CRITICS Claimed Rookie Band IMITATED Legend’s Voice…Then They REPLACED Him at #1 | Professor of Rock
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- čas přidán 28. 12. 2023
- Coming up a great interview with a band that ruled the 70s… Dewey Bunnel and Gerry Beckley from the group America and the story of their biggest hit A Horse With Name is a whopper. First of all as rookies This debut single and the album it came from both hit #1… And to top it off, a Horse with No Name might be one the most unlikely #1s of its time…It wasn’t an obvious hit. It was very strange and haunting with vague lyrics that everyone got wrong! Was it about drugs, or acid, or about a painting? As fans tried to decode the lyrics, critics ripped this band apart over them and claimed singer Dewey Bunnell was imitating another legendary artist… it didn’t help that this band replaced that same artist at #1… Coming up we get some answers directly from the band on Professor of Rock.
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#classicrock #70smusic #vinylstory #70srock
Hey music junkies Professor of Rock always here to celebrate the greatest artists and songs of all time. Especially today. if you remember if you remember begging your parents to take you to ShowBiz Pizza Place as a kid. you’ll dig this channel of musical nostalgia Make sure to subscribe right now to get the stories straight from the legends click the bell do you always know when our stuff is hitting.
I’m excited to bring you another episode from our series Revelations- where featured artists go deep on their greatest songs and albums. Stories you won't get anywhere else. We have a great show today with one of the biggest bands of the 70s… they had From the 70s into the 80s this band had 11 hits including Many classics you know by heart but their signature song has one hell of a story. One you’ll want to hear. It’s a song that almost didn’t get released because it wasn’t a no-brainer hit. It was quite a strange song a little eerie with vague lyrics about a desert which is ironic since was written in Rainy England by a band made up of free guys who were ex-pats. I’m talking about America and their #1 hit A Horse with No Name. As rookies, this band hit #1 with their debut song and album and not many have done that in the history of rock. But it wasn’t without controversy.
Dewey Bunnel who wrote the song and performed the vocal took a lot of flack from critics about the lyrics and many claimed falsely that he was imitating a Legendary Singer-Songwriter who the band ironically replaced at #1. Up next find out who that artist was and hear what Dewey says about that along with his partner Gerry Beckley the principals of the band We’ll try to decode the meaning of the lyrics and song which has so many urban legends and how Gerry’s son talked him into letting a violent video game use the song decades later. Let's get into the interview. Here is America with the story.
Thanks for watching Leave us a comment about this all-time 70s masterpiece. What are your memories and thoughts on this song and the band America… What do you think of the lyrics… What do they mean to you? What about their other great songs…. Let us know in the comments. If you like our content join our community by subscribing to this channel below. Also, you can become an honorary patron to help us keep the music alive. Until next time, three chords and the truth. - Zábava
Poll: What is your pick for the greatest debut album of the 70s?
The Cars - The Cars
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath
Can't Buy A Thrill, Steely Dan.
Favorite debut single- Solbury Hill by Peter Gabriel 1977. Another example of great lyrics.
Um ... Boston?
Toto
Marshall Tucker Band
The cartoonist, Gary Larson (see note at end), did a one panel cartoon showing a gathering of famous horses who were all wearing stick-on name tags. There was Trigger, Silver, and a couple other horses in the panel. One horse was speaking in a quiet whisper to another about a third horse. He said, "That guy apparently inspired a hit song back in the 70s." The horse he was referring to, was wearing a name tag that had no name filled in.
(mightydorchux replied below and said the cartoon was not by Larson, but was actually by Leigh Rubin. I checked it out, and he is correct. I apologize for getting that wrong. The style is very similar, and I just assumed it was a Larson cartoon. Thank you, mightydorchux.)
I REMEMBER THAT PANEL!! I miss Gary Larson’s one panel humor….
I just had to look that up, very funny.
The Far Side was fantastic. Thanks for reminding me. My favorite was when Prof. (somethingorother) invented a device that could translate what dogs were saying when they bark. Turned out they were just saying, "hey! Hey! HEY!"
@@christopherwinkler4451 -🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Gary Larson is a true genius, practically without peer.
America pioneered the California sound in the early 70's. Ventura Highway, Sister Golden Hair, Horse With No Name and others were pure gold. They've earned their place in rock history, to be sure.
For sure!
However, they sullied their legacy with Muskrat Love.
@@MrDubyadee1
I liked that song as a kid, although I heard Horse With No Name first.
me too@@dmitryowens
I spent my first 40 years in Texas where I loved this band and especially this song. It was 22 years ago I moved to S. California after a horrible tragedy in my family forced me to need a place to hide, change my name, and start a new life.
19 years ago, by chance I found a 20 acre property in the mountains, a beautiful wild place with an amazing view of the whole Coachella Valley. It had a building site ready and the water meter already put in. The owners sold it to me for only $15,000 cash. It was to be an investment, but the more time I spent there, the more I never wanted to leave. So eventually, I didn't leave.
I've been living here for 17 years, and I understand the lyrics to this song much better now! I used to wonder what could be so special about "plants and birds and rocks and things" before moving here, but now I understand.
Alligator lizards are REAL, btw! They don't fly through the air, but they sure can bite hard. I love all the lizards here and there sure are a variety.
My favorite is the Leopard lizard. Very pretty animal, but has the most ridiculously long tail, it's comical. When it knows a predator is about to pounce, this little lizard puts on a show, acting like it's tail is so dang heavy (therefore, juicy bait for predators) it's struggling to drag it behind itself. Then the smug predator grabs the lizard's long tail... and that's all he gets because little lizard has scampered away safely, yelling "SUCKER!" in lizard lingo.🦎
For those of us who love the desert, it's a magical place. This morning I got up @ 6:30 AM to let my dog out. My 31 year old son stepped out onto the porch with me and said, "Mom! LOOK at this!" It was the sunrise, looking pretty much like thousands of sunrises we've seen here. We both watched the sliver of red sun burst on the scene, painting the mountains purple and orange. Spectacular! I'll never get tired of that. I never saw sunrises like that living in the city.
Just a note, they were military kids, not ex-pats. Saw them in 1972, the first concert I went to. Just saw them again last year at the same venue, it was a great concert.
As I'm a Limey myself (born in Manchester, Lancashire), does that genuinely make a difference? Just asking...
@ylor7082 I believe it does. It explains their name, why they came back to the States, and why they so tightly embraced the California soft rock sound.
@@sister_bertrille911 Also explains why most of their album titles were one word starting with the letter H. Think about it.
As a black women whose dad was a jazz musician I grew up listening to AM radio. America and Bread spoke to me so loudly. I still love lyrics so BTS is so appreciated now. My other diehard groups are INXS, Manhattan Transfer, U2 Basia and Sergio Mendes
Besides America, I also love Basia and Sergio Mendes. All of them, even America, have a bit of that Latin jazz influence. That first Everything But The Girl album, Eve, is probably my favorite of that genre.
Interesting I love to hear other cultures upbringing and influences
That's a pretty authentic 80s cross section of bands.
Yes to Manhattan Transfer and Sergio! I was crazy for the jazzy harmonies of the former and the blended voices of Lani and Janis in Brazil '66. Remember that song "Pretty World"? Just gorgeous.
What is BTS?
You know you're getting old when this podcast makes you weepy with nostalgia! These guys look amazing for 70s irons ❤
Thanks for watching Suzy!
"A Horse With No Name" was so visual. You can picture everything he's singing about. I always love listening to it because it takes me on a journey every time.
Exactly right. The song is proof of why music is a listening experience. You hear the song and see the pictures in your head. I do not like music videos. Just listen to the music. Listening to music and seeing the vision in your head is akin to reading a book and you picture it all in your head aka imagination.
"A Horse With No Name" was one of the first songs the Navy played on the flight deck of the USS Guadalcanal while we sailed through the Suez Canal to the Gulf War.
That horse HAD a name. Its name was Blaze, and the singer never bothered to learn it. Feeling ignored, Blaze changed its name to Wildfire, and a couple of years later was memorialized in the song by the same name.
by michael martin murphy! i cried and cried at wildfire. he and janice ian wrecked my childhood with their depressing songs. 😢
@@samanthanickson6478 I was a kid, too, when I listened to the words of that song and when the horse broke down and died.....so did I. (waaaaah!) There were a LOT of just bummer songs back then, weren't there?
@@samanthanickson6478 I saw him perform “Cowboy Christmas” at Pomona College Auditorium in Claremont two times. A great show! (Blue Sky Riding Song was my favorite by him😁)
@@samanthanickson6478 add Gilbert Sullivan. Alone again naturally. Don't forget the razor blades.
😂
I never once associated this song with Niel Young, I never tried to figure out what the song meant. Interments and vocals blend so well together that you hear a melody of everything as if its all fused together as one. Its not what the meaning of the song is, its what it means to you.
I alway thought they were ripping off Roby, Falk, and Bod ab3 piece acoustic group out if the DC metro area who put an album out a bit b4 America did.
I thought it was Neil Young when I first heard it.
The harmonies with the reverb are what make it so ethereal and memorable for me, as well as the lyrics.
I can’t thank you enough for drawing attention and giving tribute to these great 1970s groups. That was a decade of so much talent vocally,lyrically and musically. So wonderful that they are being introduced to a whole new generation, and not forgotten thanks to your CZcams!
Back when (most) musicians did it for the love of the music, not just because they could be famous and rich.
This golden-haired desert girl knew exactly what they were singing about. Loved the song, and their subsequent releases as well. Very engaging music, that drew one into the picture being lyrically painted, and carried along by the rhythm. Pure artistry!
As a kid, when A Horse With No Name was always on the radio, I was adamant that it was OBVIOUSLY Neil Young singing. I was shocked when my friends showed me America's album, proving me wrong. Now, 50 years later, it's interesting for me to hear the actual singer acknowledge that even he thought he sounded like Neil!
Thanks for sharing!
I'm shocked right now. I thought it was Neil Young😂
Never thought it was Neil Young... Then again I never knew Sting did the introduction to 'money for nothing' until the professor professionally proffered the positive publication of proof.
Me too! I still think it's secretly Neil.
I remember thinking it was Neil for about a minute.
This song got me very curious about them at a young age, and then Sister Golden Hair got me hooked... Finally saw them in concert a few years back and they drew almost 10,000. Not too bad 50 years later!
I believe it! So many hits! What would you like to see next from them?
Honestly, either Tin Man or Lonely People would be fascinating. Both seem so original...
Sounds good!@@flavellinator
Where did you see them? It sounds like a huge, huge venue.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 The Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, CA. It's at the Orange County Fairgrounds and I believe they played while the fair was happening...
