America: Midnight

I had five very unique roommates during my five undergraduate years. Craig Ott, number four, was the only one I had known prior to coming to school. We roomed together for the duration of my junior and senior years. Craig was a year behind me in school, but had attended elsewhere for his freshman year. When he came to Grayson, Kentucky in 1975, he brought albums that I didn’t have, so I had an education in the music of Cat Stevens, America, as well as others.

One of the albums in his collection was America’s fifth album: “Hearts.” The third cut on this 1975 release, “Midnight,” was also the flipside to their number one single “Sister Golden Hair.” Written by Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley, “Midnight” was similar to their other “softer” recordings. It was also reminiscent of the harmonies that made America famous four years earlier.

While this 1975 recording is not really indicative of their hits, it’s a nice, mellow tune. Like their nine initial albums, “Midnight” was produced by the legendary George Martin. Martin, as you should know, was the producer of most of the original Beatles albums. Good stuff from America.