ea81 1984 GL Wagon headrests that seem frozen in place

[lrgvanman]

I have an ea81 1984 GL Wagon that has headrests that seem frozen in place. They won't go up or down. I would like to take 'em off for the simple act of putting on seat covers, otherwise, I guess I'll have to slit the top of the cover slightly and throw in a couple of stitches to close it back up.