the studio. After it had been recorded and cut as a single, with seven-inch vinyls ready to go, Bob Seger stopped by the recording studio to visit Henley, which producer Niko Bolas recounted in an interview with Inside Blackbird.

“Everybody’s having drinks and celebrating, the record’s almost over, and Bob looked at Don and said, ‘Why didn’t you sing it higher? Chicks love it when you sing high,’” Bolas said. “Could have heard a pin drop. And Don looked at me, and he said, ‘What can we do?’”

Bolas then used his new AMS, which allowed for pitch changes, to make a cassette of the song’s instrumental with increasingly higher pitches. He and Henley spent the weekend experimenting with Henley singing the song in different keys before landing on one that felt right. The song was recut and remixed Monday morning, all without interfering with the release date.

“And I still hear it on the radio and I still smile,” Bolas said. “It’s a great, great record.”