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AMERICA
A HORSE WITH NO NAME

Guitar 1: Acoustic
Format
 

SV-TABS

Intensity
  

INTERMEDIATE

About the Track

Dewey Bunnell, the lead singer of America, penned "A Horse With No Name" when he was a sprightly 19. Despite what your brain might jump to (because, of course, “horse with no name” just screams drug-induced haze), the song is, shockingly, not about a bad acid trip. Nope, Bunnell just decided to write about the things he saw while, you know, actually living life—and not living out a hallucination.

The song was originally titled "Desert Song"—wow, groundbreaking, right? That’s because Bunnell had the genius idea to write about the desert after spending time there while his dad was stationed at an Air Force base in Santa Barbara County, California. Can you imagine? A teenager, writing a song about the desert... because he actually saw it. Revolutionary.

“The desert had been burning in my head after living in the UK,” Bunnell told Mojo magazine—because, as we all know, the UK’s idea of “weather” is dampness and gloom, a constant reminder that sunshine is a myth. “My brother and I spent time in New Mexico, Arizona, and Southern California catching snakes and lizards. And honestly, it was probably the first time I’d felt my skin burn in a way that wasn’t just from endless drizzle.”

Now, about that song. It’s a very confusing tale about wandering through the desert. The landscape? Harsh. Unforgiving. Not the kind of place you’d want to throw a picnic. And yet, the singer also somehow finds peace in it. Sure. Because when I think “peace,” I immediately picture a place that could literally kill you if you forgot your sunscreen.

For Bunnell, the “horse” wasn’t some mystical, unnamed steed from a dreamlike vision—it was just a metaphor for escaping the dreary, never-ending rain of England. The desert seemed like the perfect escape. Because why not find your Zen in a land where you can get heatstroke and eaten by a cactus in under an hour?

And as for why the horse has no name or why it disappears after nine days? Bunnell literally says: “I don’t know.” Shocking, right? He admits there’s no profound reason—it’s just random. Apparently, the endless theories listeners have come up with over the years are way more interesting than anything he actually intended. And let’s be real, probably more entertaining too.

Performance Notes

We've got 4 guitars - the main guitar is Guitar 1 - an acoustic 6 string that carries the tune, and chances are, this is what you'll be playing since most of us only have 2 arms.

However, we have 3 other guitars - all 12-String Acoustics tuned to standard(E, A, D, G, B, E) that provide another layer of sonics. Guitar 2 12-String simply adds other colors to the rhythm of the song, but Guitar 3 and Guitar 4 only show up in the last 2 bars of the solo section.

Sidenotes

America remained active into the '10s, typically playing about 100 shows a year. When Songfacts spoke with Gerry Beckley in 2016, he said: "I'm always asked, 'What's your favorite song?' And I usually default to 'Horse' because the song itself represents the start of the journey. You know: 'On the first part of the journey.' It actually says it in the song. But that's what it's been - it's been an unbelievable journey."

"Horse" is slang for heroin, leading to myriad rumors (denied by the band) that the song is about drugs.


"I had no idea horse was a street name for heroin, and it got banned, like Kansas City Radio wouldn't play it," Bunnell told Mojo. "Maybe that helped create some other side bar of Darkness to the song. We dabbled in some of the drugs of the day, but never hard drugs."

Tailgate Version

Grab the Guitar 1 version on a 6 or 12 string acoustic, adjust your tuning to D, E, D, G, B, D, and you'll be off and running with this classic acoustic tune.
Patrick Jones - Course author
MEET THE INSTRUCTOR

STAYCE ROBERTS

Electric, Acoustic and 12-String Guitars
With over 40 years of dedication to the instrument, Stayce has taken his love of songwriting, guitar playing and producing that allows him to bring a fresh, professional style to his Online Instructional Videos, making him a top tier instructor in song and lesson tutorials.