That began a virtually unprecedented run of chart-topping hits. That song, renamed “A Horse with No Name,” became a million-selling single in 1972, and with another single, “I Need You,” also making the charts, that debut album went on to achieve platinum status. But they had some extra material, including a Bunnell tune they called “Desert Song,” which they recorded later and added on before the album was released in the United States. By the end of ’71 they released a debut album in England, which went nowhere. I would say we were a product of all those influences.”Īlong with their name, there was another delicious irony to the band’s beginnings. But by the late 1960s, you also had the singer-songwriters like James Taylor and Crosby, Stills and Nash also coming into focus. Obviously, we were exposed to some great bands in that era around London like The Yardbirds and The Hollies.
“As time went on, across the Atlantic, you also had the California sound too. “At the risk of over-generalizing, The Beatles and The Beach Boys were our guiding lights,” Beckley said during a tour stop last week. 'Dream come true': Weymouth drama instructor stars in comic romp 'Something Rotten!' In fact, they were among the legions who decided to become musicians in the wake of Beatlemania, and their music would include some of the prime aspects of The Beatles’ music: stellar vocals and vocal harmonies, and infectious acoustic and electric melodies. When the boys began performing shows, circa 1971, they wanted people to know they were not just another British band.Īmerica is in the midst of its pandemic-delayed 50th anniversary tour, which touches down at Plymouth Memorial Hall on March 24, and then takes over the Lowell Memorial Auditorium on March 25.īut it was never that the three teenage singer-songwriter-guitarists – Dewey Bunnell, Gerry Beckley and Dan Peek – didn’t like British bands. The three high school buddies who started the group all had fathers serving in the U.S. That's the Way It Is.Longtime fans probably know the origin of the band name America. Harry Nilsson recorded the song for his 1976 album. In the same year Percy Faith and Ray Conniff also released versions of the song. Unlike their previous hit single, it didn't receive any certifications by RIAA.Īndy Williams released a version in 1972 on his album, Alone Again (Naturally). It was also charted in Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart at number 7, and both Cash Box Singles Chart and Record World Singles Chart at number 8. It was the band's second top ten single, following the success of their previous hit " A Horse With No Name". The song was a top ten hit and spent 10 weeks in United States Billboard Hot 100 charts wherein it peaked at number 9. Dan Peek – 12-string electric guitar, backing vocals.Gerry Beckley – lead vocal, bass, piano.Dewey Bunnell – 6-string acoustic guitar, backing vocals.(Per back cover of 1972 vinyl issue of America.) An alternate mix from 1971 (otherwise based on the George Martin mix) appears on the 2015 release Archives, Vol. George Martin remixed the studio recording for inclusion on History: America's Greatest Hits (1975) with the pitch brought down a quarter tone and the bass guitar brought up further in volume from the original release. The studio version is included on the compilation albums Highway (2000) and The Complete Greatest Hits (2001). It appears on the live albums Live (1977), In Concert (1985), In Concert (King Biscuit), Horse With No Name - Live! (1995), and The Grand Cayman Concert (2002). The song was written by Gerry Beckley.Ĭash Box described it as "a gentle, ' Something'-ish ballad." " I Need You," released in 1972, is the second single by the band America from their eponymous debut album America.
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