An american band by dan peek6/21/2023 He was at home in Los Angeles when we spoke. Peek left the band in 1977, at which time Dewey and Gerry elected not to replace him, but to go out as America on their own, along with a backing band. Gerry wrote “ Sister Golden Hair,” and “I Need You.” Dan wrote “Don’t Cross The River,” “Lonely People” and others.Īnd Dewey’s the guy behind some of their most enigmatic and yet anthemic songs, including “Tin Man,” “Ventura Highway,” and “Horse With No Name.” All three wrote songs, played guitar, and harmonized beautifully. In search of answers, we turned to the songwriting source himself, Dewey Bunnell, who spoke to us on the phone last week, the final week of March 2020, at the start of the mandatory stay-at-home orders in California.ĭewey was one-third of America, with Gerry Beckley and Dan Peek. Elemental symbols are everywhere like images from a perplexingly real dream – a dry riverbed, appointed with plants and birds and rocks and things, and incessant sound.Īnd, of course, there’s that mysterious horse, the one with no name, which did forever force the question: Why? Why didn’t anyone name this horse? We’re in motion the entire time, days are passing, and the heat is relentless. The vocal is delivered as if from a storyteller spinning an ancient mythic tale, not performing as much as testifying, and in language that resounds like coded poetry. There’s the swampy/mystic tone of the track, ethereal yet visceral, just acoustic guitars, bass, and conga with no drums. Like Lennon’s “Norwegian Wood,” and other great though cryptic songs, it doesn’t fill in the entire picture, leaving it instead up to the listener to do that on their own.Īll of its components enhance this dynamic of hypnotic mystery. It’s got enigma baked into it, which may be part of its lasting magic. It’s one of the most famously mysterious songs ever to become a hit. The Origins of the Iconic, Enigmatic Anthem, In His Own Words
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