Johnny Can't Read

"Johnny Can't Read"
"Johnny Can't Read"
Single by Don Henley
from the album I Can't Stand Still
B-side	"Long Way Home"
Released	August 3, 1982
Recorded	1982
Studio	Record One (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	New wave; rock;
Length	3:24
Label	Asylum
Songwriter(s)	Don Henley; Danny Kortchmar;
Producer(s)	Danny Kortchmar
Don Henley singles chronology
Official audio
	"Johnny Can't Read" on YouTube

"Johnny Can't Read" is the first solo single released by American rock singer Don Henley, included on his debut solo studio album I Can't Stand Still (1982). His then partner, former model and actress Maren Jensen, performs harmony vocals with Louise Goffin.

It reached #33 in Cashbox magazine and charted at #42 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. The accompanying music video was very popular on MTV.^{[citation needed]}

Meaning

The song focuses upon reading illiteracy. The song also reflects Henley's respect for reading and his reading background. As he stated in the book Heaven Is Under Our Feet (1991),

"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

Cashbox called it "a wry rockin' romp about the woefully inadequate education most kids receive, [that] doesn't point the guitar at anyone in particular but considers the possible results of a frustrating situation."^[1]

Personnel

Musicians

Don Henley – lead vocals
Andrew Gold – keyboards
Danny Kortchmar – baritone guitar
Kenny Edwards – electric guitar
Bob Glaub – bass guitar
Mark Towner Williams – drums
Louise Goffin – harmony vocals
Maren Jensen – harmony vocals

Chart performance

Chart (1982)	Peak position
Australian (Kent Music Report)	49^[2]
US Billboard Hot 100^[3]	42
US Cashbox Top 100	33^[4]
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)^[5]	29

References

^ "Reviews" (PDF). Cashbox. August 21, 1982. p. 8. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, New South Wales: Australian Chart Book. p. 137. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "Don Henley Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
^ Downey, Pat; Albert, George; Hoffmann, Frank (1994). Cash box pop singles charts, 1950-1993. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, Inc. p. 155. ISBN 1563083167. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
^ "Don Henley Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 November 2020.