As a kid.... I still do. Then I have to sit and think. Wipe tears. And wish I knew someone who could touch me as deeply as the woman who rode Wildfire.
It also means that that could be a guardian angel watching over you at the El happens to get kind of freaked out and comes out during the daytime in lands anywhere near your front porch or on your screen, I have looked it up and it could mean your guardian angel is there with you I choose to look at it that way!
For the past six years there have been two owls who have chosen our trees to spend time giving birth and caring for their babies. How they know exactly where to return remains a mystery. I hope it's because we offer a safe place to rest for a few weeks. They just returned about a week ago.❤
The lyrics are those of a homesteader telling the story of a young Nebraska woman said to have died searching for her escaped pony, "Wildfire", during a blizzard. The homesteader finds himself in a similar situation, doomed in an early winter storm. A hoot owl has perched outside of his window for six days, and the homesteader believes the owl is a sign that the ghost of the young woman is calling for him. He hopes to join her (presumably in heaven) and spend eternity riding Wildfire with her, leaving the difficulties of earthly life behind. The song has a piano intro and outro which was edited out for radio. The introduction is based on a piece (Prelude in D-flat, Op. 11 No. 15) by the Russian classical composer Alexander Scriabin. Murphey and Cansler co-wrote "Wildfire" in 1968, shortly after Murphey emerged as a solo artist. Earlier in the decade he had been part of a duo known as the Lewis & Clark Expedition in 1968 with singer-songwriter Boomer Castleman. They appeared and performed in an episode of the TV sitcom I Dream of Jeannie. When Murphey rerecorded "Wildfire" for a new album in 1997, he was quoted by Billboard as saying that what many consider his signature song "broke my career wide open and, on some level, still keeps it fresh. Because that song appeals to kids, and always has, it's kept my career fresh." In a 2008 interview, Murphey talked about the origins of the song and the context in which it was written. He was a third-year student at UCLA, working on a concept album for Kenny Rogers (The Ballad of Calico). The work was demanding, sometimes taking more than 20 hours a day. One night, he dreamed the song in its totality, writing it up in a few hours the next morning. He believes the song came to him from a story his grandfather told him when he was a little boy - a prominent Native American legend about a ghost horse. Murphey did not have a horse named Wildfire until a few years before the interview, when he gave that name to a palomino mare. Released in February 1975 as the album's lead single, "Wildfire" became Murphey's highest-charting pop hit in the United States. The somber story song hit No. 2 in Cash Box and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in June 1975. In addition, it hit the top position of the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, displacing "Love Will Keep Us Together". The single continued to sell, eventually receiving platinum certification from the RIAA, signifying sales of over two million US copies. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.
46 years after first hearing it I have the same reaction: visceral. Actually, at my age I do not try so hard to hide the poignant emotions this song stirs.
You didn't hear this 46 years ago because this is an inferior re-recording from years later that they played instead of the original. Unfortunately, Jay & Amber have no knowledge of old music to know when they have been duped.
True. Didn't that original version just get you in a weak place? Man, those 70,s ballads. They just kept coming, like a barage of George Forman musical genius knockout punches.
If you like this so g by Michael you would probably enjoy his song "Jaronimo's Cadillac ". It's a modernistic take of what they did to Jeronimo and the First Nations.
Michael was my neighbor in the mountains in Colorado and the guy playing that beautiful piano and synthesizer was a very good friend of mine Jac Murphy. He also was my neighbor. No relation to Michael. We just all lived up there when they did that album and it was a big hit. Super nice guys both of them. Very talented ! Unfortunately Jack took his life, but Michael still doing his thing beautifully. I used to love riding over to Jac ' s house from the KZ Ranch where I lived , and listening to him play the piano . He had a request from the Queen of England to come play for him he was so good. He even put out his own album before he died. Those were some very special days in the 70s and I'll never forget them..💖
Wow, glad to know this. Thank you for sharing! So sorry to hear Jack Murphy took his life. I love his intro and conclusion of this song the best of all time; he had so much heart, feeling,, and soul in his music, a transcending, spiritual experience listening to him play.
EVERY TIME. I hardly ever listen to it because, "Well, I can't afford to tear up at this time - !" I just imagine that young girl with her own pony... Wildfire... and her loss of a lifetime at that age.
You are so right...they both evoke an easy, peaceful feeling...but with a mysterious edge too. Don't know if I've heard a reaction video to any of Christopher Cross songs...
A backstory if you didn't know. Michael Martin Murphey had a dream about this and woke up and wrote the lyrics about a mystical horse. In the story about him knowing that his time had come there used to be a saying that I heard the owl call my name and the more the owl called your name the closer it was time for you to pass.
This song makes me cry every time. Especially being a horse owner, I identify so much with it. I couldn't imagine my Dragon doing this and getting lost in a blizzard. He did get out once and when I called him, thankfully, he came running back. It was in the snow but he went only as far as my neighbor's house. LOL. I have a video posted. It's actually beautiful seeing him running towards me, then slow down while crossing the street and take off past me and back into his pasture.
I don't know who suggested this song, but whoever it was.....THANK YOU!!! There are a lot of beautiful songs out there from many different genres and they are sung by very talented people....but this song has got to be one of the top three most beautifully performed and written songs of the 20th Century!! There are no words to describe it or the emotions it stirs in almost everyone that hears it.
