I know…
Michael, you’re stuck in the 70s!
Everyone knows this America song!
You need to stop drinking so much coffee!
You should record and share some of your original songs.
I agree! (Except about the coffee.)
So, my youngest son has been on a kick of making playlists. He’s 7. The other day, he asked if we could listen to “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.” I said, “Who sang that again?” He said, “Wham! Duh!” My kid is amazing. Anyway, he’s also been asking to listen to “Horse With No Name” a lot. I suggested we check out some other America songs, and we’ve been on a little America kick lately.
This tune (“Ventura Highway”) is off their second studio album, Homecoming. They had just broken out with “Horse With No Name” on their first album, and the world was waiting for their follow-up hit. The band did not disappoint when they dropped “Ventura Highway” in late 1972.
From what I read, Dewey Bunnell, the song’s singer and writer, said it reflects a time when he was a kid in Nebraska, walking through cornfields, chewing on a piece of grass, and dreaming about the picturesque beaches and highways of California. He mentioned that the lyric “alligator lizards in the air” refers to cloud shapes he saw on a family road trip near Lompoc, California. He spotted a sign for the town Ventura while his father was changing a tire.
Dewey also shared this about the song:
“That’s Gerry and Dan doing a harmony on two guitars on the intro. I remember us sitting in a hotel room, and I was playing the chords, and Gerry came up with that guitar line. He and Dan worked out that harmony part. That’s really the hook of the song.”
Hope you enjoy this great song
Song: “Ventura Highway”
Artist: America
Album: Homecoming
Year: 1972
Chewin’ on a piece of grass, walkin’ down the road
Tell me, how long you gonna stay here, Joe?
Some people say this town don’t look good in snow
You don’t care, I know
Ventura Highway in the sunshine
Where the days are longer
The nights are stronger than moonshine
You’re gonna go, I know
‘Cause the free wind is blowin’ through your hair
And the days surround your daylight there
Seasons crying no despair
Alligator lizards in the air, in the air
Wishin’ on a falling star, waitin’ for the early train
Sorry boy, but I’ve been hit by a purple rain
Aw, c’mon Joe, you can always change your name
Thanks a lot son, just the same
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My name is Michael Sanchez and I’m an avid record collector and obscure song searcher. My goal is to post (hopefully) one song a day that’s been on my stereo/turntable frequently. If you don’t like the song… too bad 🙂 You can just wait for the next one. All the info I find is from wikipedia/youtube/interviews/news articles/personal stories I’ve heard/random googling. Sorry if there are any mistakes.
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