I just heard this song yesterday being played by someone on a bicycle. I'm always excited to hear it and said to myself that I'll never get tired of it. I always get the same eerie but pleasant emotion when it plays.(I was in junior high when it came out). And in that moment I realized it's one of my favorite songs ever.
Harvest was a big deal to me, too. My parents didn't play pop radio, so I had just started hearing it on the school bus. (My parents bought me my own radio, which I still have!)
The local radio station ran a contest to name the horse. I didn't feel sorry for the horse. I was sure the horse and the rider were glad to run free by the cool and refreshing sea.
One of the nicest groups out there. Dewey and Gerry are fantastic, aside from their music they are really good guys and good people. America is such an underrated group. Lifelong fan. I’m not sure about their chart success here in Australia but they are EVERYWHERE here, on the radio, on stereos, on playlists, in concert. EXTREMELY popular here❤️
DeidreaL9 ,Aloha from Hawaii🤙🏽
@@hookipaboy3412 aloha🤗
America is a band that I always forget how much I like until I hear them. Love this song! My favorite has always been "Tin Man." More interviews from these guys would be wonderful!
I was an adult before the line "Oz never did give something to the tin man, that he didn't, didn't already have" hit me... I heard the lyrics for years, but didn't really HEAR them...
Neil Young copy all the way
I heard an interview years ago on the radio with them telling the story about the record companies reaction when they played the unfinished demo of the song. The story was they needed one or two more songs to complete the album for the U S release. Warner Brothers asked if they had any more material. They said they had this song that wasn’t completed yet and I thought Duey said something like he wasn’t really keen on it. The record company said well let’s hear what you got. They played the demo tape of the unfinished song and the room went into stunned silence. The next words spoken were “ kid, finish the song”. One of my all time favorites, and the story is priceless if I remember it correctly.
1/1/2024 I love this song. I was 15 years old and on a trip to Arizona. I spent many years visiting the desert during Spring break. I knew the song by heart and sang it many times while heading to deserts. I still sing this song regardless of where I am. Personally I never had a need for the horse's name. It was the total description of being in the desert. There is a beautiful connection between the desert and the sea. Thank you America for one of my favorite songs.
Professor, this is my special “Dad” moment like you have shared so many times with us about your father. This is my Dad’s favorite band. Him and I still bond over listening to them. So grateful to still have him with me. One day when I hear this and all their other great hits it will hit me different when I can’t listen with him. So grateful for music. It is so healing!
I was 7 when this song hit the airwaves. If the desert could be expressed in music, this was it. The repetitive guitar strums and lyrics were mesmerizing, and it actually sounded "dry." I didn't think much about the deeper meaning of the words, but the journey resonated with me, and riding on a horse with no name through the desert was spellbinding. Great song that takes me back to 1972 every time.
Yes, I was a year or so older, but it gave me images in my head the way few songs do.
Thank you for highlighting America. Lovely music-great memories. I saw them at BYU in 1973 and I remember they were surprised how the audience were “paying attention” ( not stoned or drunk) and were very grateful (lots of applause) for them coming to our school. Have some great b&w photos of them that night! Little hunks!! ❤
This band and especially this album were delightful and mysterious for me as a kid. I was very young when this landed, but music was such a part of even the youngest kids' lives back then that we all bought singles as often as we bought gum or toys. Once, we kids all sat around drawing pictures inspired by this song. While we drew our pictures, we sang the song over and over, eventually coming up with our own "observations" about the desert. We were so creative and it was all inspired by this amazing song. Thank you, guys. It was a slice of rare magic.
i learned D6/9 from this song and used it many times
As a child, I got Horse with No Name and Heart of Gold confused! I even thought Horse was by Neil Young until I got educated. I love both of them; they're a major part of my childhood.
Thanks for watching!
With Crazy Horse?
My older brother bought Neil Young's _Harvest_ album and I loved it at first listen! I was about 8 years old and didn't know many different artists. When we heard the first side and he flipped the record over so we could hear side 2, I asked him, "Is Horse With No Name on THIS side? I love that song!"
Being a typical big brother, he punched me and called me stupid.🤨
At least I was right about a lyric in "Horse w/no Name". I was singing, "In the desert you can't remember your name 'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain..."
He "corrected" me and told me that it's not "no one for to give you no PAIN" but instead it's "to give you no "bade"... as in the past tense of "bid" (I _bid_ you good day, sir)😕
You weren't born when this came out
@@roberturibe3150 They could have heard those songs 10 years ago for their first time. They said nothing in their post about being around when the songs first came out.
I get Leadbelly confused with Blind Lemon Jefferson sometimes, but I wasn't born when they recorded either. What's your point?
Nostalgia😢😢😢Those were the best times of my life, and those were the worst times of my life! This band, AMERICA, got me through it all. At a loss for words…Great episode Professor! More please❤
Ventura Highway, all their songs!
I can't think of this song without laughing, because of a fun memory. My husband and I always name our cars, until one was gifted to us when we couldn't afford to replace our broken down Subaru. After driving it in New Mexico for a few years, we were on US 550 when this song came on. At the same time, we both came up with "I drove through the desert in a car with no name..." 😂
Thanks for sharing!
Very funny.
In a SUBARU with no name, to be exact!
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 No, the Subaru was Goldie. The Nissan that was given to us had no name for at least 2 years.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 a Milky Way with no name?