I was 21 when I first heard this song. No song before or since has evoked such an emotional response in me. This might be the greatest song I have ever heard. When I hear that opening piano, I know I need to find somewhere to sit, as my emotions still move me greatly. I can't explain it, it just happens, even 47 years later!
Since I heard it on pop radio in 1975 or so, I never considered this a completely country song, but a brilliant story telling piece for everyone and not just the one genre.
@TimeSentinel That’s beautiful. When I was in my Mother’s womb back in 1964, I remember the combination of being surrounded by amniotic fluid and the voice of Michael Martin Murphy singing Wildfire over the airwaves gave me a warm feeling all over.
Where were you a DJ I might have talked to you on the phone I would always call radio stations for song request or contest to win concert tickets. What station did you play work for I've been to 40 states before 1982.
A very beautiful and popular song played on the radio a lot. Always made me cry when I was a child. The story behind the song is about a homesteader expressing his disillusionment with farming or sodbustting .As a means of escape he recalls a story he heard about a woman and her pony Wildfire
I was 4-years old when this came out. I remember crying as well. You could feel the authenticity, frailty, and immediacy in his original performance, like he just spontaneously wrote it and we're hearing him sing it as he's feeling those emotions in real-time. I didn't understand everything about it but I could feel it. But I'm a guy and I'm not supposed to cry. So I didn't cry after all. (But if I did, I was only a four-year old--practically a baby.) (But it doesn't matter because boys should be able to cry, whether they're 4 or 52, so there!)
John Denver was a contemporary of Michael and contributed harmony vocals to Swans against the Sun. Michael is still touring and is considereda premier cowboy singer and his son is following in his bootsteps.
Loved reading all these comments. I’m a contemporary of these singers and adored John Denver so followed him more closely. However, this is one of my favorite story songs of the era. It was chill music in those days. Still makes me relax and remember!
This was my little sister's favorite song. I used to play it on air for her as a DJ on a Top 40 AM Station in KY. I would play it when I could before she passed from liver disease in 1985 at age 17.
I've always loved this song. This is a re-recording. To everyone who listened to this in '75, here is the "real" version. ua-cam.com/video/t2YWqPhiftc/v-deo.html
I have always LOVED this song! I remember when it first came out (1975) and I still play it now & again whenever I feel a need to just get whisked away from all my worries... on Wildfire. This song does just that! LOVE that you gorgeous young people know & appreciate music of all decades & genres! Music connoisseurs! ♥️
Thank you both very much, and if you could sometimes when ever could you play the pretenders,,, I'll stand by you. Thanks again God Bless.. from Oklahoma ❤️
This was my favorite song as a young kid. It made me cry that her horse ran off and she died trying to find it in the freezing cold. To this day, it still brings tears to my eyes every time. So hauntingly beautiful! The moment Jay paused the video and said "you know who I could imagine singing this song", I said John Denver, just before he did. You are so right that this song would be right down his alley and he would do an amazing job with it. John Denver was one of the greatest musical talents ever, and such a beautiful soul and class act.
A few years back, when I was serving on the Board of the North Texas Irish Festival, Michael contacted us a month or so ahead of the event. He pointed out that Murphey is a fine old Irish name and said he wanted to donate a couple of 1 hour sets to our cause. We had to do a little reshuffling of the performance schedule, but none of the artists minded at all. As much as I like his recorded music, I must say seeing him live with just acoustic guitar is a treasured memory. He's a marvelous human being, BTW.
Chapin, Denver, Croce, Murphy, Neilson, Cat Stevens, Joel, Campbell, Diamond. Solo artists from the early 70’s. What a time to be alive. Who am I leaving out?
For those of us who own or have owned horses in our lives, this song takes on a very special meaning. The memories of our great companions of the past flood flood back as we look forward to the time when we will see them again.
Man o man’ this is “magical “ what a vocal and song arrangement. This is a SONG this is unbelievable! In a class of its own! No one will ever be able to create this beautiful image again! Michael Martin Murphy can make a grown man cry!
I actually saw Michael Martin Murphey perform this in a small bar in Taos, NM in 1994 on a snowy night, so there were not many people there. It was very magical, to say the least. One of the reasons I got to see him was he actually lived in nearby Red River and was a rancher.
I am 50 years old this month and remember the exact moment I heard this song. I was 5 and my mom was getting gas. I was waiting in the car and this song came on, by the time my mom got back into the car I was bawling. She was like, 'What is wrong?!?!" and I wailed, 'the horse DIED!!!!" it was the first song that made me feel an emotion other than happiness and I never forgot that moment. (my mom was clueless to what I was talking about, BTW, so that was a fun ride home according to her 😁)
I'm so glad y'all have discovered Michael Martin Murphey. He's a great Western singer who is still touring. He, like Paul Davis, Dan Seals (EnglandDanandJohnFordColey), grew up in Country and Western music and made their initial success in that genre but achieve great success performing popular music during the 1970s and 80s WITHOUT their hats. Each was a great musician and vocalist and went on to enjoy a number of great romantic hit songs but finally got to do what they liked later int he 80s with their hats. Dan Seals recorded a hit album of country and western songs including "Meet Me in Montana" with Marie Osmond. Paul Davis' "Ride 'em Cowboy" was a hit on Country and Western radio before, in 1980, radio split off from Western music, or "C & W" as we called it then, which is only played on special radio shows on Saturnday evenings but is still available and growing on streaming networks. I suggest Murphey's other 1980s romantic hit, "What's Forever For," and his more recent western standards like "Tying knots in the Devil's Tail," and "Cowboy Logic."
Loved this one. All about a horse and of course a woman. I'm 73 and remember it well and getting chills. I think you're right about Denver and Campbell
For me, this has always been such a sad and beautiful song. The lyrics paint the scenes so well, in plain words that are not about feelings, yet still somehow crammed with real feelings.
But at least, unlike in the America song, they NAMED the horse! On the other hand, the people don''t have names. They should have gone to Jim Croce for that, because he says "I've Got a Name." But in Ireland, it's the streets that have no names, according to U2. As contrasted with what Was/Not Was tells us about America, where somewhere "there's a street named after my dad."
As I get older I can sure appreciate soft rock (and disco) so much more than I used to. Maybe just nostalgia but I can dig so many more genres of music now! This is definitely part of the soundtrack of my life.
Sadly, the girl died in the blizzard, searching for Wildfire after the horse busted down its stall. So the "she" that's coming for him is the ghost of the girl on the back of the spirit-horse Wildfire. It sort of reminds me of Kathy and Heathcliff's ghostly love story from the novel Wuthering Heights.
Did she die after the pony busted down his stall and she went looking for him or did she die first and the pony busted down his stall when he realized that she died and did her spirit go looking for the pony?
Wow, this takes me back. You don't get much more "soft rock" than this song. I had actually completely forgot who sang this! MMM only had a handful of hits in the US, and this was the biggest. His others include "Carolina in the Pines", "Renegade" and "Geronimo's Cadillac". As for the story behind the song, here's what Wiki says - The lyrics are those of a homesteader telling the story of a young Nebraska woman said to have died searching for her escaped pony, "Wildfire", during a blizzard. The homesteader finds himself in a similar situation, doomed in an early winter storm. A hoot owl has perched outside of his window for six days, and the homesteader believes the owl is a sign that the ghost of the young woman is calling for him. He hopes to join her (presumably in heaven) and spend eternity riding Wildfire with her, leaving the difficulties of earthly life behind.
I know that you probably picked the studio version, but you missed an opportunity to see him do a live version. He begins by telling the audience how he came to write the song and then there is an" extended" piano intro that is amazing, and it ends with the same extended piano solo probably at least twice as long as this version ,and then Michael does an amazing guitar rift that mimics those tinkling high piano notes........ Oh, and then Michael himself is one handsome man.
@@bgallagher8129 this isn't even the hit version, this is definitely a newer performance, especially the vocals because this doesn't sound anything like the radio or album version
It's hard to believe, but this song was released almost 50 years ago, and it still holds up today. It was a very special era for music, and I can only think of one song that tugs on my heart strings more, and that would be 'I Don't Know to Love Him' by Yvonne Elliman, from the musical 'Jesus Christ Superstar'. If you haven't heard it already, I suggest you watch her actually perform it in the movie, she literally puts her entire body and soul into it.❤
I know a woman who has had horses her whole life. She says this will someday be her funeral song. I think about her whenever I hear it. A beautiful song for a truly beautiful and wonderful woman.
This song makes me tear up every time. It’s so beautiful. At the very beginning I was wondering if you would say it gave you John Denver vibes. Eventually you did. Thank you for reacting and to whomever recommended it!!
TY guys have loved this song for many years, there is a video here live version where Michael explains how he came to write this song. he says he and a friend had been up all night writing when he fell asleep on the floor and awoke with this song in his head so he wrote it down and history was made. Yet another song that came in a dream of a magical horse. Keep Safe Keep Strong 🦘🦘🦘🦘🎶🎶🎶🎶
Oh my goodness! This song takes me way back to the early or mid 1970s! I forgot about this song until now! That piano opening sounded so familiar to me and then I recognized the song for what it is! I never paid too much attention to the words when it came out, but it sounds as if she was riding a pony and she got lost in a storm and lost her pony Wildfire. It was good to hear this song again and a bit more of this story too. Enjoyed this reaction! ☮💕👍👏
Great song! I always loved it. So well put together. John Denver and M.M. Murphy were very good friends. Previously Murphy had written or co-written a few minor hits with various bands including the theme song for The Monkees tv show while he was a student in college in L.A. He always considered himself a "Folk music writer" like Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel but he embraced the "Cowboy Country" image. THIS song is based on a Native American Ghost story his grandfather had told him often, about the Ghost of a horse that would lead lost travelers to safety. This version of the story came to him in a dream just before he wrote it. He often said "that ghost horse lead me to alot of places I never imagined". The song was certified Platinum within a year of its release.
I don't comment on much but I have to say I love how the younger generation like you guys are finding and liking the music that us Gen X'ers grew up on. I have to tell you a quick story about this song. I grew up on this song and later on in the mid 80's I would drive with my cousin Chris, who I grew up with and who I consider a brother, from Los Angeles to Redding Ca. some 500+ miles, to visit family. I was 14 and Chris was teaching me how to drive in the middle of the night on I-5 and we would listen to this song along with others we grew up on from the early 70's. Road Trip music. So when ever I hearr this song now it takes me back to his Ford F250 with me driving at 14 along I-5 in the middle of the night. Thank you for reacting to this.
Ah. This song was the epitome of the dream of a young girl wanting a horse. I was 11-12 when this song was on the airwaves. It's a never-ending fascination how the singers of that era sounded the same LIVE. Truly an art, and a gift, those balladeers.
