Sunny Songs: Sunset Grill

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Sorry, but I’m not that unpredictable. You probably knew this song would be here; or, if you didn’t think about it on the list of “sun” songs, you’re not the least bit surprised now that you see it on the list. (It also means that Scarred will be rewarded for his patience tomorrow when we get to the Congregationalist preacher he’s been howling for all month! ) But first, this one. Sunset Grill - Don Henley It’s hard to tell where the synthesizers ended and the real horns (the album credits said there were real horns (played by co-writer/guitarist Danny Kortchmar) on the song). That was sort of a drawback then (now, who plays any instrument on a song, it’s all AI! ). But the vocals are real, and the sentiment is real. The boredom of life for both the narrator (“maybe we’ll leave come springtime, meanwhile, have another beer”) and the people he’s watching (“watch the working girls go back, watch the basket people walk around and mumble”) is real. Oh, and the Sunset Grill is real, too. It’s a dive of a hamburger joint on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. Back in the 80s, it was a favorite hangout of Don Henley’s. It was run by “an old man there from the old world,” Joe Froehlich, for 40 years. @TheHorse will appreciate the fact that it’s right next to a Guitar Center. Or maybe not: the change of the lyrics is reflected in real life. Sunset Grill Written by Don Henley, Danny Kortchmar, and Benmont Tench Recorded by Don Henley From Building the Perfect Beast, 1984 Stare out at the auburn sky: