Do all horses lack names?

At what age do we first recognize a song? I’m lucky to have a niece and nephew both turning 3 this year who definitely have a flair for music. From Uncle David’s keen observations, toddlers often start with percussion, then may pick up a kazoo, and before you know it, they’re singing and playing along to music. They’ve got a special knack for a heartfelt “Happy Birthday”.

Our family listened to a ton of music growing up. For some reason, one of the first songs I remember connecting with as a youngster was America’s A Horse with No Name. But why that one specifically?

As mentioned in previous posts, my dad is a HUGE music fan- especially Bob Dylan- as well as The Who, Neil Young and The Beatles (as also mentioned before). I don’t know the very first time I heard A Horse with No Name, although one of the first times I recognized it (that I remember) was during one of our family trips from Dallas, TX to Duluth, MN. We were standing in line at McDonald’s and it was playing over the speakers there. I asked my Dad if it was a Beatles song. He said, “No, this one is by America, but their producer would be really happy you thought it was a Beatles song.”

This must’ve been summer of ‘89 or ‘90. Hopefully, Ian Samwell (the producer of that song) smiled wherever he was at that moment.

During the summer of 1989, my dad had won tickets to an outdoor concert headlined by America and Starship. Being only six years old at the time, I only knew that there were fireworks and wondered why we all had wait so long to see them. While we watched the fireworks explode over the grassy field, I remember looking up and thinking how much I wanted to catch those falling embers…but they burn out before getting close enough to reach. Maybe that song connected with me there on that field, waiting for the fireworks.

Or maybe my Dad played it on a cassette tape while driving up to Duluth, and I awoke early and took in the song while watching the sun come up across the plains of Missouri or Iowa. I don’t think I’ll ever truly remember.

That may be one of the marks of a great song- it can take you on a little journey regardless of what you’d seen or not. Hearing it, I could imagine traveling across the desert, surviving a rainstorm and forgetting your own name along the way. When it comes on, I still turn up the dial and take that trip across the desert.

What’s the first song you remember leaving an impression on you?

PS: Found a clip online from America’s Nov. 26, 1989 show at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, just for an idea of what they were like back in ‘89: