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
Frosty The Snowman
America Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Was a jolly happy soul
With a corn-cob pipe
And a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal
Frosty the snowman
Is a fairy tale they say
But the children know
How he came to life one day
There must have been some magic
In that old silk hat they found
For when they placed it on his head
He began to dance around
Frosty the snowman
Was alive as he could be
And the children say
He could laugh and play
Just the same as you and me
Frosty the snowman
Knew the sun was hot that day
So he said, "Let's run
And we'll have some fun
Now before I melt away"
Down to the village
With a broomstick in his hand
Running here and there
All around the square
Saying, "Catch me if you can"
He led them down the streets of town
Right to the traffic cop
He only paused a moment when
He heard them holler, stop
Frosty the snowman
Had to hurry on his way
But he waved goodbye
Saying, "Don't you cry
I'll be back again some day"
(Frosty)
Yes, he waved goodbye
Saying, "Don't you cry
I'll be back again some day"
"Frosty the Snowman" is a Christmas song that tells the story of a snowman who comes to life when a magical silk hat is placed on his head. The lyrics describe Frosty as a jolly, happy soul with a corn-cob pipe, a button nose, and two eyes made out of coal. Although he is made of snow, Frosty is alive and can laugh and play just like the children who created him.
The story of Frosty is a fairy tale, according to the song, but the children know how he came to life one day. The magic that brought Frosty to life is said to have come from the old silk hat that was found, and when it was placed on Frosty's head, he began to dance around.
Despite the fact that he is made of snow, Frosty is just like any other child - he likes to have fun and play. However, he is also aware that he will eventually melt away in the sun, so he leads the children on a chase through the village before ultimately saying goodbye and promising to come back again someday.
Overall, "Frosty the Snowman" is a heartwarming Christmas tale that captures the joy and wonder of childhood during the holiday season.
Line by Line Meaning
Frosty the snowman
The story of Frosty, a snowman, will now be told
Was a jolly happy soul
Frosty was a cheerful and joyful snowman
With a corn-cob pipe
Frosty had a pipe made from a corn cob
And a button nose
Frosty had a nose that was made of a button
And two eyes made out of coal
Frosty's eyes were made with two pieces of coal
Is a fairy tale they say
While some may call it a fairy tale, the story of Frosty is known to many
He was made of snow
Frosty was created using snow
But the children know
But the children understand what really happened
How he came to life one day
The children know the story of how Frosty came to be alive
There must have been some magic
The fact that Frosty came to life must have been due to some sort of magic
In that old silk hat they found
The magic likely came from the silk hat that was discovered
For when they placed it on his head
When the hat was put on Frosty's head
He began to dance around
Frosty started to dance and move around with the hat on his head
Was alive as he could be
Frosty was very much alive and full of life
And the children say
The children who witnessed Frosty's magic say
He could laugh and play
That Frosty was able to laugh and play just like any child
Just the same as you and me
Just like any human being
Knew the sun was hot that day
Frosty was aware of how warm it was outside
So he said, "Let's run
And so Frosty suggested they run
And we'll have some fun
To enjoy themselves while they still can
Now before I melt away"
Before he melted away due to the sun
Down to the village
Frosty and the children went to the nearby town
With a broomstick in his hand
Frosty grabbed a broomstick to use as a cane
Running here and there
Frosty ran around the village square, going from place to place
All around the square
He went all around the village square
Saying, "Catch me if you can"
Frosty taunted the children to try and catch him
He led them down the streets of town
Frosty took the children down the streets of the town
Right to the traffic cop
He led them straight to the police officer patrolling the area
He only paused a moment when
Frosty didn't stop for long when
He heard them holler, stop
The children yelled for him to stop
Had to hurry on his way
Frosty needed to continue his journey
But he waved goodbye
Before leaving, Frosty waved goodbye
Saying, "Don't you cry
He comforted the children by telling them not to cry
I'll be back again some day"
Frosty promised to return again one day
(Frosty)
An exclamation, signifying the return of Frosty the Snowman
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jack Rollins, Steve Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind