I’ve seen a desert or two in my time. Mind you, what we call a desert here in North America isn’t much against, say, northern Saudi Arabia, but our deserts can still be daunting. I once drove across the Mojave in a non-air-conditioned pickup in July, and that was an experience that I’d just as soon not repeat.
Deserts being what they are, though, bleak, intimidating, and yet possessing a certain majesty, it’s not at all surprising that there are more than a few songs that have sprung up about those dusty landscapes. Here are seven such, inspired by, well, the desert.
America, Horse With No Name (1971): True story: In January of 1991, I was sitting in an old Army 5-ton truck, with my Supply Section Chief driving. It was past midnight, chilly, with a drizzling rain falling; when they tell you northern Saudi Arabia only gets ten inches of rain a year, they don’t generally tell you that it all falls in three days. We were driving up Tap Line Road with a truck full of medical and general supplies to deliver to some of our people who were scattered out in several locations. Ahead of us was another Army 5-ton, and as we caught up and closed in on it, I finally made out what was on the tailgate in white paint:
A HORSE WITH NO NAME.
I would have done that on our own section’s 5-ton, but somebody else thought of it first, so I couldn’t. I’m still chagrined that I got beaten to the idea.
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The Grateful Dead, Mexicali Blues (1972): From the album "Skeletons From The Closet," an early Grateful Dead best-of album, Bob Weir originally recorded it on his 1972 "Ace" solo album. This is a fun song, with a good beat, a distinct south-of-the-border sound, and a great, rather dark story about a guy traveling the desert southwest, who gets drawn into a murder by a young woman with dark eyes, as the lyric puts it, “she made me trade the gallows for the Mexicali blues, yeah.” It's about a slide into depravity, and how it lands the protagonist on a gallows.
Pure Prairie League, Amie (1972): Originally from the band’s second album, "Bustin’ Out," this is a fun one; a band originally from Ohio did a pretty good job with western-themed tunes. And just to add to that, the band took their name from a 1939 Errol Flynn movie, "Dodge City," where a group of women cleans up the town by forming a “pure prairie league” to set things to rights. Now, this isn’t really a desert-themed song, but it’s got enough of a southwestern sound that I couldn’t help but include it.Eagles, Tequila Sunrise (1973): Written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey, this was only the second song they wrote together, after "Desperado." The song draws some comparisons between the transient, traveling lives of both musicians and cowboys, and sets the early tone of the Eagles for western-themed tunes. The song refers to a guy drinking tequila until the sun comes up, which is another apt comparison for both cowboys and musicians.Maria Muldaur, Midnight At The Oasis (1974): I love this live performance, as it’s a great illustration of Robert Heinlein’s Principle of Least Action, in that Maria Muldaur combines talent with beauty. The song was written by composer David Nichtern, who later said about the song:
I wrote the song before I started working with Maria... the details are a little bit intimate, but let's just say there was a girl, a waterbed, feta cheese and grape leaves, and a Martin 000-18 near by.
I have only one nit to pick with this song: There are no cacti in the Middle Eastern deserts, where it is implied the story behind this song takes place.
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Pat Benatar, Painted Desert (1985): Pat’s later work was somewhat mixed, but this is a neat one. The lyrics speak vividly of someone who has lost someone dear, presumably a lover, and how the loss and the missing are like a colorful desert, full of memories, searching for something lost.
ZZ Top, Asleep In The Desert (1987): And, finally, a rare instrumental from ZZ Top. Lyrics or no lyrics, it’s a fast-paced, fast-stepping tune that starts off quietly and builds to a real rhythm-driven jam. Each note is deliberate, each chord is right on the money. But then, would we expect any less from ZZ Top?Ever spent a night in the desert? Ever enjoyed a good desert-theme tune? I know I probably missed a bunch, and I didn’t even dip into country music, choosing instead to keep this to rock & roll; I could easily do another entire piece on desert-themed country music. In the meantime, let’s see your suggestions; the comments are all yours.
