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I don't get it. Some people do NOT like today's "Great Song of 1975," and I can't figure out why.
Perhaps it's because the original radio single edited out the piano part to make sure it was short enough to get played on Top 40 and Adult Contemporary stations. Perhaps it has something to do with the story. Perhaps they've never seen the artist play it in concert.
But to me, "Wildfire" by Michael Martin Murphey is pure genius.
In concert, Michael himself tells the story behind the song very succinctly: He was writing songs with a friend, and he fell asleep. He had a dream about a magic horse, and when he woke up, he wrote a song about it.
But there's more to it than that. The long version includes the fact that the dream--and therefore the song--most likely came to him from a Native American legend about a ghost horse his grandfather told him about when he was a child.
To enhance the song, Michael added intro and outro piano sections based on a classical theme by Russian composer Alexander Scriabin: "Prelude in D-Flat, Opus 11, Number 15."
The result is not only flat out beautiful, it's entrancing. Michael claims, with good reason, that children love the song because of the story and the emotions that come with the music.
I agree...but the same goes for adults like me.
"Wildfire" hit #1 on the Adult Contemporary Charts in both the US and Canada. It also reached #1 on Canada's Top 40 and #3 on Billboard's Hot 100.
Overall, it has sold over two million copies, and The Western Writers of America has named it one of the "Top 100 Western Songs of All Time!"
Interesting side note, Two famous humorists had different views of the song. David Letterman called it "haunting and disturbingly mysterious, but always lovely." Writer Dave Barry took issue with the lyrics: "No one gets lost in a killing frost who doesn't get lost in July as well."
"Wildfire" by Michael Martin Murphey: ABSOLUTELY a "Great Song of 1975!" (My advice? listen to the live version and you'll never want to hear the radio edit again!)
Radio edit:
Album version, including the piano solos:
The incredible live version with Michael & The Rio Grande Band:
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