This was top 40 radio when I was a kid...you could hear Linda Ronstadt,Eagles,Kiss or AC/DC all within minutes of each other,miss those great times and great music!
Such a great song, but I prefer the original recording over this one. Y’all should check it out. Everything you loved about this one you’ll love even more with the original ✌🏼❤️
I love this song too. I also can image Glenn C. and John D. singing this too. I can also imagine Jose Feliciano playing it romantically and ripping his scales on it. That's how good this song is!
As I kid, I cried every time I heard this song and it happened again just now. I haven't heard this song in decades.
Yes, this song is a tearjerker 😥
Me too.
@@jayalexander3356 This song, Shannon by Henry Gross & Rocky by Austin Roberts......have the tissues ready to wipe the tears away
My sister can't even listen to this song without crying. Maybe I cry a little, too.
As a kid.... I still do. Then I have to sit and think. Wipe tears. And wish I knew someone who could touch me as deeply as the woman who rode Wildfire.
Some Native Americans believe that an owl hooting outside your bedroom window is a sign that death is coming.
It also means that that could be a guardian angel watching over you at the El happens to get kind of freaked out and comes out during the daytime in lands anywhere near your front porch or on your screen, I have looked it up and it could mean your guardian angel is there with you I choose to look at it that way!
For the past six years there have been two owls who have chosen our trees to spend time giving birth and caring for their babies. How they know exactly where to return remains a mystery. I hope it's because we offer a safe place to rest for a few weeks. They just returned about a week ago.❤
I WELCOME DEATH IM GOING TO BE WITH JESUS CHRIST 4 EVER I CANT WAIT
The lyrics are those of a homesteader telling the story of a young Nebraska woman said to have died searching for her escaped pony, "Wildfire", during a blizzard. The homesteader finds himself in a similar situation, doomed in an early winter storm. A hoot owl has perched outside of his window for six days, and the homesteader believes the owl is a sign that the ghost of the young woman is calling for him. He hopes to join her (presumably in heaven) and spend eternity riding Wildfire with her, leaving the difficulties of earthly life behind.
The song has a piano intro and outro which was edited out for radio. The introduction is based on a piece (Prelude in D-flat, Op. 11 No. 15) by the Russian classical composer Alexander Scriabin.
Murphey and Cansler co-wrote "Wildfire" in 1968, shortly after Murphey emerged as a solo artist. Earlier in the decade he had been part of a duo known as the Lewis & Clark Expedition in 1968 with singer-songwriter Boomer Castleman. They appeared and performed in an episode of the TV sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.
When Murphey rerecorded "Wildfire" for a new album in 1997, he was quoted by Billboard as saying that what many consider his signature song "broke my career wide open and, on some level, still keeps it fresh. Because that song appeals to kids, and always has, it's kept my career fresh."
In a 2008 interview, Murphey talked about the origins of the song and the context in which it was written. He was a third-year student at UCLA, working on a concept album for Kenny Rogers (The Ballad of Calico). The work was demanding, sometimes taking more than 20 hours a day. One night, he dreamed the song in its totality, writing it up in a few hours the next morning. He believes the song came to him from a story his grandfather told him when he was a little boy - a prominent Native American legend about a ghost horse. Murphey did not have a horse named Wildfire until a few years before the interview, when he gave that name to a palomino mare.
Released in February 1975 as the album's lead single, "Wildfire" became Murphey's highest-charting pop hit in the United States. The somber story song hit No. 2 in Cash Box and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in June 1975. In addition, it hit the top position of the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, displacing "Love Will Keep Us Together".
The single continued to sell, eventually receiving platinum certification from the RIAA, signifying sales of over two million US copies. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildfire_(Michael_Martin_Murphey_song)
I'm partial to his version of Bury Me Not. It was a staple in my work before I went to college (in my 30s)
Thanks. That was a interesting read.
I agree with Kirk. Thanks for posting this.
Interesting.
Thanks for posting this, I have always loved the song but never knew how it came about.
46 years after first hearing it I have the same reaction: visceral. Actually, at my age I do not try so hard to hide the poignant emotions this song stirs.
This. My horse died in 1974. 😭🙇🏻♀️
You didn't hear this 46 years ago because this is an inferior re-recording from years later that they played instead of the original. Unfortunately, Jay & Amber have no knowledge of old music to know when they have been duped.
True. Didn't that original version just get you in a weak place? Man, those 70,s ballads. They just kept coming, like a barage of George Forman musical genius knockout punches.
I’m a 58 year old man and still get goosebumps hearing this ✌🏻💙🙏🏻
Me too my friend and I'm a little younger than you 😊
Me too
I am Native American and this song hits close to my roots yes I almost cried myself.
If you like this so g by Michael you would probably enjoy his song "Jaronimo's Cadillac ". It's a modernistic take of what they did to Jeronimo and the First Nations.
Michael was my neighbor in the mountains in Colorado and the guy playing that beautiful piano and synthesizer was a very good friend of mine Jac Murphy. He also was my neighbor. No relation to Michael. We just all lived up there when they did that album and it was a big hit. Super nice guys both of them. Very talented ! Unfortunately Jack took his life, but Michael still doing his thing beautifully. I used to love riding over to Jac ' s house from the KZ Ranch where I lived , and listening to him play the piano . He had a request from the Queen of England to come play for him he was so good. He even put out his own album before he died. Those were some very special days in the 70s and I'll never forget them..💖
thank you for sharing your memories with us!!
