Toxic Musk
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New MOG or old, Toxic Tuesday is alive and unwell!
Never was a big fan of America. And I'm not referring to our magnificent (if imperfect) country - Land of the Free, Home of the Brave, Refuge of the Slacker - which I love with all my heart, soul, etc. No, I mean America, the wimpy Anglo-American folk-pop trio.
Comprised of singer-guitarists Dan Peek, Gerry Beckley, and Dewey Bunnell, America broke big in 1972 with the chart-topping single "A Horse with No Name" - a weirdly seductive ditty that was most remarkable for its imitation of the nasal whine and loping, rustic style of Neil Young in his dreamier, more melodious mode. In fact, I'm convinced that the only reason the song became so popular was that people actually thought it was Young or perhaps Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
The toxicity of America (the group, not the nation, although, well, you know) became apparent with the saccharine, juvenile "Sister Golden Hair," (which also went to #1 on the singles chart) and the equally ineffectual "Wizard of Oz"-derived ballad "Tin Man." Both of these tracks were, in fact, produced by longtime Beatles mentor George Martin, who apparently was looking for something - anything - to keep him busy in the wake of the break-up of the Fab Four. Bad call, George.
Now, here's where I embarrass myself and admit to liking the breezy, far more palatable "Ventura Highway," but I've saved the worst for last.
There is no defending the stomach-turning "Muskrat Love" - a minor hit from the band's 1973 album Hat Trick. Written by Texas folk singer Willis Alan Ramsey and performed by America with no trace of irony, it is a pathetic and infantile ode to anthropomorphic rodents Muskrat Suzie and Muskrat Sam gettin' it on. (Actual lyric: "Muskrat Suzie, Muskrat Sam / doin' the jitterbug out in Muskrat Land.") And it predates all of that bestial fetish nonsense with the Furries - people who like to dress up as forest critters and, um, "socialize."
To add insult to injury, a version of "Muskrat Love" recorded by the pop duo The Captain & Tennille would actually creep into the Top Ten in 1976. If possible, the remake is even more horrific, especially the synthesized squeaks and squiggles that ostensibly reproduced the sound of mating muskrats.
America's "Muskrat Love" is on the MOG Player at the top of the post. A live version of The Captain & Tennille's "Muskrat Love" is embedded on video below. Make sure you've had your rabies shots before sampling. And a handy bottle of Pepto-Bismol wouldn't hurt.
Comments (22)
As was said last week by DM2, "No way I'm hitting that button."
But you are right on target again. Yes, I also claim Ventura Highway as a guilty pleasure but agree that, as bad as sister Golden Hair was, Muskrat Love is unforgivable.
That Capt. & Tennile covered it only confirms it. (You really know you wrote pablum when they want to cover you!)
My only disagreement with you is minor: why A Horse w/No Name became a hit: I think it was the fact that a mainstream (pardon the pun) bubble gum pop song was about doing heroin.
Maybe it was nostalgia for Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (which also got the hit cover-version treatment- but by Elton John.)
Yeah- more proof the sequels are almost always worse than the original. In the case of Muskrat Love, that only seemed impossible until Capt. & Tennile came along!
Mike! I thought this was Toxic Tuesday - Not TORTUREOUS Tuesday! Do you think they used this song in Guantanemo?
F7 - Horse with no name about Heroin? Wow, believe it or not, that's the first time I've heard that. But, it makes total sense.
If Horse With No Name was about Heroin, I am afraid to know what Muskrat Love is about. You hint at it..but I still feel..THE FEAR.
I had no idea that America did this first. We really didn't need two versions.
I'm playing this at dinnertime, and think I have may have discovered a new diet in the process. Recommended by 4 out of 5 bulimics.
OMG, the video. The captain, with his porno mustache, and Tennille with her 2,000 teeth....
fasted: I still contend that the success of "A Horse with No Name" was rooted in its Young-ian sound. Perhaps we should consult with Henry a.k.a. MOG's own Me and the Horse I Rode In On for his equine opinion.
L.M.I.: I have it on good authority that the internees at Gitmo spilled their guts (and voided their bowels) within seconds of hearing The Captain's synthesizer approximation of amorous rodents.
Cody: Sorry, man. Alas, you're on the right track.
dermahrk: We really didn't need one version. RE: Your description of T.C.&T. I actually was LOL. And that never happens.
You all really think the song is that bad? I sorta liked it.
genderbender: Not a problem. As the Frenchies say, Chacun à son goût.
The little wheel got to 1/4 round and suddenly I realised I had already been thinking for some time: what am I doing?? Turn it off!!! Jeesus I hated this group when they were au courant. (Well you started this French thing.) I remember with this addled brain (meaning I could bewrong) that Martin became involved because, despite many a meeting with EMI brass, they wouldn't give him any royalties for producing The Beatles. So he was looking around for something that he could produce as a freelance and get a royalty stream. Good choice, though I wonder if he found it as creatively satisfying as his previous group.
Hmmmmm. I have nothing to say
Jonh: The fact that they were ever "au courant" is mildly disturbing to me. As for that whore George Martin... (Just kidding, Mr. Martin, sir.)
dmdm: I find that hard to believe.
you don't actually expect me to listen to these, do you?
I am so afraid to push, last time I did I ended up liking what you had posted!
I wish my teeth looked like hers.
inrumford: Of course I do - through earphones with your eyes pried open while you're strapped to a chair, "Clockwork Orange"-style.
Rawkkiddoh: That's why they invented the category of "Guilty Pleasures."
Spike: The field of cosmetic dentistry has made phenomenal leaps forward in the past few years. You can now get an entire mouthful of muskrat teeth if you're willing to pay top dollar.
...wow... the only thing worse than the recorded version of C&T's version, is a live recording ... and the Velveeta dripping off that video is enough to instantly clog an artery or two...
van: Rabies shots, Pepto, and, now, Lipitor? Despite my perverse fascination, this one might not be worth the effort.
Well, your post title says it all. The America version is so much better though ... and I hadn't heard it before. I also thought that Horse With No Name was anyone but these guys as well. I guess I liked them a lot more than I realized, and will be streaming them on Rhapsody.
Van: At your own risk. ;-)
LOL!!! You're not kidding... Just listened to Sister Golden Hair, A Horse With No Name, Ventura Highway, Tin Man, You Can Do Magic, and got about halfway through Lonely People... I'm Done.
Damn! I like "Ventura Highway." I admit it. Sue me.
That is the best track of them all without a doubt, and brought me back to the AM radio of my youth... so thanks for that. Real men can admit that something is a pleasure without throwing guilty in front of it - (no offense to Fasted7) ... welcome to the club.
Oh, I'm guilty all right. Guilty of loving happy harmonies that don't espouse lyrics as crappy as those of "Sister Golden Hair."