"The End of the Innocence" is the lead single and title track from Don Henley's third solo studio album of the same name, released in 1989. Henley co-wrote and co-produced the song with Bruce Hornsby, who also performed piano; both artists perform the song live in their respective concerts. The single peaked at number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming his fifth solo top-10 hit on the chart. "The End of the Innocence" also became his fourth number-one single on the Album Rock Tracks chart. In Canada, it reached number three on the RPM Top Singles and Adult Contemporary charts. The song received Grammy nominations for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Henley ensured there would be two political comments in the video. At the line "armchair warriors often fail," it shows a TV set showing scenes of the congressional testimony of Oliver North. At the line "they're beating plowshares into swords, for this tired old man that we elected king," it shows a series of posters of President Ronald Reagan.
Personnel
Don Henley – vocals, drums
Bruce Hornsby – acoustic piano, additional keyboards
