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“A Horse with No Name” was written by Dewey Bunnell for America’s 1971 debut album. The song was first called “Desert Song,” Bunnell has said the nameless horse was a metaphor for a way out of life’s confusion into somewhere quiet. He did not know that “horse” was slang for heroin, and some American stations banned it anyway.
Released in late 1971 in the UK and early 1972 in the US, it reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart and spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also topped the chart in Canada. The vocal and the acoustic feel were so close to Neil Young that many listeners assumed it was his, and by coincidence, it was this song that replaced Young’s “Heart of Gold” at No. 1. Bunnell has said he never denied the influence, but the backlash from Young’s fans still stung.