ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Dirty Laundry (Don Henley song)

Okay kiddo, have you ever worn your favorite shirt more than once without washing it? That shirt is called your "dirty laundry". Don Henley wrote a song about it, which talks about secrets people have that they don't want anyone else to know.

Imagine you have a secret that you don't want anyone to know, like you once took a cookie from the jar without permission. But if they find out, they could use it against you or make fun of you. So you keep this secret, just like how people keep their dirty laundry hidden away in a basket instead of showing it to everyone.

In the song, Don Henley talks about how everyone has dirty laundry, their own secrets, that they keep hidden away. He sings, "I make my living off the evening news / Just give me something, something I can use / People love it when you lose / They love dirty laundry." This means that people love to hear about other people's secrets and mistakes because it makes them feel better about themselves. But in reality, we all have our own dirty laundry that we don't want anyone to see.

So the song is really about how we all have secrets and that it's okay because everyone has them. It's important to respect other people's privacy and not judge them based on their secrets or mistakes. And remember to always wash your dirty laundry because wearing it more than once can lead to bad smells and infections!