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
God of the Sun
America Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't make me wait till the morning comes
Light in the sky
Look me in the eye, eye, eye, eye
Don't, keep me waiting around
Too much longer now
Don't, don't keep me waiting around, around, around, around
When I called you from my river of darkness
An echo was all that came back
Saw you wave goodbye
Down the railroad track
Sometimes when you're out and all alone
And you can't find your way back
Wonder if you'll ever make it home
God of the sun
I'll be around till the day's begun
One sight of your ray
Takes the night away, away, away, away
Oh, but when I walk through that door
Take my hat and my coat off waiting for you to call
I tell you not right now, lady, I got work on my mind
And I'll talk to you soon
Always remember
When I called you from my river of darkness
An echo was all that came back
I saw you wave goodbye
Down the railroad track
Sometimes when you're out and all alone
And you can't find your way back
Wonder if we'll ever make it home
No more
The lyrics of God of the Sun by America are open to interpretation, but they seem to convey a sense of longing and waiting for a divine presence. The singer pleads to the God of the Sun to appear and not keep him waiting until the morning, and asks for a sign in the form of the light in the sky, looking him in the eye. The repetition of the phrase "Don't keep me waiting around" emphasizes the singer's impatience and desire for immediate connection with this higher power.
The middle section of the song explores a feeling of loneliness and isolation, with the singer reaching out to this God of the Sun for comfort and guidance. The image of calling out from a "river of darkness" and receiving only an echo in response adds to the sense of despair and uncertainty. However, the chorus returns with renewed hope and determination, as the singer pledges to wait for the God of the Sun and promises to be there until the day begins.
Overall, God of the Sun conveys a sense of faith and yearning for a higher power, but also acknowledges the difficulties and doubts that can arise in that quest for connection. The lyrics are somewhat ambiguous, leaving room for individual interpretation and reflection.
Line by Line Meaning
God of the sun
Addressing the deity that represents the sun
Don't make me wait till the morning comes
Asking the God to not delay the sunrise
Light in the sky
Referring to the sunrise
Look me in the eye, eye, eye, eye
Requesting the God to acknowledge the plea
Don't, keep me waiting around
Repeating the request to not delay
Too much longer now
Stressing the urgency to end the wait
Don't, don't keep me waiting around, around, around, around
Repeating the plea with emphasis on the urgency
When I called you from my river of darkness
Referring to a time when the singer was lost and in despair
An echo was all that came back
The singer received no response from the God
Saw you wave goodbye
The God seemed to have abandoned the singer
Down the railroad track
The God's departure was signified by the disappearing train
Sometimes when you're out and all alone
Reflecting on the feeling of being lost and helpless
And you can't find your way back
The despair of not knowing how to proceed
Wonder if you'll ever make it home
Pondering on the possibility of finding the way back
God of the sun
Repeating the address of the deity
I'll be around till the day's begun
Asserting the singer's dedication to see the sunrise
One sight of your ray
The sight of the sun's rays gives hope and comfort
Takes the night away, away, away, away
The sun's appearance signifies the end of the darkness and brings new hope
Oh, but when I walk through that door
Starting a new scenario, where the singer is indoors
Take my hat and my coat off waiting for you to call
The singer is expecting to receive a call from someone special
I tell you not right now, lady, I got work on my mind
The object of the call is being interrupted by other thoughts
And I'll talk to you soon
Promising to get back to the caller
Always remember
Wrapping up the scenario with a final thought
No more
An abrupt and unexpected end to the song
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GERRY BECKLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind