America’s “Ventura Highway” Is The Epitome Of 70s Culture
via Musikladen / Youtube
America’s “Ventura Highway” is a song written by founding member Dewey Bunnell, released in 1972 from the band’s sophomore album Homecoming. Debuting on October 21, 1972, the song spent a total of 12 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, where it peaked at number 8. In addition, it peaked at number 43 on the UK Singles Chart, where it stayed for four weeks.
On October 1, 2006, Bunnell discussed the song further in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. He recalled the time when he and his family when on a road trip when one of the car’s tires flunked along the way. “It was 1963 when I was in seventh grade, we [his family] got a flat tire and we’re standing on the side of the road and I was staring at this highway sign. It said ‘Ventura’ on it and it just stuck with me. It was a sunny day and the ocean there, all of it.”
In terms of the song’s lyrics that cleverly say “Seasons crying no despair, alligator lizards in the air,” the musician discussed further: “The clouds. It’s my brother and I standing there on the side of the road looking at the shapes of clouds while my dad changed the tire.”
You can watch the band’s 1975 rare performance of “Ventura Highway” in full HD by clicking here.