Wow, glad to know this. Thank you for sharing! So sorry to hear Jack Murphy took his life. I love his intro and conclusion of this song the best of all time; he had so much heart, feeling,, and soul in his music, a transcending, spiritual experience listening to him play.
That’s such a great story! Can’t imagine how cool that neighborhood was to live in back then.
It’s time for crying again. This song is beautiful and heartbreaking every time I hear it.
EVERY TIME. I hardly ever listen to it because, "Well, I can't afford to tear up at this time - !" I just imagine that young girl with her own pony... Wildfire... and her loss of a lifetime at that age.
This song is like Christopher Cross Sailing. It just is so smooth and just so beautiful and calming.
What a perfect comparison! Both masterpieces of audio bliss =)
Also sad.
Beautiful ❤
You are so right...they both evoke an easy, peaceful feeling...but with a mysterious edge too. Don't know if I've heard a reaction video to any of Christopher Cross songs...
Yes, indeed
A backstory if you didn't know. Michael Martin Murphey had a dream about this and woke up and wrote the lyrics about a mystical horse. In the story about him knowing that his time had come there used to be a saying that I heard the owl call my name and the more the owl called your name the closer it was time for you to pass.
It’s a classic because Michael Martin Murphy did it right. No one else.
This song makes me cry every time. Especially being a horse owner, I identify so much with it. I couldn't imagine my Dragon doing this and getting lost in a blizzard. He did get out once and when I called him, thankfully, he came running back. It was in the snow but he went only as far as my neighbor's house. LOL. I have a video posted. It's actually beautiful seeing him running towards me, then slow down while crossing the street and take off past me and back into his pasture.
I believe this song came out in 1975. Sounds just as beautiful today.
I don't know who suggested this song, but whoever it was.....THANK YOU!!!
There are a lot of beautiful songs out there from many different genres and they are sung by very talented people....but this song has got to be one of the top three most beautifully performed and written songs of the 20th Century!! There are no words to describe it or the emotions it stirs in almost everyone that hears it.
Whenever I hear this song I'm instantly drifted back to the 70's, what an amazing decade it was.
I was 21 when I first heard this song. No song before or since has evoked such an emotional response in me. This might be the greatest song I have ever heard. When I hear that opening piano, I know I need to find somewhere to sit, as my emotions still move me greatly. I can't explain it, it just happens, even 47 years later!
I hear you, this song has made me bawl since I was a little boy and now all these decades later... every time!...
you're 69?
I love this song. Never realized as a kid listening how sad it is. They all died even the horse DIED! Still one of my favs!
My first concert as a teen was Seals and Crofts and the warmup act was Michael Murphy who had just released Wildfire..... Tremendous concert....
Seals and Croft, wow. They really need to hear Diamond Girl and Summer Breeze. Also, Summer Breeze by the Isley Brothers is great too
Mine was those two acts along with Harry Chapin as well. Great gig! Best $4.75 I ever spent!
The horse is Wildfire. One of the best country rock ballads of all time. Used to play the entire album cut when I was a disc jockey.
Love the long version
It was a staple on the gone but not forgotten KLOL, “Run Away Radio” in Houston.
Since I heard it on pop radio in 1975 or so, I never considered this a completely country song, but a brilliant story telling piece for everyone and not just the one genre.
@TimeSentinel That’s beautiful. When I was in my Mother’s womb back in 1964, I remember the combination of being surrounded by amniotic fluid and the voice of Michael Martin Murphy singing Wildfire over the airwaves gave me a warm feeling all over.
Where were you a DJ I might have talked to you on the phone I would always call radio stations for song request or contest to win concert tickets. What station did you play work for I've been to 40 states before 1982.
They just don't write or sing songs this gorgeous anymore.
A very beautiful and popular song played on the radio a lot. Always made me cry when I was a child. The story behind the song is about a homesteader expressing his disillusionment with farming or sodbustting .As a means of escape he recalls a story he heard about a woman and her pony Wildfire
It made me cry as a child too and hearing it now is still bringing tears to my eyes and sadness to my heart. It's beautiful but so hard to listen to.
Makes me cry too.
His wife or girlfriend ...
I was 4-years old when this came out. I remember crying as well. You could feel the authenticity, frailty, and immediacy in his original performance, like he just spontaneously wrote it and we're hearing him sing it as he's feeling those emotions in real-time. I didn't understand everything about it but I could feel it.
But I'm a guy and I'm not supposed to cry. So I didn't cry after all. (But if I did, I was only a four-year old--practically a baby.) (But it doesn't matter because boys should be able to cry, whether they're 4 or 52, so there!)
Man, this song always got me as a child, such a beautiful intro and song!
John Denver was a contemporary of Michael and contributed harmony vocals to Swans against the Sun. Michael is still touring and is considereda premier cowboy singer and his son is following in his bootsteps.
My nephew, an amazing guitarist by the way, has hung out and jammed with them. He described them as very humble and down to earth
They also sang Mansion On The Hill together on that same album. John Denver recorded "Boy From The Country" one of my favourite Michael Murphey songs.
Swans Against the Sun is an amazing album. That and Flowing Free Forever are my favorites. ♥️
@@midnightfury9001 I couldn't agree more with you. Swans Against The Sun is a fantastic album. Willie Nelson sings with Michael on this album also.