This has to be one the most laid back tunes of its era. It's impossible to listen to it without being hooked by its mesmeric rhythm and harmonics. It also has the rhythm of horses hooves at times in the percussion which comes and goes
Yes, it makes the listener feel like we’re moseying along on a horse, getting delusional in the desert southwest on that long journey w/them.
One of my favorite bands. So many great songs. Excellent interview. Sad that Dan Peek is no longer with us. I was a little child when "A Horse with No Name" came out, and I tried to figure out what it meant. Now, as an adult, I'm so glad that the meaning of some songs isn't gift wrapped for us, and we can interpret them as we choose. Sometimes we interpret them differently when we enter other phases in our lives. "A Horse with No Name" and "Hotel California" are two examples in my life.
We talked about Dan Peek! What a great singer and writer!
I thought it was about what he found in the desert traveling on his horse with no name.
me and my girlfriend were staying in a hotel in portland , me. she made great money and i was drawing unemployment, we kept saying we had to get out of this hotel and find an apartment but we partied too much and lived high on the hog, we had half our meals at the hotel and it was hella expensive, we stayed there for about 7 months, we were married for 30 years before she passed away, Hotel California was our song.
@@ProfessorofRock I've listened to this interview twice, didn't hear Dan's name once, and I thought it odd that he had no relevant contribution to the song.
I always enjoyed America's music. They were one of the great mellow-rock bands that emerged in the 1970's. They had a great 10-year stretch of hits spanning from their 1972 #1 hit "A Horse With No Name" to their other #1 hit in 1975 "Sister Golden Hair" to their final top 10 hit in 1982 "You Can Do Magic". All great songs.
I always forget You Can Do Magic was by the same band!
Unicorn
I was born and raised in California, grew up listening to America on KFRC AM in San Francisco (Dr. Don Rose) but didn’t have or take the opportunity to see them live. If you like America and you get an opportunity to see them live, DO IT. I saw them summer of 2022, in the city of Layton Utah of all places, and they were amazing! Such talent! Such great memories listening to their music!
Loved Dr. Don Rose! I'm sure you know the story how he used his radio earnings to buy Bay Area land. He was a multimillionaire!
I discovered _America_ in the early 90s. Although they'd always been in the background, this group really came into focus for me at that time and I just loved their simple, sincere sound and clear lyrics. Every song was nice to listen to, and a breath of fresh air from a prior era.
These guys were Air Force brats, like I was, during the '70s. The only time I saw them in concert was in '77, I think, at the old Salt Palace in Salt Lake City with Horse being the Encore song. Great concert!
First time I heard them on the radio was when Dad was stationed at Chanute AFB (01/72 thru 12/74) and that was on WLS out of Chicago. Wonderful memories!
I saw them at the Salt Palace in the 80’s - the Utah Jazz treated their fans to a free concert following an NBA game
Great interview with a couple of the nicest guys in the business, Gerry and Dewey of America. I’d love to see you do a video comparing the lyrical styles of Dewey, the hippie poet, with his magical word pictures of songs like Ventura Highway, Tin Man, and Horse With No Name, compared to Gerry’s tightly crafted love ballads like I Need You, Sister Golden Hair, and Daisy Jane. Two distinct styles and two very different individuals, who created such a compatible and harmonic band together…and maintained that level of excellence for five decades. An incredible feat!
I'm always amazed at the many, awesome interviews you are able to procure! So interesting to hear the details from the actual artists. I was born in 59, so many of these groups and their songs were a staple in my life. Thanks for your hard work and taking us all down memory lane.
I so enjoy the back stories! I was in radio from 68-72, and played them when they were new! I still play them. Taught my oldest grand daughter,( 11 ). California Dreaming and Horse with no name on her guitar! She loves them! Keep doing what you’re doing! God Bless!
A Horse With No Name was a song 2 pilgrim friends and I were singing walking across Spain into the town of Pontferada. We were from Italy, Lithuania, and Canada. It was about 32 degrees Celsius out, stinking hot and dry. The tune fit the day perfectly. Still sing it every time I replicate walking in the heat.
As a college student in Spain ‘92, this song reminded me of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. After I graduated, it brought to mind a couple USA roadtrips and hikes in the desert SW USA or maybe a Cormac McCarthy novel like All The Pretty Horses. Point being, and like they said it has a lot of meanings. Most of all, I think it suggests the delusions one might have on a long journey through the desert (on a horse w/no name) and all the mysticism it conjures.
America's debut album features mostly acoustic guitars, which aren't considered loud nor punchy instruments. But if one loudly cranks up a high-quality remastered version of that album, those three acoustic guitars jump right out of the speakers with a stunning degree of punch and impact.
Thank you so much for covering this very underrated group. GREAT interview as always.
Of their 5 major hits, the dark horse 🐴 Sandman, was the trippiest.
I agree! Such a cool song.
I thought of "Sandman" being interesting lyrically and I suspect it was one of their FM radio airplay tracks. But I have not found evidence of it charting anywhere in the world. What chart did you mean listed it as one of America's five major hits?
"Sandman" was a great song, but was not one of America's US Top Ten hits, of which they had seven. I don't think it was a single, though it was on some compilations.
Definitely.
Sandman and You Can Do Magic are awesome too!
Great band! I met Dewey and Gerry a few years back. They are very nice people. Took my sister-in-law to see them in concert about four years ago when she was 49. She didn't know who they were! I said, "How the hell do you not know who America is!" She is a fan now.
