Make no mistake: The heartbreak and despair this album portrays are real. It’s a tender moment of grace in the face of despair, and it’s beautiful. Regret is a symptom, not a subject, a theme which is repeated from a different angle in the next song, “When I Need You Most.” “No jail house Jesus gonna save my soul,” sings Carrozo, “Lord give me another chance/to crawl out of this hole … I’m so scared now that these last words/will never find you when I need you most.” Regret blankets the album, but even here, amid a searing guitar solo at the bridge from Gary Backstrom and gorgeous vocal harmonies on the chorus from bassist Lynne Taylor, the song’s moments of clarity, of putting the things that matter into focus. It’s about searching the past for something to heal the present. The song’s not really about the long-gone relationship. In the subsequent track, “ I’m Doing Fine,” Carrozo paints a portrait of a woman looking backward at an old love in a moment of pain and loneliness, only to discover that he’s happily married with a family. Ultimately, this is an album about love, in all its myriad forms: How it can be painful sometimes, and how it can also save us. That's the Way It Is.It’s a gentle, countrified sort of song, but Carrozo meets rage with compassion, and the result is beautiful: “Let it shine let it shine,” he sings, “if you lose your love you can borrow some of mine let it shine let it shine/we gotta help each other see/through these blinded times.” Harry Nilsson recorded the song for his 1976 album. In the same year Percy Faith and Ray Conniff also released versions of the song. Unlike their previous hit single, it didn't receive any certifications by RIAA.Īndy Williams released a version in 1972 on his album, Alone Again (Naturally). It was also charted in Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart at number 7, and both Cash Box Singles Chart and Record World Singles Chart at number 8. It was the band's second top ten single, following the success of their previous hit " A Horse With No Name". The song was a top ten hit and spent 10 weeks in United States Billboard Hot 100 charts wherein it peaked at number 9. Dan Peek – 12-string electric guitar, backing vocals.Gerry Beckley – lead vocal, bass, piano.Dewey Bunnell – 6-string acoustic guitar, backing vocals.(Per back cover of 1972 vinyl issue of America.) An alternate mix from 1971 (otherwise based on the George Martin mix) appears on the 2015 release Archives, Vol. George Martin remixed the studio recording for inclusion on History: America's Greatest Hits (1975) with the pitch brought down a quarter tone and the bass guitar brought up further in volume from the original release. The studio version is included on the compilation albums Highway (2000) and The Complete Greatest Hits (2001). It appears on the live albums Live (1977), In Concert (1985), In Concert (King Biscuit), Horse With No Name - Live! (1995), and The Grand Cayman Concert (2002). The song was written by Gerry Beckley.Ĭash Box described it as "a gentle, ' Something'-ish ballad." " I Need You," released in 1972, is the second single by the band America from their eponymous debut album America.
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