Loved reading all these comments. I’m a contemporary of these singers and adored John Denver so followed him more closely. However, this is one of my favorite story songs of the era. It was chill music in those days. Still makes me relax and remember!
This was my little sister's favorite song. I used to play it on air for her as a DJ on a Top 40 AM Station in KY. I would play it when I could before she passed from liver disease in 1985 at age 17.
Beautiful song, thanks for reacting to it. Another great Michael Martin Murphey song is "What's Forever For."
@Carl Rapson
Yes! I was going to suggest the same song!
I love that song. His voice is just great for that song.
One of my favorites.
Love that song!
I cry everytime I hear this wonderful song, tears of joy. Its about them riding off on Wildfire in the afterlife.
One of the most ethereal and beautful songs ever written! Once heard - never forgotten!!
The 70's was the ultimate decade for the "Singer/Songwriter" there is just too many to name
I've always loved this song. This is a re-recording. To everyone who listened to this in '75, here is the "real" version.
ua-cam.com/video/t2YWqPhiftc/v-deo.html
I thought this sounded different and slow
Thank you sir not happy with this video and the re recording
Thanks. I thought it sounded different. Still very good though.
Good ear
I knew it.
I have always LOVED this song! I remember when it first came out (1975) and I still play it now & again whenever I feel a need to just get whisked away from all my worries... on Wildfire. This song does just that!
LOVE that you gorgeous young people know & appreciate music of all decades & genres! Music connoisseurs! ♥️
This was me and my common law wife's
Song back when she was alive. Takes me back in time. Thanks you both for playing this. God Bless
Thank you both very much, and if you could sometimes when ever could you play the pretenders,,, I'll stand by you. Thanks again God Bless.. from Oklahoma ❤️
This was my favorite song as a young kid. It made me cry that her horse ran off and she died trying to find it in the freezing cold. To this day, it still brings tears to my eyes every time. So hauntingly beautiful!
The moment Jay paused the video and said "you know who I could imagine singing this song", I said John Denver, just before he did. You are so right that this song would be right down his alley and he would do an amazing job with it. John Denver was one of the greatest musical talents ever, and such a beautiful soul and class act.
Beautiful song. It was always playing on the radio!
A few years back, when I was serving on the Board of the North Texas Irish Festival, Michael contacted us a month or so ahead of the event. He pointed out that Murphey is a fine old Irish name and said he wanted to donate a couple of 1 hour sets to our cause. We had to do a little reshuffling of the performance schedule, but none of the artists minded at all. As much as I like his recorded music, I must say seeing him live with just acoustic guitar is a treasured memory.
He's a marvelous human being, BTW.
Chapin, Denver, Croce, Murphy, Neilson, Cat Stevens, Joel, Campbell, Diamond. Solo artists from the early 70’s. What a time to be alive. Who am I leaving out?
Turner, Newton-John, Flack, Reddy, Knicks, Carpenter & Phoebe Snow
Hendrix, Anka, Mayfield, Hayes, Lightfoot, Taylor, White & Wonder
A Phenomenal Talent Pool...
TIMELESS❣️
🎧7😊's...
Who Else? Who Else? SMILE
"🎁" 🫶🏾💚*🙏🏽
I so love this song. I can totally lose myself in it.
Still get goosebumps after all these years hearing this song. 💯❤️☮️🕊️
For those of us who own or have owned horses in our lives, this song takes on a very special meaning. The memories of our great companions of the past flood flood back as we look forward to the time when we will see them again.
Glad you got the opening piano. Some versions don't include it.
Haunting song, lyrically.
Have a great day!
Agree! I have been listening to a live version of this available on UA-cam that has the expanded keyboard bars. It is stellar!
You are right. They cut the piano intro and outro for radio when it was released. This version is far better.
Agreed!
And then Michael does that guitar rift that mimics the tinkling piano keys. That live version is unique.
Man o man’ this is “magical “ what a vocal and song arrangement. This is a SONG this is unbelievable!
In a class of its own!
No one will ever be able to create this beautiful image again!
Michael Martin Murphy can make a grown man cry!
I cannot tell you how much I love this song. My siblings too. We grew up listening to it.
Me too. Gives me goosebumps. Thanks for reaching to it Amber and Jay.
I remember this song so well in my teenage years.
Beautiful song.
i think that melody was a very clean guitar... by the sound. I am almost 60 and this song was very popular back in the day.
Always loved the sound of this song, it's such a sad song about freezing to death in a blizzard chasing a lost horse.
I've always said that this is one of the all time most beautiful songs ever written and sung.
This is one of a handful of songs from my childhood that always made me cry when it came on the radio.
My Mother went to school With MMM in Dallas, Texas. Love this song. Haven't heard this in a long long time...
That's actually really cool! Was it high school? I wonder what kind of guy he was back then...
This song is so hauntingly beautiful and brings me to tears each time I hear it. Bring on the water works ! Love you guys !
I actually saw Michael Martin Murphey perform this in a small bar in Taos, NM in 1994 on a snowy night, so there were not many people there. It was very magical, to say the least. One of the reasons I got to see him was he actually lived in nearby Red River and was a rancher.