You do those mystery intros very well -- just enough hints to intrigue folks, not enough to give it away, always with just the right spin to intrigue folks into listening more. Nicely done!
Horse was the first song I learned on guitar. Now in my sixties, I took my guitar to work and pulled it out at the end of he day. I hadn’t made it through 2 bars and one of my coworkers said, “I know that song !” And started singing it. Not everyone knew the words, so phones started lighting up lyrics. Soon we had a quintet singing and other coworkers coming to see what was going on. A wonderful time playing a great classic by America.
Thank you for covering this great band! As a child of the 50's the 70's is the soundtrack to my life in small town Idaho. "I Need You" is probably my most favorite song by America
I saw America quite by accident. They were playing a bar right outside of Olympic Park in Atlanta during the games. We were just wondering about and heard 'Horse' in the air. We followed the sound and were rewarded with a full set of greatest hits. It was magical
Thanks for sharing!
When was this?
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 I believe that was 1996
This is my second favorite America song. Ventura Highway is numero uno. And the best lyric in that song is: Wishin' on a falling star,, watchin' for the early train. Sorry boy, but I've been hit by Purple rain." So I guess I'm not the only one that liked this song.
We covered it. Would you like to see that one next?
I learned how to do hammer-pulls in order to play that song.
It’s just such a beautiful song.
Neil Young has always been my favorite musical artist and always will be. I can honestly say that I've listened to America's first album, and Horse with no name in particular as much as I've listened to anything released by Neil Young, except maybe the album Harvest, which I listened to every single day of my senior year in high school in 72-73. I remember when Horse with No Name became #1, replacing Heart of Gold for the number one spot, but I never gave it a second thought because having the pleasure of hearing Heart of Gold and Horse with No name on the radio constantly for so many weeks was like a dream come true! I'll be retiring in about a year at the age of 70, and will hit the road starting with Route 66. You can be assured that America and Neil Young will be blaring out the open windows of my Dodge Challenger from LA to Chicago, along with hundreds of other favorites from the 60's to the present! Thanks once again Adam, and keep up the great work you do!
Those are two of my all time fav's as well.
May you have a blast living the dream, my friend!
I love that song! Thanks so much for bringing it to the front. Your show is really fun. I’m 71 and it’s a joy to have you bring these great songs back into our heads….and share them with some new heads.
"I need you" is one of my favs. "Horse with no name" is great also. I've had their Greatest Hits CD for years. It's one of my favorite goto CDs. Great episode.
One of those songs that give that feeling and a sense of nostalgia
Takes you right back! What would you like to see next?
@@ProfessorofRock well I would suggest Cardiacs but might be a bit obscure and odd , but tbh we were listening to Cream Disraeli gears so perhaps something of that era
It’s definitely a song that takes you right back to the early 70s.
It is great to finally get the inspiration and artistic meaning behind this masterpiece! I always thought about trying to find yourself by going to the vast openness of the desert and the horse didn't need a name because he was just the vehicle. I always play this on every road trip of any length. Fantastic interviews of 2 fantastic artists Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley, great insight into their music that shaped the sound of the greatest musicial era in my humble opinion.
I'm glad you liked it! They're great guys!
Going out and just exploring is a carefree thing to do.
What a great interview. I always loved this band as a kid and now I finally meet two of the band members and learn they are as down to earth as their music from the 70s. Thank you
The soundtrack of my youth..woven inextricably in my heart.
I still love America today. In fact, my 2023 Spotify said that was the band I listened to the most this year.
AMERICA is one of those bands where I didn't know where they came from or where they went or anything about their story yet their songs were always there and pleasing but kept me wondering what they were about. I now know a lot more about them. The most fascinating thing about them I have ever heard is their association with music producer Sir George Martin. In an interview he described his work with AMERICA and it was is if he needed them as much as they needed Martin. He had just come off of producing so many hits with the Beatles and when it was over both he and the industry wondered if his career was over. Was he anything without the Beatles? He gave his all with AMERICA and their first album had hit after hit. It also gives you some understanding about how this young band from nowhere could have made such a huge splash. Synergy is an awesome force when two things come together and are greater as a whole.
So cool! Thanks for commenting!
The great George Martin also produced the debut album by the supergroup American Flyer.
Sir George Martin worked with a lot of artists beyond the Beatles and America.
This is one of the songs I liked when I was a kid. I liked horses 🐎. I also wondered why didn't the horse have a name? Our horses had names: Frizy, Gipsy, and Freddy. They knew their names and came when I called them to come.
Ha ha! Thanks Catherine. Did you ever see these guys live?
@@ProfessorofRockNo
They say the horses name repeatedly in the song. His name is, ready for it? "Horse With No Name"
Same here! I grew up horse-crazy, but lived in the city so my only outlet was going to this really fun Summer camp that was ALL about horses. My dream was to someday have a few acres where I could have horses and goats, and any other animals I want to give a home.
I loved this song the first time I heard it
I was 40 when I left my home city and moved 1500 miles to S. California. I actually needed a place to hide from the freak that murdered my father, but that's a long terrible story. I came to California for a BIG do-over!
