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
This Time
America Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the goodbye hugs are over
Then the train pulls out of the station and rolls towards the dawn
With that old suitcase in hand and a surefire plan gone over
This time it will work it can't go wrong
Cause I've got all of our dreams mixed up with my schemes
Rollin' around in my mind
I know the sun's gonna shine
In a week or two
I'll be writing to you with good news
And I can just see your smile as you read about all that I've done
Cause I've got all of our plans right here in my hands
And things are gonna work out just fine
Cause I know the sun's gonna shine
Shine on me this time
I've seen confusion in your eyes
I've seen uncertainty and fear
Keep on lookin' for tomorrow
Soon it will be here
This time, it's gonna be this time
This time, it's gotta be this time
This time, this time (it's never never)
This time, this time (the day is coming)
This time, this time (it's never never)
This time, this time (the day is coming)
The lyrics to America's song "This Time" describe a person who is leaving on a train, feeling confident and hopeful about their future plans. They have a suitcase full of their dreams and schemes, and they firmly believe that this time they will succeed. The singer is reassuring their loved one that they will be successful and that they will write to them soon with good news. The song exudes a sense of optimism and determination, and the singer is sure that the sun will shine on them this time.
The lines "I've seen confusion in your eyes, I've seen uncertainty and fear" suggest that the singer's loved one may be worried about the future and whether their plans will work out. However, the singer encourages them to keep looking for tomorrow because it will soon be here. The repetition of "This time" throughout the song reinforces the idea that the singer is starting anew and that this time will be different.
Overall, "This Time" is a song about hope and perseverance in the face of uncertainty. Despite the fear and doubt that may arise, the singer is determined to succeed and believes that the future holds good things for them.
Line by Line Meaning
When the whistle blows
At the moment of departure, just as the train whistle sounds
And the goodbye hugs are over
After all the farewells have been said and the goodbyes exchanged
Then the train pulls out of the station and rolls towards the dawn
The train leaves the station and heads towards the early morning light
With that old suitcase in hand and a surefire plan gone over
Holding onto an old suitcase, with a plan that's been carefully thought out
This time it will work it can't go wrong
This time around, everything will go as planned and it won't fail
Cause I've got all of our dreams mixed up with my schemes
All of our aspirations have been intertwined with my cleverly crafted plans
Rollin' around in my mind
Replaying those plans over and over in my head
I know the sun's gonna shine
I'm confident that things will turn out well
Shine on me this time
Finally, things will go my way
In a week or two
In about seven to fourteen days
I'll be writing to you with good news
I'll be sending you a message that contains nothing but good news
And I can just see your smile as you read about all that I've done
I can imagine you smiling upon reading about all I have accomplished
Cause I've got all of our plans right here in my hands
All of our plans have been put together and I have them with me
And things are gonna work out just fine
Things will turn out well and without any issues
Cause I know the sun's gonna shine
I am confident that everything will go as planned
Shine on me this time
Things will go my way this time around
I've seen confusion in your eyes
I've witnessed perplexity and doubt in your gaze
I've seen uncertainty and fear
I've witnessed hesitation and anxiety
Keep on lookin' for tomorrow
Keep striving for the future
Soon it will be here
It will arrive shortly
This time, it's gonna be this time
This time around, everything will go as planned
This time, it's gotta be this time
It is essential that things go according to plan this time
This time, this time (it's never never)
This time around, everything will finally work out
This time, this time (the day is coming)
This time, the day where everything goes right is fast approaching
This time, this time (it's never never)
This time around, everything will finally work out
This time, this time (the day is coming)
This time, the day where everything goes right is fast approaching
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GERRY BECKLEY, DEWEY BUNNELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind