This week we’re focusing on songs with “Memphis” in the lyrics. Our classic “Memphis” song of the day is “Daisy Jane” by America, which starts out with the line, “Flyin’ me back to Memphis, got to find my Daisy Jane.”
“Daisy Jane” was America’s seventh and final Top 20 single, following “A Horse With No Name” (#1), “I Need You” (#9), “Ventura Highway” (#8), “Tin Man” (#4), “Lonely People” (#5), and “Sister Golden Hair” (#1). Released in July of 1975, “Daisy Jane” peaked at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 but hit #4 on the Easy Listening chart.
Ironically, group member Gerry Buckley, who wrote “Daisy Jane,” had never been to Memphis nor knew anyone named Daisy Jane. The words just worked well for those particular lines, I guess.
America was actually a group from London comprised of three vocalists—the aforementioned Gerry Buckley, Dewey Bunnell, and Dan Peek. They were known for their soft rock tunes and tight harmonies, and they had a good run on the charts from 1971 to 1975 or so. They were produced by George Martin and engineered by Geoff Emerick, both of Beatles fame. Mr. Martin played keyboards on this track and arranged the strings, including that pretty cello part.
Dan, Dewey, and Gerry were all sons of U.S. Air Force personnel stationed in London at the time. They formed in 1970 and stayed together as a trio until 1977, when Dan left the band to pursue a career as a Christian artist. Dewey and Gerry stayed together, however, and continue to perform and record today. Their last studio album, Lost & Found, was released in 2015. Dan Peek, unfortunately, passed away in 2011, just 60 years old.