Yes, I did get to fulfill my dream of owning a horse (two). Sancho was a quarter horse/Arabian mix and adorable. Bubba was the 30+ old horse that I adopted because he was starving to death at a stable where his former owner abandoned him. Poor old Bubba had no usable teeth, so my vet did what he could about his teeth, and I fed Bubba soft mushy food until he was sleek and beautiful again! He lived another 3 years, when I didn't think he would make it a week at first. I never rode Bubba because for me, he earned his retirement and I wanted him to feel free and loved after so many years of being a spoiled brat's "lesson horse" only to be abandoned.
Giving Bubba those 3 happy years is one of the most fulfilling things I've done in my life. I truly loved that "ol' man" even though I never rode him. He just followed me around the ranch and kept me company, as a good friend does! I put a light pack on his back to carry water and a few tools, but he didn't mind. I think he liked being helpful.
I gave Sancho to an equine rescue after I got hurt in a fall and decided I'm too old for this, and too poor. Now I focus on my goats whom I love very much.
@@LazyIRanch Frizy was a Welsh pony 14 hans. Gypsy was 1/2 Arabian and Appaloosa. Freddy was a Pinto. Nice to hear about your horses.
What an utterly joyful and COOL interview. I actually had to stop the video and transcribe a few of the wonderful insightful lines shared by these guys. Thoughtful, reflective, humble! I am more
In awe than ever.
Loved everything about this interview!!! Thank you🏜🐴💖
Coming up, my exclusive in-person interview with Professor Of Rock will be released next year. Yet there’s a preview at 51:24 in my just released “Top 20 Best Songs Of 2023.” 🙂 For the record, he’s a nice guy in person.
Cannot wait! I want POR to interview me as a music fan as well.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 You can see a sample of the interview on my channel in my video "Top 20 Best Songs Of 2023" at 51:24. It's the most recent upload.
One of the most iconic songs ever! Who doesn’t know this song? Seriously a favorite, also love Ventura Highway and many others. Miss Dan too!
Agreed. They had a lot of great hits. Did you ever see them live?
These songs are so classic.
Another great interview and corresponding storyline! I grew up as America came to prominence in the early 70's. I bought the Horse With No Name 45, then went later and got the album. America's catalog has stayed on my radar during the digital age. I've only seen them live one time after Dan (RIP) had left the band. It was a bit strange without Dan Peek, but the show was awesome. I also learned the basic rhythm on the acoustic guitar in the early 70's. It took several years before I realized that there was a different tuning. Great memories. Thanks for sharing.
Beautiful interview. My memory is that "Horse" was THE first song that I ever heard on the new AM/FM radio that my folks bought me when I was in first grade in 1971. Wonderful, warm, beautiful memory. Thank you for this. It was fantastic.
Another gorgeous song from my childhood. Play it still. Those harmonies with those guitars; sublime. Song haunted me when i was a kid. 70's singer songwriters were mystic "gods".❤❤❤❤
Agreed!
It’s very haunting.
Their music has massive esoteric vibes.
I used to ask people, "Is it possible to miss something you've never had?" Horse made me feel that way.
Best debut albums of the 70's? You have to include Outlandos d'Amour on the list.
Great song, great memories, and great interview! Thank you Professor!
First - I’m a recent subscriber. As a child of the 60’s and 70’s, and a life long music lover, I’m having a great time popping on to the channel for a big bite of nostalgia! Adam your channel is first rate, top of the heap in every way - content, production, diversity, surprises and more. And I doubt that there is a more hard working, mega knowledgeable host on You Tube than you. Terrific channel!
I probably remember my experience over America’s first album more than any other - ever. My older sister bought the album for me, thought I might like it. I was really into playing acoustic guitar at the time. Loved the cover (still a major favorite) so quickly opened it up for a spin on my stereo. I just about lost my mind listening to A Horse With No Name!!
Acoustic flavored rock was my thing, and I immediately knew this was a group that I would adore and follow. Loved the entire album, only thing on my turntable for many days. I can still see the album cover propped up against my stereo shelf. Highly recommended it to any one that would listen. And have to say, it was the perfect first play for the girl you had over to the house to listen to records. Ahh…. Good place to end this comment.
I love that they used a cover version of this song in a Bojack Horseman episode. A perfect song for an effectively moving episode.
We talked about it but it got cut.
Great show.
I have never seen it.
I love your Police TV shirt, Adam. I also like that there's multiple ways of construing the ambiguous lyrics.
THanks Trina! Such a fab song. Have you ever seen them live?
@@ProfessorofRock No, I sadly haven't, but I would love to.
Such a great song and band! Can’t wait to hear what else you discussed…Sister Golden Hair has always been a favorite to sing along to. And then there’s Lonely People, Tin Man, Ventura Highway, and so many more. Had the privilege of seeing them quite a few years back at a local amusement park, and they are one of those groups that sound as good today as the day the songs were recorded…if not better!
This was always one of my favourite songs coming on the radio. As I got older, I discovered the band behind the song and their other masterpieces. Saw them at the state faire in Dallas somewhere around 2003 or 2004. Great show. Didn’t play anything I didn’t know. They have such a huge catalog of hits.
Man Man Man I love this song and band! The song just takes me away from the humdrum moments that happen in life. Thanks for the music that is absolutely a medicine for the SOUL
Have you done an episode about "Sister Golden Hair"? That's by far my favorite America song. It's so beautiful! I'd love to hear what these guys have to say about the song.
so happy to see my fave band America performing here in Cebu, Phil.is in the late 80s . so glad they could perform in our small island. they sang all my fave their songs,it was one of those nights you cant forget.thank you America for sharing your music this part of the world.thanks also Prof.
