America is a rock band, most popular in the early and mid 1970s and now bes… Read Full Bio ↴America is a rock band, most popular in the early and mid 1970s and now best known for their #1 hits "A Horse With No Name" and "Sister Golden Hair." Comprised of Gerry Beckley (September 12, 1952 - ), Dewey Bunnell (January 19,1952 - ), and Dan Peek (November 1, 1950 - July 24, 2011), they were seldom a favorite with critics, but were exceptionally successful commercially selling both singles and albums. Despite the presence of other heavyweight acts like James Taylor and Rod Stewart on their roster, America was Warner Brothers Records' biggest selling act of the 1970s.

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

Old Virginia
America Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hey, honey, won't you sit down
And stop here for a spell
Singin' the sweet old lullabies
To forget about your health
Don't think about tomorrow
It's a whole night's sleep away
Sure would be pleased to have you stay

And it's reach out old Virginia
Won't you rock him close to you
The poor boy's had a hotel so long
He don't know what to do
It's time to come on home
And put your feet up for a while
So much travlin' 'round tends to take away your smile

'Pears to me it's all a body can do to stay in tune
And you've been strainin' at those strings
From mornin' till noon
So come on down and hang around
It'll put you right real soon
'Cause nothing's changed
It's all the same

Reach out old Virginia
Won't you rock him close to you
The poor boy's had a hotel so long
He don't know what to do
It's time to come on home
And put your feet up for a while
So much travlin' 'round can take away your smile

Reach out old Virginia
Won't you rock him close to you
The poor boy's had a hotel so long
He don't know what to do
It's time to come on home

And put your feet up for a while
So much travlin' 'round can take away your smile

Overall Meaning

"Old Virginia" is a song by America that speaks of homesickness and the longing to return home in order to rest and revitalize oneself. The first verse speaks to the listener to take a break from the hustle and bustle of life and enjoy some soothing music. The second verse speaks about how it's difficult to keep going through the rigors of life, especially when one is away from home for a long time. The chorus is an invitation to return home to Virginia and experience the simplicity of life without the stress and strain of city living.

The song then talks about how being away from home is exhausting and how the traveler is struggling to stay in tune with everything going on around him, causing strain that lasts from morning until noon. However, coming home to Virginia will solve all these problems because everything will be the same, and he can put his feet up and relax.

"Old Virginia" is a song that depicts the simplicity of life in Virginia and the importance of coming home after a long journey. It conveys the message that although the traveler experiences many new things, sometimes there's no place like home.

Line by Line Meaning

Hey, honey, won't you sit down
Please sit down and take a break from your busy life.

And stop here for a spell
Please take a moment to relax and stay awhile.

Singin' the sweet old lullabies
Listen to some comforting and nostalgic songs.

To forget about your health
Take a break from worrying about your well-being.

Don't think about tomorrow
Let go of your future anxieties.

It's a whole night's sleep away
Tomorrow is still far away, so enjoy the moment.

Sure would be pleased to have you stay
It would make me happy if you stayed here with me.

And it's reach out old Virginia
Calling out to Virginia to help.

Won't you rock him close to you
Please comfort this person who needs it.

The poor boy's had a hotel so long
This person has been traveling for a while and needs a break from it.

He don't know what to do
They are feeling lost and uncertain.