Tin Man

This song is about eschewing love for sex, the "perfect prize that waits among the shells," for which the bait is a quick, loveless seduction, while real love is the real reward. And anyone who remembers The Wizard of Oz knows that the Tin Man really wanted a heart, which the Wizard showed him he already had.

America was the trio of Dan Peek, Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell until Peek left in 1977, leaving them as a duo. They wrote separately and split lead vocal duties: whoever wrote the song would sing it. "Tin Man" was written by Bunnell, and Beckley would like you to know that its themes extend well beyond the movie. "There are so many other beautiful lyrical twists in that song, so it's not fair to simplify it as just a song about The Wizard of Oz," he said in his Songfacts interview. "To a surrealist, it's like a Dali painting."

America hit it big with their first single, "A Horse With No Name," and their second album contained the hit "Ventura Highway." Their third album didn't do nearly as well, with only a cover of a song about amorous rodents cracking the Hot 100. For their fourth album Holiday, they brought in a ringer: George Martin. The Beatles producer was known for keeping up a faster pace in the studio than America was used to, so the band adjusted accordingly, making sure they were prepared for the sessions. This brought a new focus to the band, and the session were done in 13 days. "Tin Man," released as the lead single, was a solid hit and brought America back to the limelight.