This was one of the first songs I learned to play over 40 years ago (that incomprehensibly swift passage of time terrifies me!) because a friend gave me a tablature book of songs with it in there.
It was easy to play for a beginner, but more importantly, it sounded _lovely!_
From there I switched to electric, then to bass, and then to funk/slap bass (it was the 90s. FNM, RHCP and all that).
Now, in my 50s, I've gone full circle and returned to the gentle old acoustic malarkey (in fact I'm sat here with two of them, having literally just put one down to watch this!), and my youthful enthusiasm is renewed.
I've only just started watching the video, but thank you in advance for posting it Mr Reader!
My favorite band, superb vocals and arrangements. A moment to also acknowledge original third member, RIP Dan Peek - sadly missed...
Dan was such a great vocalist! We talked about him a lot in the interview.
@@ProfessorofRock Thanks for that - it would be interesting in the future to see that discussion, he was a complex man, very compassionate.
Will do!@@marktubeie07
R.I.P. At only 61. 😢
This is what I love about the music we have enjoyed in the 60's right through to the 90's. I grew up a hard-core fan of rock and roll, heavy metal and grunge, but there's always the not so evident love of acoustic and cerebral elements that bring about reflection in our lives, and America was at the top of that list. When you were hungover from all that violent energy of Rock, bands like America regrounded you in life. Rock on bros and sisters 🤘
Thanks Rabby! I appreciate your comments!
What would you like to see next?
How about an episode on producers, engineers or even session players like the Wrecking Crew?
And Karen Carpenter and David Gates were there to say, “Slow down, go easy on it sometimes”
One of my favorites of all time! Listen to this one whenever I feel the need to reflect on nature. One of my other favorites from America is "Ventura Highway"...in fact I was out in California on a business trip...had my phone hooked up to the car's stereo on shuffle...and wouldn't you know...I was on the Ventura Highway and the song came on...just perfect timing!
Happy New Year everyone!!! Wishing everyone great things in 2024!!!
Good call!
Ventura Highway is my favorite song by them.
What a legendary group. Always brings back memories. Great interview!
The band is better than the county right now..........
I always thought Horse with no name was simply a song about getting out of the spotlight and away for some R & R in seclusion. For example: it was good to be out of the rain or out of the noise of public attention ... where in the desert you can't remember your name (your fame) and where there ain't no one for to give you no pain or where there is no pressures from agents, producers, critics, schedules, gigs, fans, etc. I never thought of it as a simple travel-log dreaming of the USA desert while experiencing England's steady raining. I'm almost 70 and was 15 in 1969 -- a child of the 60's. "Cream" was my first purchased 8 track tape.
That's the thing with obscure lyrics ; you can pin your own creativity on them.
The rain, in this case being the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
❤
America!
Great soft rock band!
Dewey Bunnell had a great mellow voice.
And I will give the horse a name......... Roger. 😂😂
Thanks Professor!
Have a great Friday!
Kinda like Bread.
My brother and I started singing together doing the songs on the first album when it came out, with the America songbook, on his 12-string Yamaha acoustic. So many great songs on this album. Such a great time in music history, CSNY, Buffalo Springfield, Byrds, Beatles, Beach Boys, Eagles. All great harmony songs to sing.
Just a classic interview… thank you (-:
Love this band! Cool to hear the background. Saw them in ‘77 in Oklahoma. “Lonely People” is still my favorite!🤘🔥
Yes! How was the show? Did they cover all the hits?
@@ProfessorofRock They sounded fantastic! Vocals and Music were great! And yes all the hits!!
Good show but I would've liked to have heard, Dan Peak, mentioned.
That’s a great song! I remember when it first came out! I don’t know music theory, so I can just put that sound down to sounding “eerily different”. I do know I love it!
While I don’t ride horses, I’ve driven through the California and Nevada deserts quite a bit. On some occasions I would see wild horses. The desert is so beautiful, and the scenery of horses in the desert is truly special! So of course every time I saw horses in the desert I would start singing that song. When others in the car know the song, and the words to it…. what an awesome sound while ripping down the road! Thanks America for the wonderful music! Great interview, professor! 🐴🧲
After watching these guys I realized how old we are getting. As a Top 40 DJ, this was one of my favorites to play. I play it often in the car and at home.
A Horse With No Name is Americas only top 20 single here in Australia peaking at 2 on May 1 1972 ;they never made higher than 28 since with Ventura Highway in feb 1973 and Sister Glden Hair in Aug 1975
Thanks Peter. Love your info!
Wow!
I remember hearing Sister Golden Hair, A Horse with NO Name and Magic on the radio a lot when I was a kid. Didn't realize until relatively recently that Magic was produced by George Martin.
George produced a lot of their stuff!
@@ProfessorofRock He also produce comedy records with the Goon Squad, which included Peter Sellers among others.
Written by Russ Ballard, i believe.
Martin was on the move!
I keep thinking "Magic" if by Firefall............
i’m so glad you got around to bringing up the group America. i love rock but this is my easy listening fav.
I always loved this one. It's a real ear worm for me. These guys seem pretty down to earth. Great interview!
They were one of the hundreds of reasons the 70s was the best decade for music!!
Amen! What's your favorite album of the decade?