Had to be the Motherlode Saloon
I am 50 years old this month and remember the exact moment I heard this song. I was 5 and my mom was getting gas. I was waiting in the car and this song came on, by the time my mom got back into the car I was bawling. She was like, 'What is wrong?!?!" and I wailed, 'the horse DIED!!!!" it was the first song that made me feel an emotion other than happiness and I never forgot that moment. (my mom was clueless to what I was talking about, BTW, so that was a fun ride home according to her 😁)
I'm so glad y'all have discovered Michael Martin Murphey. He's a great Western singer who is still touring. He, like Paul Davis, Dan Seals (EnglandDanandJohnFordColey), grew up in Country and Western music and made their initial success in that genre but achieve great success performing popular music during the 1970s and 80s WITHOUT their hats. Each was a great musician and vocalist and went on to enjoy a number of great romantic hit songs but finally got to do what they liked later int he 80s with their hats. Dan Seals recorded a hit album of country and western songs including "Meet Me in Montana" with Marie Osmond. Paul Davis' "Ride 'em Cowboy" was a hit on Country and Western radio before, in 1980, radio split off from Western music, or "C & W" as we called it then, which is only played on special radio shows on Saturnday evenings but is still available and growing on streaming networks.
I suggest Murphey's other 1980s romantic hit, "What's Forever For," and his more recent western standards like "Tying knots in the Devil's Tail," and "Cowboy Logic."
Dan (England Dan and John Ford Coley) was the brother of Jimmy Seals of Seals and Croft
@@williamferris7134 Quite right. Thank you for the correction.
Amber and Jordan would love Dan Seals' solo music!
Love “Cowboy Logic!”
Fr fr Dan seals was that dude
Loved this one. All about a horse and of course a woman. I'm 73 and remember it well and getting chills. I think you're right about Denver and Campbell
Another song in a similar vein as Wildfire is "Shannon", by Henry Gross. A beautiful song with a sad story.
This song was released in 1975 and I loved it immediately. His voice and the story being told are both fantastic.
For me, this has always been such a sad and beautiful song. The lyrics paint the scenes so well, in plain words that are not about feelings, yet still somehow crammed with real feelings.
But at least, unlike in the America song, they NAMED the horse! On the other hand, the people don''t have names. They should have gone to Jim Croce for that, because he says "I've Got a Name." But in Ireland, it's the streets that have no names, according to U2. As contrasted with what Was/Not Was tells us about America, where somewhere "there's a street named after my dad."
As I get older I can sure appreciate soft rock (and disco) so much more than I used to. Maybe just nostalgia but I can dig so many more genres of music now! This is definitely part of the soundtrack of my life.
Sadly, the girl died in the blizzard, searching for Wildfire after the horse busted down its stall. So the "she" that's coming for him is the ghost of the girl on the back of the spirit-horse Wildfire. It sort of reminds me of Kathy and Heathcliff's ghostly love story from the novel Wuthering Heights.
Did she die after the pony busted down his stall and she went looking for him or did she die first and the pony busted down his stall when he realized that she died and did her spirit go looking for the pony?
One of the most beautiful songs ever made!!
Wow, this takes me back. You don't get much more "soft rock" than this song. I had actually completely forgot who sang this! MMM only had a handful of hits in the US, and this was the biggest. His others include "Carolina in the Pines", "Renegade" and "Geronimo's Cadillac". As for the story behind the song, here's what Wiki says - The lyrics are those of a homesteader telling the story of a young Nebraska woman said to have died searching for her escaped pony, "Wildfire", during a blizzard. The homesteader finds himself in a similar situation, doomed in an early winter storm. A hoot owl has perched outside of his window for six days, and the homesteader believes the owl is a sign that the ghost of the young woman is calling for him. He hopes to join her (presumably in heaven) and spend eternity riding Wildfire with her, leaving the difficulties of earthly life behind.
I've heard his say that the song came to him in a dream.
I know that you probably picked the studio version, but you missed an opportunity to see him do a live version. He begins by telling the audience how he came to write the song and then there is an" extended" piano intro that is amazing, and it ends with the same extended piano solo probably at least twice as long as this version ,and then Michael does an amazing guitar rift that mimics those tinkling high piano notes........ Oh, and then Michael himself is one handsome man.
@@bgallagher8129 this isn't even the hit version, this is definitely a newer performance, especially the vocals because this doesn't sound anything like the radio or album version
I saw Michael Martin Murphy and Patty Loveless in 1988 in San Diego.
So lovely to see you both just sit, eyes closed, swaying and absorbing the song. Great reaction
It's hard to believe, but this song was released almost 50 years ago, and it still holds up today. It was a very special era for music, and I can only think of one song that tugs on my heart strings more, and that would be 'I Don't Know to Love Him' by Yvonne Elliman, from the musical 'Jesus Christ Superstar'. If you haven't heard it already, I suggest you watch her actually perform it in the movie, she literally puts her entire body and soul into it.❤
We just saw him last weekend in Lincoln New Mexico. It was awesome. He is very humble when he performs.
I know a woman who has had horses her whole life. She says this will someday be her funeral song. I think about her whenever I hear it. A beautiful song for a truly beautiful and wonderful woman.
I loved this song when it came out! And believe me, they played it at least 10 times a day.
I just heard MMM sing this two nights ago. He sounds just as good at age 77. Great vocals.
This was my first wife’s favorite song. She loved it so much.
Oh my gosh... I was only 3 years old when this song came out, and it always made me cry! (Still does!!!) 😭😭😭
💞
I'm a65 years heard this song when much younger man still feels like it's the first time when ever I hear it 😅
i remember hearing this as a kid when it came out and it almost brought me to tears every time it came on the radio.
One of my FAVORITE songs from the 70s. Such emotion and definitely takes you to another place. BEAUTIFUL……….
This song makes me tear up every time. It’s so beautiful. At the very beginning I was wondering if you would say it gave you John Denver vibes. Eventually you did. Thank you for reacting and to whomever recommended it!!
As a child who loved horses, this song meant so much to me. So haunting ❤️💔. So glad you listened and shared. 😭
I forgot how awesome that song was... It was never one of my favorites in the early days but now I am starting to appreciate it more.
I haven't heard this in ages. I forgot just how beautiful it is.
Good one. Now y’all gotta react to “What’s Forever For?” Beautiful song my Michael Martin Murphy….Amber will swoon with that one ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
TY guys have loved this song for many years, there is a video here live version where Michael explains how he came to write this song. he says he and a friend had been up all night writing when he fell asleep on the floor and awoke with this song in his head so he wrote it down and history was made. Yet another song that came in a dream of a magical horse.
Keep Safe Keep Strong 🦘🦘🦘🦘🎶🎶🎶🎶
Climax blues band: ooh I love you.... a great storytelling song
That's a great song
If you were born in the 70’s, this song make u cry
As a kid I named my hamster Wildfire because of this song back in the mid 70s. Great song. Loved my little Wildfire, too.
That's sweet.
This was a childhood favorite of mine. I love the story. Always a tear-jerker.
I can’t believe, I didn’t have this song in my library? I do now! Thanks! Love this song!
This has always been one of my favorite songs since I was little despite how sad it is. Such a beautiful song.
This is actually a vocal remake he did sometime later in years, but it’s a great version.
Yes, this is not the original vocal. I noticed it right away.
I preferred the original
Yeah I thought it sounded different from what I remember. I think the original is better.
@@keithneale6223 I fail to understand why this song was re-recorded when the original was perfect. I really despise remakes.
@@centuryrox Probably due to a record deal that gave him Zero money for the royalties.....remake it where you get 100% of the royalties? Just a guess.
One of the most beautiful songs ever written. Holds a very sentimental place in my heart.
Oh my goodness! This song takes me way back to the early or mid 1970s! I forgot about this song until now! That piano opening sounded so familiar to me and then I recognized the song for what it is! I never paid too much attention to the words when it came out, but it sounds as if she was riding a pony and she got lost in a storm and lost her pony Wildfire. It was good to hear this song again and a bit more of this story too. Enjoyed this reaction! ☮💕👍👏
1975 .. Michael Murphy McDonald wrote, composed and sang. Tears every time I listen to this incredible song. No One should sing this but Michael.
This song always gave me goosebumps I love it.
You two going back to experience older songs and appreciate them is too cool. A class act. Thanks
Great song! I always loved it. So well put together. John Denver and M.M. Murphy were very good friends. Previously Murphy had written or co-written a few minor hits with various bands including the theme song for The Monkees tv show while he was a student in college in L.A. He always considered himself a "Folk music writer" like Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel but he embraced the "Cowboy Country" image.
THIS song is based on a Native American Ghost story his grandfather had told him often, about the Ghost of a horse that would lead lost travelers to safety. This version of the story came to him in a dream just before he wrote it. He often said "that ghost horse lead me to alot of places I never imagined". The song was certified Platinum within a year of its release.
Loved John Denver too
Actually Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart wrote the Monkees theme but yeah Michael has a lot of other good songs. My favorite is Carolina In The Pines.
i never heard this song until about 2 months ago. Now I can't stop listening to it. Lovely lovely song, makes me smile!
I grew up listening to this song, can never say how much I love it. It makes me teary every time.
I don't comment on much but I have to say I love how the younger generation like you guys are finding and liking the music that us Gen X'ers grew up on. I have to tell you a quick story about this song. I grew up on this song and later on in the mid 80's I would drive with my cousin Chris, who I grew up with and who I consider a brother, from Los Angeles to Redding Ca. some 500+ miles, to visit family. I was 14 and Chris was teaching me how to drive in the middle of the night on I-5 and we would listen to this song along with others we grew up on from the early 70's. Road Trip music. So when ever I hearr this song now it takes me back to his Ford F250 with me driving at 14 along I-5 in the middle of the night. Thank you for reacting to this.
Ah. This song was the epitome of the dream of a young girl wanting a horse. I was 11-12 when this song was on the airwaves. It's a never-ending fascination how the singers of that era sounded the same LIVE. Truly an art, and a gift, those balladeers.
This was top 40 radio when I was a kid...you could hear Linda Ronstadt,Eagles,Kiss or AC/DC all within minutes of each other,miss those great times and great music!
Such a great song, but I prefer the original recording over this one. Y’all should check it out. Everything you loved about this one you’ll love even more with the original ✌🏼❤️
Nice catch. I agree. The original was better.
agree! The original has more feeling.
yeah i dont care for this version, i listened to this song on 45 as a child....yup im old lol
Weird how they play "alternative recordings"
Ya Doug me neither. Why screw up great songs. I don’t get it Michael.
Love this song , about a pony, i miss mine, can't help but to cry.😢
Check his live version on Letterman about 10 years ago. It was incredible. It’s on UA-cam
lovely artist, lovely lyrics and lovely musicianship on this tune make it a forever classic in my mind and heart
I love this song too. I also can image Glenn C. and John D. singing this too. I can also imagine Jose Feliciano playing it romantically and ripping his scales on it. That's how good this song is!