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A12 | Tuesday, July 17, 2018 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. LIFE & ARTS

ANATOMY OF A SONG | By Marc Myers AJourney to ‘’

IN JANUARY1972, the folk-rock singles to release.We band Americareleased “A Horse The band America—from left, brought in “Desert With No Name,” aloping ballad that , and Song” and three oth- manypeople mistakenly attributed —plays in 1973. ersinthe fall of 1971. to . We recorded Themellowintrospectivesong, “Horse” at London’s by lead singer and guitarist Dewey MorganStudios.Dan Bunnell, reached No.1onBillboard’s and Iplayedsix-string pop chart, and sent the band’s acoustic guitarswhile eponymous album to No.1aswell— Gerryplayedhis 12- pushing Mr.Young’s“Heart of Gold” string acoustic.Dan single and “Harvest” album out of later overdubbed his the topspots. bassafter we had the Recently, Mr.Bunnell and vocal- basic rhythm track. ist-guitarist GerryBeckley talked about the song’sevolution. The Mr.Beckley: Kim Haw- band currently is on tour in the U.S. orth playeddrums Edited from interviews. and RayCooper came in aftertooverdub DeweyBunnell: In 1967,Iwas an the bongos.The bon- American living with my family in gosadded aclippity- England. My father wasinthe U.S. clop feel of the horse. Air Forceand stationed at an RAF Ioverdubbed my base northwest of London. 12-string guitar solo. I was 15 at the time and friends It wasastrummysolo with Gerry Beckley and Dan Peek, GES that firstascends the whose fathers were stationed IMA scale.Ian suggested I

there, too. ETTY followwith ade- The three of us formed a /G scending arpeggiated Top-40 band called the Daze. After triplet thing,sothat’s

graduation, we went our separate REDFERNS what Idid. ways for about a year. When we reunited in early 1970, we formed thought about my parents up in ert on ahorse in ahot, dryclimate and Dan sang the noteabove, which Mr.Bunnell: When we finished, Ian an acoustic folk-rock band. Yorkshire and felt alone. wasmetaphoric forbeing indepen- might have been aminor 7th or 9th. loved the song but hated my title. We spent a lot of time in the As Istrummed, Ithought back to dent and in control of my life. He insisted we changeitto“A base’s cafeteria listening to the adrivemyfamily had taken Iwrote the song’slyrics on a Mr.Bunnell: Gerryhad his foot in Horse With No Name,” since“Des- jukebox. That’s when we decided through the American Southwest. I scrap of paper.When Ifinished, I the door at aLondon demo re- ert Song” wasthe title of an oper- to call our new trio America. The began to visualizethe sightsand called the song “Under the Cities.” I cording studio.Weplayedour etta.Iagreed. trend by bands then—including sounds of the desert. liked the phrase Ihad used: “Under songsfor one of the guys there. No doubt, when I recorded my Chicago, Yes, Traffic and Genesis— Irealized Ineeded agood open- the cities lies aheart made of He passed us along to Dave How- vocal, I was infused with Neil was to use broad, generic names. ing to set up the narrative: “On the ground /But the humans will give son, who managed aclub in Cov- Young and his music. I loved “The In the spring of 1970, my par- firstpart of the journey /Iwas no love.” ent Garden. Dave gotuspub gigs. Loner,” from Neil’s first solo album ents relocated to Yorkshire. looking at all the life/Therewere Later, as we playedthe song at Next, we were passed on to Jeff in 1969. I was immersed in his IstayedinLondon and shared a plantsand birds and rocks and our pub gigs, the title changed to Dexter,aninfluential DJ at the first and second albums while room with John Alcazar,anold things/Therewas sand and hills the “Desert Song.” It waseasier to Roundhouse, apopular venue in writing “Horse,” and they affected classmate, at hisparents’ home. and rings.” refertoonstage. Camden Town. Eventually,wewere my vocal trajectory. One afternoon, when everyone was As I wrote, I asked myself, “How signed to Warner Bros./Kinney Re- When our song wasreleased, out, Iwas on my bed with my cheap did I wind up in the desert?” Ah, Gerry Beckley: Ireally liked cordsinLondon and toured in Eng- manypeople thought it wasNeil. In Hawk guitar. right, they ride horses out there. I Dewey’ssong.Ithad this surreal, land and the Netherlands. his memoir,“Waging Heavy Peace,” Ihad just begun experimenting asked myself if the horse should cryptic lyric that youcould get In 1971, we began to record our Young writes that when his father with alternatetunings. With the have a name. The horse was your teeth into. firstalbum, “America,” at London’s firstheardthe song,evenheas- Hawk on my lap,Ifound achord merely a vehicle to get me into the We arranged the song so it had Trident Studios.Itwas co-produced sumed it wasNeil’s. progression that Iliked. Thesong’s desert, so I made it “a horse with our ownvocal-harmonysound. by Jeff and . Initially,I Today, my wife, Penny, and Ilive melody started to come. no name.” When it came to the chorus,we left“Desert Song” off the album be- in Southern California and Northern Playing on the bed, I was home- Being out of the rain wasmeta- added “Lah lah, la-la la-lahhh.” It cause Ithought it might be per- Wisconsin. In California, we re- sick for the U.S. I wanted to be phoric.Itwas super rainyand wasabreather andlet listeners ceived as anovelty tune. cently adopted awild mustang.My part of the evolving folk-rock drearyinEngland. Therain repre- sing along. When we finished recording,Ian wifeand our daughter,Destry, call scene there and I wished for sented the uncertainty of wheremy Typically,Deweysang the low said Warner Bros.wanted more her “No-nom-ee.” It’s“no name” warmer, drier weather. I also lifewas going.Being out in the des- harmony, Isang the middle fifth songssowe’dhaveother potential pushed together.

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