@@ProfessorofRock Springsteen - Born To Run.
rounding out my top 5: Steely Dan Aja; Billy Joel The Stranger; Fleetwood Mac Rumours; Carole King Tapestry.
I totally agree with you. The 70's was my favorite decade for music. So much versatility and something for everyone.
I disagree, the 60s were. However, the 70s were the most diverse. The 80s is my personal favorite.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 In my opinion, here's how I feel about each decade in regards to music. The 50's were the first great decade (The birth of rock and roll). The 60's were the best decade (from beginning to end everything was outstanding). The 70's were my personal favorite decade and the most diverse (something for everyone). The 80's were the last great decade (still a great decade, but. towards the end, I did see trouble ahead). The 90's were the most overrated decade and when quality music was harder to find and on the decline. The 2000's and beyond were not good at all and not worth discussing. I'm sure others have their own description for each and that's okay.
Of course Horse With No Name was a monster hit, and I Need You and Ventura Highway are lovely too, but Sister Golden Hair, Tin Man, and Sandman are all underrated. I hope you get around to SGH at least. Incredibly infectious song I can never help singing along to.
I saw “America” numerous times over the years and one time will always stick out.Attending a concert at Melody Fair in North Tonawanda,NY,someone who sat next to us told us the location of the hotel they were staying in so we went there after the concert.Low and behold,Dewey Bunnell showed up at the bar. I had about a 5 minute conversation over beers 🍻 and will always remember that 👍
It was shortly before my 9th birthday when the song came out, and fell in love with it instantly. At that time, my family lived in New Jersey. I'd never yet experienced a dried-up river, seasonal or otherwise, and that line made me very sad. Decades later my parents had split up, I'd moved to Germany and my dad and brother lived in Arizona. When I'd visit them, we'd often take long trips through the desert, the mountains, etc, and that song was always on my playlist and in my heart. Ventura Highway as well. Thanks, guys! ❤
PS: When I learned what a "buzz" also meant, and how flies look like they have one as they zip about, that cute line always made me smile! 😅
Love America. I remember this song when it came out but was too young to even think about what it was about. I only really took notice of America when I heard You Can Do Magic.
You Can Do Magic is such a product of its time! Yacht rock for sure. Thanks Stephen!
I’m glad you are still with us, Stephen!
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 thanks for your kind words. Although this person made me doubt my music, I realised a troll won’t stop me from sharing what I like
@@stephenbrown4211 All you need to do is keep being strong.
Ethereal is a great word to describe this song. It could be interpreted in a myriad of ways for different people and circumstances. How I listened to it 20 years ago would be different than today depending on my life experiences.
It's a very strange song indeed! What's your favorite by them Christine?
@@ProfessorofRock I really like "I Need You".
Yes! Because of major life changes, this song hits way differently than it did when I was a kid.
I never expected that someday I'd live in a place where so many of my favorite songs from childhood were inspired, S. California. Through a strange twist of fate, I ended up buying a 20 acre property up on Mt. Jacinto (yeah, the beautiful mountain Peter Gabriel wrote a song about). My first visit to the mountain, I knew I wanted to live here for the rest of my life. That was 19 years ago, and I've been living here off-grid for the past 17 years.
Just about everything I love about this desert mountain is described in America songs. The first time my (then) husband showed me an alligator lizard, I was delighted! "Wait, you mean they are REAL?" Alligator lizards don't fly through the air, but they can sure bite the holy beejeebers out of you!
I even changed my name 3 times since I've lived here, so I can even relate to the verse, "In the desert you can't remember your name, 'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain".
I moved here 22 years ago to start over after a horrible tragedy made it impossible for me to stay in my home city.
I've certainly changed! I went from professional artist living in the city, to being a dusty ol' desert rat goat rancher living of grid alone, except for lots of animals. Being up here with "plants and birds and rocks and things" has been very healing of the trauma I left behind 22 years and 1500 miles away. I fell in love with the SW desert and I never want to live anywhere else.
Oh yeah, one of these gentlemen lives further up the mountain from me, about 18 miles or so. There's a gorgeous, peaceful alpine community called Idyllwild where many musicians and Hollywood folks have log cabin mansions. Stevie Nicks used to own a house there, and one of members of America either lives there now or used to. A former member of Blood Sweat & Tears is a beloved, active community member of Idyllwild.
The musical aura makes it even more mysterious.
I loved that song the first time I heard it and I still love it. There is something about the thought of being out in the desert with all that life around and nobody to come between you and your thoughts that brings up feelings of peace and serenity.
I listened to America a lot during my teen years, when I was first falling in love. I finally saw them live about a year and a half ago. I didn’t realize how impactful their music had been until I found myself crying during some of their songs.
P...O...R...!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@@eightiesmusic1984Shark Bait!!
@@eightiesmusic1984 haha the mayor is watching!
And former bandmate, The late Dan Peek departed from America and became a Christian contemporary artist working with Chris Christian, who started his own label Lion & Lamb releasing his first album with the single of the title track, "All Things Are Possible", even wrote his memoirs about being in the band, and leaving the band and becoming a born-again Christian in the book "An AMERICAN Band". Gerry Beckley even sang backup on the title track to Dan Peek's "Doer Of The Word".
In 1989 I was in the Air Force stationed at Osan Air Base in Korea.
America came to play for us while we were stationed there. It's going to be a fond memory for the rest of my days.
Thanks for your video. Keep em coming!