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
Let It Snow
America Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
It doesn't show signs of stopping
And I brought some corn for popping
The lights are turned way down low
When we finally kiss good night
How I'll hate going out in the storm
But if you really hold me tight
All the way home I'll be warm
The fire is slowly dying
And my dear, we're still goodbyeing
But as long as you love me so
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
Let it snow
Oh, fire is slowly dying
And my dear, we're still goodbyeing
But as long as you love me so
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
When we finally kiss good night
How I'll hate going out in the storm
But if you really hold me tight
All the way home I'll be warm
The fire is slowly dying
And my dear, we're still goodbyeing
But as long as you love me so
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
But as long as you love me so
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
The lyrics of America's song "Let It Snow" are about a couple's in a cozy warm house during a snowstorm. The man is delighted with the fire and corn, and the woman agrees to stay inside because it's so cold outside in the snow. The couple then share a moment discussing how they will hate going out into the storm later even though the thought of sharing a kiss under the snow is romantic. As long as they have each other's love and warmth, they’ll enjoy the snowfall.
The song has the perfect balance between words and music. The opening line contrasts the cold weather outside with the warmth inside the home. The chorus "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow" provides a catchy hook that people will remember long after the music ends. The lyrics also emphasize the romantic moment the two share, with the winter storm not as much of an obstacle as long as they’re together. This song can be seen as a metaphor for a relationship being weathered by difficult times but as long as both parties continue to love each other, they will come through it stronger.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, the weather outside is frightful
Despite the unpleasant weather outside, we are enjoying the warmth of the fire inside
But the fire is so delightful
Even though it is freezing outside, the fire inside is keeping us cozy and warm
And since we've no place to go
We are content to stay inside because we have nowhere to go due to the extreme weather
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
We are embracing the snow and allowing it to fall without resistance or complaints
It doesn't show signs of stopping
The snow doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon, further emphasizing the need to enjoy our cozy indoors
And I brought some corn for popping
We have prepared snacks to enjoy while we are snowed in
The lights are turned way down low
We have dimmed the lights to create a cozy and intimate atmosphere
When we finally kiss good night
At the end of the night, we will say our goodbyes
How I'll hate going out in the storm
Even though we have enjoyed our time together inside, we still dread having to leave and face the storm outside
But if you really hold me tight
If you embrace me and hold me close, I will feel safe and warm, even in the midst of the storm
All the way home I'll be warm
Your love and warmth will protect me from the cold and keep me comfortable for the whole journey home
The fire is slowly dying
The fire that has kept us warm all night is gradually fading away
And my dear, we're still goodbyeing
As we say our goodbyes, we are reminded that the night's warmth and companionship is coming to an end
But as long as you love me so
As long as we have each other's love and companionship, we can weather any storm together
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
We are content to let the snow continue falling, knowing that we have the warmth of our love to keep us comfortable and safe
But as long as you love me so
Our love and companionship will keep us warm and safe, regardless of the harshness of the winter outside
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
We are content to embrace the snow and enjoy our cozy indoors, knowing that our love will keep us safe and warm
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Cloud9, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind