Sons of American fathers and British mothers, their fathers being military personnel stationed at the West Ruislip USAF base in London, all three attended London Central High in Bushey, Hertfordshire in the mid-60s where they met while playing in two different bands.
They eventually got together and formed the rock band America, honoring the name of the homeland they had hardly even seen during their several travels around the world. They played their first gigs in pubs and clubs in the London area, including some highlights at the Roundhouse, where Pink Floyd had been playing at the beginning of their own career.
Their first LP was recorded at Trident and Morgan studios in London and produced by Ian "Sammy" Samwell, who was known for the hits he had written for Cliff Richard, with the assistance of Jeff Dexter.
The album was initially released in Europe with only moderate success and without the breakout hit "A Horse With No Name." Samwell helped the group to record and persuaded the Warner Brothers label to release the new song on an EP which was highly popular in the United States as well as in Europe.
America the album was re-released with "Horse", and quickly went platinum with the other favorites "I Need You," "Sandman," and "Riverside." Their second album, appropriately named Homecoming, saw the band moving back to the United States to record. The most notable song was "Ventura Highway."
The group's fourth album Holiday had them with George Martin (former producer for The Beatles), who worked with them through Silent Letter in 1979 with much success. The next album, Hearts, featured "Sister Golden Hair" and "Daisy Jane."
Peek left the group after recording Harbor in 1977. The remaining duo produced many more albums and had one more significant radio hit, "You Can Do Magic," reaching #8 on the pop charts in 1982. Their last top-40 hit was "The Border," which went to #33 on the pop charts (and #4 on the adult contemporary charts) the next year.
America continued with consistent live work and sporadic recordings following their departure from Capitol Records in the mid-80s.
In 1982 America provided the soundtrack for the magical anime film The Last Unicorn. Although officially produced by an American company, the film is an important transitional work in the development of Japanese anime, since most of its animation was subcontracted to the Japanese company Topcraft. The music was composed by Jimmy Webb, though performed by America, and the title song was covered many times later on. The tone is wistful and the themes are of loss.
Beckley released a solo set - "Van Go Gan" - in 1999.
Later, in his post-America career, Peek became a born-again Christian and released some highly-successful Contemporary Christian albums. His autobiography "An American Band" chronicles America's most successful period and his own spiritual journey.
Members include:
Gerry Beckley (1970-present) - lead and backing vocals, keyboards, guitars, bass, harmonica
Dewey Bunnell (1970-present) - lead and backing vocals, guitars
Dan Peek (1970-1977) - lead and backing vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, harmonica
Baby It's Up To You
America Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Time to rearrange
Sooner or later
It's somethin' you gotta do
Baby it's up to you
What are you gonna do
Lately it's up to you
Every now and then
Trying to pretend
I don't want to see you
Sorry but that ain't true
Baby it's up to you
What are you gonna do
Lately it's up to you
Who's gonna see you through
Every now and then
Trying to pretend
I don't want to see you
Sorry but that ain't true
Baby it's up to you
What are you gonna do
Lately it's up to you
What are you gonna do
Baby it's up to you (Baby it's up to you)
Baby it's up to you (Baby it's up to you)
Baby it's up to you
Who's gonna help you through
The song "Baby It's Up To You" by America is about taking responsibility for your life and making a change in it when things aren't going well. The lyrics speak to the idea that sooner or later, everyone needs to take a moment to assess their life and make changes in order to move forward.
The song is written in a way that offers encouragement to the listener. The lyrics suggest that although making changes may be difficult, it's something that everyone has to do. The chorus, with its repetition of "Baby it's up to you" reinforces this idea that we all have the power to take control of our lives.
The second verse takes a bit of a different turn. Here, the lyrics suggest that the singer may have tried to avoid reality before, but that they are now ready to face it head-on. The repetition of "Every now and then, trying to pretend..." underlines the idea that the singer has previously avoided something but is no longer willing to do so.
In short, "Baby It's Up To You" is a message of empowerment, urging listeners to take a good look at their lives and make changes for the better. It is a call to action, telling us that we all have the power to change our lives and take control of our futures.
Line by Line Meaning
Time to make a change
It's time to do something different
Time to rearrange
Time to change things around
Sooner or later
Eventually, this will have to happen
It's somethin' you gotta do
This is something that you need to do
Baby it's up to you
You are the one who needs to make the decision
What are you gonna do
What are you planning to do about it
Lately it's up to you
Recently, it's been your responsibility
Who's gonna help you through
Who is going to support you
Every now and then
Occasionally
Trying to pretend
Attempting to hide the truth
I don't want to see you
I don't want to acknowledge your situation
Sorry but that ain't true
However, that is not the reality
Baby it's up to you
Once again, this decision is yours to make
What are you gonna do
What is your plan of action
Lately it's up to you
Recently, it has been solely your responsibility
Who's gonna see you through
Who will support you until the end
Baby it's up to you (Baby it's up to you)
You, specifically, need to take action
Baby it's up to you (Baby it's up to you)
This responsibility falls solely on you
Baby it's up to you
Once again, this decision is yours to make
Who's gonna help you through
Who will be there to support you during this process
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GERRY BECKLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind