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
Simple Life
America Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've got to simplify
Each in our own way we live for today
And never know why
To stand in the road
And feel the wind blow
Across the sands of time
You know I'd like to make it mine
Take your cars and your bars
And trade 'em all in for a nice wood fire
At the end of the day I know you will say
You couldn't get much higher
To stand in the road
And feel the wind blow
Across the sands of time
'Cause that's the simple life
You know I'd like to make it mine
To stand in the road
And feel the wind blow
Across the sands of time
'Cause that's the simple life
You know I'd like to make it mine
You know I'd like to make it mine
You know I'd like to make it mine
The song Simple Life by America is about simplifying one's life and appreciating the little things. It criticizes the fast-paced modern lifestyle and encourages people to find their own way of living in the moment. The lyrics suggest that by standing in the road and feeling the wind blow, one can experience the simplicity of life. The desire to trade in cars and bars for a simple pleasure like a nice wood fire shows that material possessions and socializing can sometimes distract us from the joys of life.
The song's chorus, "To stand in the road and feel the wind blow across the sands of time," implies that there is a sense of timelessness and freedom in living a simple life. The term "sands of time" could represent the fleeting nature of life, implying that the simple life is an escape from the pressures of time and society. The repetition of the chorus suggests the desire to live that simple life and make it one's own.
Overall, Simple Life is an inspiring and thought-provoking song that encourages us to find joy in the little things and find our own way of living in the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Life today is frittered away
Life is often wasted in today's society
You've got to simplify
To fully enjoy life, you need to simplify
Each in our own way we live for today
Everyone lives their life differently in the present
And never know why
We don't always understand the motivation behind our actions
To stand in the road
To pause and take in life's experiences
And feel the wind blow
To fully immerse oneself in the present moment
Across the sands of time
Reflecting on the past while still living in the present
'Cause that's the simple life
Living in the moment and appreciating life's simple pleasures
You know I'd like to make it mine
The desire to live a simple life
Take your cars and your bars
Material possessions and excess can detract from life's true pleasures
And trade 'em all in for a nice wood fire
Finding joy in the simple things in life
At the end of the day I know you will say
Reflecting on the day's events and appreciating what really matters
You couldn't get much higher
Living simply can bring a sense of contentment and fulfillment
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DANIEL M. PEEK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Donald's trump
Life today is frittered away
You've got to simplify
Each in our own way, we live for today
And never know why
To stand in the road
And feel the wind blow
Across the sands of time
'Cause that's the simple life
You know I'd like to make it mine
Take your cars and your bars
And trade 'em all in for a nice wood fire
At the end of the day I know you will say
You couldn't get much higher
To stand in the road
And feel the wind blow
Across the sands of time
'Cause that's the simple life
You know I'd like to make it mine
To stand in the road
And feel the wind blow
Across the sands of time
'Cause that's the simple life
You know I'd like to make it mine
You know I'd like to make it mine
You know I'd like to make it mine
John Raymond
Dan is in paradise with the Lord. To his family and friends: God Bless you and yours, This day and always John
Franco Soria
Amazing song
Donald's trump
Life today is frittered away
You've got to simplify
Each in our own way, we live for today
And never know why
To stand in the road
And feel the wind blow
Across the sands of time
'Cause that's the simple life
You know I'd like to make it mine
Take your cars and your bars
And trade 'em all in for a nice wood fire
At the end of the day I know you will say
You couldn't get much higher
To stand in the road
And feel the wind blow
Across the sands of time
'Cause that's the simple life
You know I'd like to make it mine
To stand in the road
And feel the wind blow
Across the sands of time
'Cause that's the simple life
You know I'd like to make it mine
You know I'd like to make it mine
You know I'd like to make it mine
Cacilie74
This is an America song that was written for a Japanese jeans company's commercial and used in the background of it. From Cacilie
JEROME KASPER
SEE YOU IN HEAVEN DAN...CARRY ON!
Ben Dover
Bye Dan. You were the best of the best :-(
yourson261010
ここで聞けるなんて、アップロードありがとうございます！この曲をずぅ〜っと探していました。いや、感激です。今日はいい日だ！
Kenny H
懐かしいですね。オンワード樫山のCMソングでは、最後は♪ simple life is my way～♪にアレンジされてましたね。最近彼らの50周年記念アルバム4枚組に入ったことを知り、本日早速アマ＊ンに注文しました。
DIANE
好きです。シンプル ライフ
Roberthenryii
at the end of the day i know you will say you couldnt get much higher