The Boys Of Summer (4:48)

“The Boys of Summer” has lyrics written by Don Henley and music composed by Mike Campbell (guitarist with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers). It is the lead track and first single from Henley’s 1984 album Building the Perfect Beast. The song’s music video (a French New Wave-influenced piece directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino) won a number of awards.

The song title is taken from the 1972 non-fiction book, The Boys Of Summer by Roger Kahn. Kahn’s “boys of summer” are the Brooklyn Dodgers and his book is a history of the team leading up to their victory in the 1955 World Series.

“The Boys of Summer” was a big hit, reaching number 5 on the U.S. pop singles chart and topping the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It was also a hit in the United Kingdom, reaching number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. A re-release of the single in 1998 also reached #12.

Henley won the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for the song.

“The Boys of Summer” was ranked #416 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The song was performed live by Henley with the reunited Eagles; a version is included on the group’s 2005 Farewell 1 Tour-Live from Melbourne DVD.