If you were to pick the one genre of music most associated with me, you would say “Classic Rock”. CCR, Hendrix, Beatles, Doors. Those are my kinds of bands.
For years, I have heard the song “Horse with No Name.” As a listener of classic rock radio stations, I have heard that song countless times. Up until about a week ago, I have always labored under the illusion that Neil Young sang that song. I mention that to a friend as we are discussing favorite songs by certain artists at which point I am informed that is actually America singing that song.
Hey, how many ppl thought that John Fogerty was singing “There’s a bathroom on the right” when he was actually singing “There’s a bad moon on the rise?” How many have confused Bob Seeger and Bruce Springstein? How many times have the Beatles and the Rolling Stones been confused with each other? It’s just Classic Rock. Nobody’s ever suggested that it be used as a measure of intelligence.
Don’t feel too bad. I thought the same thing about this song for a long time. In fact, I started a thread a few months ago (I don’t have any patience for the hamsters right now, so I’m not going to attempt searching it) in which people posted the titles of songs they thought were done by someone else. The one song I was wrong about for the longest time was “No Sugar Tonight” by The Guess Who. For the longest time I thought this was a Creedence Clearwater Revival song.
A lot of people commented on the similarity in sound ever since “Horse with No Name” was released. Neil Young never wrote anything that lame, but it does sound something like him.
M father is in one of those loads. I broke the news to him just a couple months ago.
flodnak:
Hehe…so true. Even 20 years ago Keith Richards looked like death warmed over.
Until recently, I thought the song “All Right Now” was by Bad Company, but actually it was a song by Free which had the same frontman, Paul Rodgers.
Ever listen to Trans, Arc or Journey Through The Past? Those are all really bad albums. I’m talking throw them on the CD player when you want people to leave the party bad.
And what is so lame about A Horse With No Name? The lyric is quite good, as it tells an actual story instead of bleating about the usual sex,drugs etc, and the instrumentation fits the song. The fact that it was used as an anthem of sorts during the Gulf War shouldn’t be held against it.
“On the first part of the journey
I was looking at all the life
There were plants and birds and rocks and things
There was sand and hills and rings
The first thing I met was a fly with a buzz
And the sky with no clouds”
" 'Cause there ain’t no one for to give you no pain"
Yes, but in that case, you could say “the desert was hot”, “the air was hot”, “the day was hot”, anything but “the heat was hot.” What on earth is the heat supposed to be, if not hot?
The first time I ever really listened to the lyrics was during a scene in “Air America” where it’s being sung (badly) by a group of Laoatian (?) waiters. I assumed the “ain’t no one for to give you no pain” was meant as a joke about foreigners mangling English. Imagine my surprise.
I don’t know who sings anything. If I had a nickel for ever time someone says “You don’t know <insert band or name of song here>”…
A couple years back some organization listed the top 100 rock songs of all time (or most important, or whatever - another millenium thing). Way up there in the top 10 was some tune named Smells Like Teen Spirit. You know Smells Like Teen Spirit, right? Of course you do. EVERYone knows SLTS except, of course, for me.
Ditto for the band Rush. Someone posted a poll on another message board and I finally had to look them up to see what the hell they ever sang.
The one thing I like best about amazon.com is their little RA sound clips; it lets me dopeslap myself in private.
