Personally, I like their original 1972 version better, but they still sound great today. Their first album, titled 'America' was released in Europe with only moderate success and without this song. But the producer, Ian Samwell was looking for a song that would be popular in both the US and Europe. He helped the group to record this song and then persuaded Warner Brothers to re-release the album with the song included. The original song title was 'Desert Song', but was renamed at Samwell's suggestion. It was written on a rainy day in England and was intended to capture the feel of the hot, dry desert Dewey Bunnell remembered from his childhood at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Bunnell's voice sounded so much like Neil Young's, that after Neil's father heard it, he called his son and asked him when he had recorded it! One thing that I think is funny is the line that included '...the heat was hot.' I mean, what else can heat be? Anyhow...I still love this song!