Rose of Cimarron is the most well-known song of the American
Country rock band Poco. Their name means ‘little’ in Spanish and in some ways is
all too apt. Their contemporaries The Eagles outgrew their mentor Linda
Ronstadt and their inspiration Jackson Browne to eventually bestride the world as
Rock Megastars. In this shade, Poco struggled for sunlight and exposure,
despite the pedigree they sprang from. Lead singer Richie Furay and Bassist Randy
Meissner had been in Buffalo Springfield along with Stephen Stills and Neil
Young. These two joined up with Graham Nash and David Crosby to form a ‘supergroup’.
Graham Nash had recently left the Hollies and Crosby the Byrds; their sound with Stills and Young produced some wonderful harmonies. Furay brought that love of harmonic singing into Poco and the Eagles embraced it too. Meissner left Poco for the Eagles and later so did Timothy B Schmidt. Both the Eagles and Poco were guitar bands that branded themselves using images from the Midwest of America; The animal skull on the Eagles Album covers and the Hacienda look of the building on Rose of Cimarron album cover both evoke that cowboy vibe which was a dominating motif of 1970’s culture.
The band’s most successful album Crazy Eyes, had reached #38 on the American Billboard chart; by contrast the Rose of Cimarron album only made #89. But in the UK, the title track Rose of Cimarron remains a popular song on AOR radio stations and, after 43 years has attained classic status. I believe this is because although it is a genre song, it has elements that transcend that narrow definition. Also, it has an undefinable feel to it that moves the soul; it is the sort of song that unconsciously demands an emotional response.
So let’s take a look at it’s constituent parts:
Rose of Cimarron begins with a sure rhythm that to me evokes a gently cantering horse, it moves you along. The lyrics reinforce this:
‘roll along, roll on, dusty days are gone, Rose of Cimarron’.
The lyrics tell a story; of Rose Dunn, who became romantically involved with an outlaw, George Newcomb. So the story goes, she kept house for him and provided domestic comforts for his gang when they returned from their raids:
‘Trails that brought them home, echo names they’ve
known, Four days high and lonely, comin’ to you only’
The song pays tribute to the importance they attached to having a female influence in their lives:
‘you’re the one they turned to, the only one they knew
Who’d do all her best to be around, when the chips were down’
But the song really takes wing after the basic story has been told. The vocalist hums along to the rhythm a while until the guitar solo kicks in; a liquid sound with just a hint of aggression that moves up the register before sliding down again to introduce Timothy B Schmidt’s soaring falsetto:
‘Hearts like yours belong, following the dawn,
Wrapped up in a song, Rose
of Cimarron’
As he sings you hear equally soaring violins keeping him company and after the abrupt guitar break and ringing piano that slows the song right down they are joined by counterpointing cellos. As these slowly fade away the piano keeps the song going and just as you think it has nothing else to give a banjo joins in, providing a rippling coda until the fadeout.
By the time the last
note has played the song is into it’s seventh minute. When it finally finishes
the listener is left emotionally satisfied. You may find yourself blinking back
a tear at this point, for no reason you can pinpoint. Perhaps you should listen
to the songwriter, band member Rusty Young, the one constant member of the band
over the years:
‘I love everything about that song, from the
very visual lyrics to the beautiful melody’
Rose of Cimarron is one of those songs that, whilst being of its time and genre, somehow transcends both to become a piece of musical magic. Give it a listen and see if it tugs at your heartstrings too:
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