Danny Kortchmar

Lore & Background

Danny Kortchmar's connection to the Eagles comes through his work with Don Henley, the band's co-lead vocalist and drummer. Kortchmar wrote the song "All She Wants to Do Is Dance," which became Henley's sixth solo single overall and one of his most commercially successful, peaking at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Top Rock Tracks chart. The song was released in 1984 on Henley's album Building the Perfect Beast. When asked about the song, Kortchmar recalled, "I had the groove and the music going. That record was made back when the technology had just started to really take over in music. I had one of the first Yamaha DX7s, which was a keyboard that was used a ton in the '80s, but we ended up luckily getting one of the first ones in the United States. It's a synthesizer keyboard, and I used it to get that sound that you hear the record starting with." The song critiques US intervention in Central America, particularly the Contra War, where the Reagan administration funded the Contras to overthrow the Sandinista government in Nicaragua.

In Their Own Story

In a Los Angeles studio, Danny Kortchmar sat at one of the first Yamaha DX7 synthesizers in the United States, dialing in the sound that would open "All She Wants to Do Is Dance." He had the groove and the music going, capturing the emerging technology of the 1980s. Backing vocals came from Patty Smyth of Scandal and Martha Davis of the Motels. The commercial U.S. 7-inch vinyl version featured a slightly different intro from the LP version on Building the Perfect Beast. Critics took notice: John Leland of Spin wrote "this mother whomps from the git with punchy electronic drums," while Robert Christgau called it "the simplest and most effective [song] on the record." Rolling Stone described it as "a caustic, dry-witted look at Americans abroad, partying obliviously in dangerous places."

Reader's Guide

Danny Kortchmar's role in the Eagles' orbit is defined by his work with Don Henley. He wrote "All She Wants to Do Is Dance," which was released as the second single from Henley's second studio solo album, Building the Perfect Beast, in 1984. The song became Henley's third to top the Top Rock Tracks chart and peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Kortchmar used a Yamaha DX7 synthesizer, one of the first in the United States, to create the song's distinctive opening sound. The song's lyrics critique US intervention in Central America, specifically the Contra War, where the Reagan administration funded the Contras to overthrow the Sandinista government in Nicaragua. Backing vocals were provided by Patty Smyth and Martha Davis. The commercial U.S. 7-inch vinyl version has a slightly different intro from the LP version. The song has also been sampled: David Guetta and Niles Mason's "All She Wanna Do Is Dance" uses samples of this song.

Did You Know?

• Danny Kortchmar wrote 'All She Wants to Do Is Dance' for Don Henley's second solo album, Building the Perfect Beast (1984).
• Kortchmar used one of the first Yamaha DX7 synthesizers in the United States to create the song's opening sound.
• The song critiques US intervention in the Contra War in Nicaragua during the Reagan administration.
• Backing vocals on the track were provided by Patty Smyth of Scandal and Martha Davis of the Motels.
• David Guetta and Niles Mason's song 'All She Wanna Do Is Dance' samples this track.