The confusing story behind Horse With No Name by America
- aimeeelkington153
- Nov 7
- 7 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Some songs come out of nowhere. Some take months or even years before they’re ready. And some sort of sneak in, strange little ideas that somehow turn into something massive.
That’s what happened with A Horse With No Name. A simple song about the desert, became one of the most iconic folk-rock tracks of the ‘70s.
However, it's had its fair share of drama. People have argued over its meaning, made accusations of drug references, and it was even banned from some radio stations. Plus, there’s even confusion over who really wrote it.
Let's look at the strange, misunderstood story of A Horse With No Name - and what happened to the band who made it.
Before all this, America was just three kids in England, playing guitars. The band obviously, not the country.
They were Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek. Three American kids, all living in London because their dads were stationed there as part of the US Air Force. They met at school and bonded over music.
Inspired by big American folk-rock acts like The Byrds, Simon & Garfunkel, Crosby, Stills & Nash, they actually all shared vocal duties, and would often swap instruments. It was all very much a joint effort.
They rehearsed constantly, working on harmonies and acoustic arrangements, and started writing original songs early on. Pretty quickly, they got good. They weren’t flashy, but their music was tight and melodic. They had a confidence beyond their age.
By late 1969 they were performing together under the name America, obviously a nod to their roots. But it also helped them stand out in the London scene. America is an easy name to remember.
They started playing small gigs around London - mostly folk clubs and student venues. Their early songs were firmly folk rock, mainly acoustic stuff, with layered harmonies and a little bit of country. You can hear the influence of American music in there, even though they were recording it in rainy old England.
In 1970, they got a break. After some successful gigs and a bit of radio playtime, Warner Bros. signed them, and they set about writing and recording their first album.
It was self-titled, and the band recorded it mostly as a trio, using session musicians to fill out the other parts. Half of it was done on borrowed guitars, because they didn’t have the money for high end instruments.
That first version of the album came out in late 1971. It had a few strong tracks like I Need You and Sandman. It did okay, but didn’t make much noise at first.
In 1970, they got a break. After some successful gigs and a bit of radio playtime, Warner Bros. signed them, and they set about writing and recording their first album.
It was self-titled, and the band recorded it mostly as a trio, using session musicians to fill out the other parts. Half of it was done on borrowed guitars, because they didn’t have the money for high end instruments.
That first version of the album came out in late 1971. It had a few strong tracks like I Need You and Sandman. It did okay, but didn’t make much noise at first.
However, the label felt like they had more in the tank, and urged them to put together more songs. They were looking for a stronger single. It was a good call - this was a turning point.
The trio revisited a tune they’d sidelined during recording, under the working title Desert Song. Initially, they didn’t think it was single material.
It didn’t start with some grand idea. It was just a little sketch, written by Bunnell in 1971. At the time, he was just trying to capture a feeling - he was homesick.
He'd grown up in California and Arizona, with a landscape of long highways, blue skies and long drives in the desert with good music on the radio. He wanted to write something to capture that nostalgia.
And all it was at first was two chords and a repeating, relaxing melody.
At the same time, Bunnell had started experimenting with more surreal lyrics. He was inspired by nature and themes of spirituality. He wanted to strip everything back to just a man, a landscape, and a journey.
And a horse, of course.
The song followed a lone rider crossing the desert, and as we all know he rides a horse with no name. He’s trying to escape the rain - literally, but also metaphorically. Around him are ‘plants and birds and rocks and things’
It really isn’t a complicated story, but it had a certain feel to it. And sometimes that’s all a song needs. Bunnell told Gold Radio in 2022:
"It has changed for me as I’ve gotten older. The lyric-writing and imagery takes on new meaning. It also used to be more about the sights and sounds and physical aspect of the desert that I loved. Now, it takes on more of a feel of isolation and contemplating-your-navel-type stuff."
When the management team heard it, they loved it - and the song went from not being single - worthy, to being their new single. And so they went to Morgan Studios in London to record it.
The rest of the album was recorded at Trident Studios. If that sounds familiar, it’s the same studio where Queen made Bohemian Rhapsody, where Bowie did Hunky Dory, and where the Beatles recorded Hey Jude. Pretty good pedigree there then.
Anyway, back to this song. According to Discogs, the debut album was initially released at the end of 1971 in Europe and America, this was about a month after Horse With No Name had already been released as their debut single.
There was a slight problem though. The album didn’t include Horse With No Name - the song was initially treated as a non-album single.
However, the single was building serious steam - it was performing very well in Europe and also climbing the Billboard charts in the USA, by March 1972 it was number one. And it stayed there for three weeks straight.
So, they decided to reissue the album, this time with Horse With No Name on the track list. In fact, they added in a line of text to the album cover on the second release - ‘Includes A Horse With No Name’
It did much better than the first release. It went to No.1, and went platinum. One song turned them from obscure folk artists to superstars. So that’s the story of how the song came to be - and like the song itself, it’s pretty straightforward right? Well, things got a bit more complicated afterwards.
When the song first hit the radio, a lot of listeners thought it was Neil Young. The voice, the phrasing, the odd lyrics, the acoustic sound all sounded very much like him.
But Young had nothing to do with the song - other than being an inspiration to a young Dewey Bunnell.
Bunnell never denied the influence. He’d spent years listening to Young, studying his records, soaking in the sound. He told Gold Radio:
"I never fully shied away from the fact that I was inspired by him. I think it's in the structure of the song as much as in the tone of his voice. It did hurt a little, because we got some pretty bad backlash.”
But there was another bump in the road - people mistakenly thought it had a hidden message.
In American slang, “horse” was a street name for heroin. And suddenly, this desert trip didn’t sound so innocent. It sounded like a drug metaphor. In fairness, this was the 70’s - there were plenty of songs about drugs around. But this wasn’t one. It was pure coincidence.
Nevertheless, radio stations started pulling it from rotation. The band were baffled.
And when people aren’t busy misinterpreting the lyrics, they mock them instead.
The heat was hot.There were plants, and birds, and rocks, and things.’Cause there ain’t no one for to give you no pain.
Even at the time, critics had a go, but that was part of the point.
He wasn’t trying to reinvent the wheel - he had a vision in mind, knew what he liked, and did it. And that’s why it works. It’s strange, but it sticks. You can let it play in the background and drift off, or you can really listen and get lost in the oddness.
Either way, it’s memorable. And really captures that feeling he set out to capture.
And, by the way, America wasn’t a one hit wonder… as you might have first thought…
Their next single, I Need You, made the Top 10. Their second album, Homecoming, gave them Ventura Highway, another big hit.
By 1974, they were charting regularly in the US and UK. And then, a twist. There’s always a twist isn’t there?
They started working with George Martin. He was the guy that produced some of The Beatles best albums. He even got a knighthood for services to music. Between 74 and 79 he produced five America albums - plus a live album. He helped them broaden and mature their sound as the years went by.
It worked. Sister Golden Hair hit number one in 1975. Tin Man and Lonely People both made the Top 10. Daisy Jane became a radio regular. So yeah, far from one hit wonders.
In 1977, things shifted again.
Dan Peek left. He’d had a religious awakening and wanted to make Christian music - so off he went. Bunnell and Beckley carried on as a duo.
The big hits slowed, but they weren’t finished. In 1982, You Can Do Magic brought them back into the charts and onto MTV. It reached number eight in the US.
After that, the band settled into a steady rhythm of touring and releasing albums, and kept a loyal following. Their early albums still sold well. Greatest hits collections stopped them being forgotten. Their songs turned up in films and adverts.
Decades later, A Horse With No Name is still around. It’s instantly recognisable. It’s a classic.
There are more than 20 official cover versions. It’s been sampled, referenced, reinterpreted. Some people still think it’s about heroin. Others just think it’s a great driving song, the kind you put on during a long stretch of road, with the windows down. Which really, is exactly what it was meant to be.
It’s still not about heroin, and it’s still not trying to be too clever. It just does what it says on the tin.
Sadly, Dan Peek passed away in 2011. Beckley and Bunnell still tour under the America name, and they’ve released albums well into the 2000s. And they always play A Horse With No Name.
Comments