Published on Mar 16, 1998
I have always liked certain songs by the pop group America. (I
will now pause to allow certain readers to stop laughing.)
I know that admitting one likes songs from a group that has been
called saccharine-sweet is about as credible as betting on the Cubs
to win the World Series. But I can’t help it; I grew up with some
of these songs, and loved them as a child. Some things have not
changed, and it’s only been recently that I’ve started to add some
of this group’s albums to the Pierce Memorial Archives. (Gimme a
break, I picked ’em up for 49 cents.)
Their 1975 best-of
History – America’s Greatest Hits is one that I’ve had in
the Archives now for about four years, but have just gotten around
to listening to (no joke). And while the old classics are as
enjoyable to my ears as they were in the mid-’70s, some of the
lesser-known songs do prove themselves to be utter pig swill. But
more on these in a moment.
This British-American band led by Dewey Bunnell, Dan Peek and
Gerry Buckley first gained prominence with their 1971 song “A Horse
With No Name” – this song was my baptism into the group. The
acoustic guitar work on this one occasionally has flashes of
brilliance, although the two-chord progression does leave some
things to be desired aesthetically. Bunnell’s lead vocals are
perfect for this song, as are the harmonies this band produces – so
let me be unhip, I still love this song, and most likely always
will.
The hits from AM radio are well-covered on
History. “Ventura Highway” is another song that has received
significant airplay over the years, though some of the lyrics do
prove to be a tad banal. (Sample: “Seasons crying no despair /
alligator lizards in the air.” What the hell is
that supposed to mean, Dewey?) Other hits sure to cause
flashbacks to the days of bell-bottoms (or maybe watching the
teenage rugrats at the mall will do the same thing) include “Tin
Man,” “Sister Golden Hair,” “I Need You” and the lesser known
“Sandman”.
But as enjoyable as many moments on
History are, there is one that is simply an unforgivable
sin: “Muskrat Love”. I’ll admit it doesn’t make me want to lose my
lunch and claw out my eardrums like the Captain & Tenille
version does, but this song is undoubtedly one of the worst pieces
of shit ever crafted in the world of music. I don’t care who does
this song, this is something you don’t want to hear when you call
the suicide hotline and get put on hold. Cripes, the Grateful Dead
could do this song, and I’d still be writhing in pain on the floor.
For those of you who have been able to suppress memories of this
song, allow me to trigger tonight’s nightmare for you: “Muskrat
Susie, Muskrat Sam / Do the jitterbug / Out in muskrat land / And
they shimmy / And Sammy’s so skinny.” Give me a fuckin’ break.
I must pause to take a Tums… my doctor warned me about too
much stress on the job…
Now then… the lesser-known tracks by America don’t shed any
new light onto why this band was so big in their time. Songs like
“Don’t Cross The River” and “Daisy Jane” are at least listenable,
but they have nowhere near the magic that the hits do. They’re easy
enough to pass through on the old CD player, I guess.
America would enjoy one more big hit in the early ’80s before
slipping back into obscurity with “You Can Do Magic,” a song that I
seem to recall was pretty good. But
History paints a two-sided portrait of America the group,
and the hits almost get tarnished by the weaker material. Passing
fans might get chased off by the weaker material, while older fans
will only be interested in the cuts they know about. And in
retrospect, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.