I am time poor this week, as for the first time in my life I’ve had to do jury duty. Also, it looks as if I might be tied up for a while, so to keep up my new regime of posting something weekly, I’m going to borrow from a post I wrote right at the start of my blogging career and doesn’t seem to have ever been read. The reason I’ve chosen to revisit this particular post and song is because I save things I find funny on social media, and I did recently find this little cartoon funny. Probably for those of us of a certain age.
First published 9th April 2016
Most people will have heard the song A Horse With No Name by America at some point in their lives. It was a hit in the UK for them in 1971 but it turns out they were actually from Ruislip outside London. Would seem a bit bizarre if not for the fact all three band members had US Airforce Officer fathers who were based over here, and that is how they met. There is no escaping the fact their music is very much in the style of Neil Young, and Crosby, Stills and Nash, but that was exactly what they intended so it worked well for them. I have written before about how kids like myself who came from rural Scotland, found this kind of music very exotic and otherworldly. We had no dark desert highways or tequila sunrises, we certainly didn’t have warm winds blowing the stars around, and we wouldn’t have dreamt of crossing a desert on a horse with no name. Oh no, plenty of cows and sheep where I came from and lots of lush grass, but the whole desert imagery thing was something well beyond our ken.
The amusing thing for me about this “desert” song, is that it was actually recorded in the UK, at a studio in Puddletown, Dorset (you couldn’t make it up). It was released here first and it was not until the following year that it was a hit in the US.
But back to the song. For me, it will always be associated with my school days. In Primary School I always wore my long hair tied back in a ponytail so it was inevitable that the joker of the class would assign me an “equine” nickname. Too embarrassing to spill the beans here but suffice to say it was all done in jest and never caused upset. When we moved up to Secondary School I found myself in the same class for most subjects as the joker from my junior school days. The ponytail had long gone, but of course the song A Horse With No Name had well and truly become a part of our musical memories, so for the next six years I often found myself sitting in class, concentrating on a tricky maths or physics problem, suddenly realising that this song was being quietly hummed in the background for my benefit. Sadly we have now lost touch, but I swear that if our middle-aged selves met up again today, I would get a big smile, would be greeted with my old nickname, and given a few bars of A Horse With No Name. Funny how some things stick.
Until next time…
A Horse With No Name Lyrics
(Song by Dewey Bunnell)
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
The heat was hot and the ground was dry
But the air was full of sound
I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain
In the desert you can remember your name
‘Cause there ain’t no one for to give you no pain
La, la …
After two days in the desert sun
My skin began to turn red
After three days in the desert fun
I was looking at a river bed
And the story it told of a river that flowed
Made me sad to think it was dead
You see I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain
In the desert you can remember your name
‘Cause there ain’t no one for to give you no pain
La, la …
After nine days I let the horse run free
‘Cause the desert had turned to sea
There were plants and birds and rocks and things
there was sand and hills and rings
The ocean is a desert with it’s life underground
And a perfect disguise above
Under the cities lies a heart made of ground
But the humans will give no love
You see I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain
In the desert you can remember your name
‘Cause there ain’t no one for to give you no pain
La, la …
What's It All About? 
Very impressed by the England Dan & John Ford Coley reference.
Hope you get the villains bang to rights OR prevent a miscarriage of justice (delete as applicable).
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One of my favourite songs Ernie, and one of the first I wrote about when I started my blogging career. We very rarely get warm evening winds up here, so if we ever do, I remember them well. The first bloggers’ summit in Edinburgh coincided with some lovely weather and there we were walking home at 11pm with short sleeved T-shirts. I remarked how rarely you get to do that in Scotland.
As for the case, we’ve a long way to go and at the moment the jury is out – literally.
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I have to admit that I don’t like AHWNN. The lyrics are terrible, in my opinion.
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To be honest, when I was young I didn’t really think about the lyrics too much, but I just liked the whole sound of the song.
If you do search online for the meaning of the lyrics of course there are always two versions – the one about the scenery and the natural surroundings, and the one that references the use of certain substances. Seems to be the case for most songs from that era if you look hard enough!
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Such a great song, so West Coast sounding for a UK original – love the fact that it was recorded in Puddletown (should be the title of a BBC cbeebies series, surely?) I’m now wondering about that equine nickname you had, I certainly can’t think of any!
Good luck with the jury service – I do hope it’s not too horrible or lengthy a case. I was summoned to do it a couple of years ago for the first time too, but thankfully our reliance on my self-employment allowed me to be excused. Part of me would be quite interested in having the experience and finding out how it all works behind the scenes, but not enough to actively want to! All the best.
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Yes I can just see a kids show being set in Puddletown – lots of ducks etc. As it happens, it sits on the River Piddle and used to be called Piddletown but the locals elected to change it a while back. I think I might have gone along with that!
It is quite interesting doing jury duty and the very first time I’ve had to do it. Mr WIAA also excused himself because of the self-employment thing when he was called. Loads of people I know have been called lately but never been picked once the ballot is done. I’ve had to rearrange a hair appointment and won’t be able to do my volunteering or my puppy-sitting this week but as we were told it’s our civic duty. Quite a responsibility though deciding the outcome, as it affects the rest of someone’s life. Innocent until proven guilty.
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My son loved this song when he was little. One time he asked me sincerely, “Dad, is it true that in the desert you can’t remember your name?”
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That’s a cute story. I like saving up these memories from a time you won’t get back.
Wonder if he still likes the song…
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I think he still does!
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I do like this song a lot, but as an English teacher… there’s a lot of bad writing in it. “The heat was hot”… “plants and birds and rocks and things”… and don’t even try to parse “Cause there ain’t no one for to give you no pain”. Still his head was clearly befuddled by the desert, so I cut him some slack.
Enjoy the jury duty, Alyson.
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Oh Rol, I had to look up the meaning of parse! I think when it comes to lyrics, you’ll have to let the English teacher side of you slide. Wot (deliberate) did you think of Slade’s back catalogue?
Jury duty finished this afternoon. Verdict was that uniquely Scottish one of “Not Proven”. Fortunately our Lady Sheriff (Judge) said she would also have given that verdict when telling the accused, so we were relieved.
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Forgot to say last time that I am very familiar with the River Piddle from my Dorset days. I used to live about 10 miles from its source in Alton Pancras.
The locals are less squeamish about the name in the upper reaches. You can visit Piddlehinton and Piddletrenthide, from where a tributary runs up to Plush and Folly.
The name changes only start at Puddletown with several further ‘puddle’s downstream – most famously Tolpuddle where the martyrs came from. But you can follow it all the way to Wareham where it enters Poole Harbour opposite Giggers Island (much admired by live music fans). Make sure to stop at Throop en route.
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We have a lot of difficult to pronounce places up here (if you’re English) but in England you have many amusing sounding placenames. So, it seems some are still some Piddles, but downstream they’re all now Puddles. If I’m ever in Dorset I’ll make sure to visit Plush, Folly, Throop and Giggers Island. Thanks for the heads up.
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