chenilletartar

More Thoughts on  “The Number One’s at One”

“A Horse with No Name” was a number one hit on the pop charts. It knocked Neil Young‘s “Heart of Gold” out of the number one slot in 1972. I suppose it’s not really that surprising.

“Gee, this guy’s voice is really familiar—hey, isn’t he the guy who did “Heart of Gold?””

“No. He’s not. But perhaps Dewey Bunnell could give you a lesson on how to cash in on someone else’s sound.”

On cashing in on another artist’s sound, sometimes it’s more of an homage than a rip-off. Listen to Big Mama Thornton‘s “Hound Dog” (or other Leiber and Stoller tunes for that matter) and compare it/them to so much of Tom Waits‘ recorded works. The resemblance is uncanny.