We mentioned “Muskrat Love” in our earlier post about the late Dan Peek.
Wow.
No need to hammer on The Captain and Tennille — love ’em or hate ’em, they were successful enough to have their own network show — but they certainly managed to make “Muskrat Love” one of pop music’s most reviled tunes. CNN voters even named it the #2 worst song of all time, second only to Paul Anka‘s “You’re Havin’ My Baby.”
Thing is, it wasn’t their own song. Peek’s band America had done a very nice version of “Muskrat Love” a few years earlier, and even they were covering it. Per Wikipedia:
“Muskrat Candlelight” (subsequently covered as “Muskrat Love”) is a 1972 pop song by Willis Alan Ramsey, originally appearing on his eponymous album. It is a song about muskrats in love.
Willis Alan Ramsey was and is a perfectly legit Texas songwriter. Among his other credits, he co-wrote “That’s Right (You’re Not From Texas)” with Lyle Lovett, has been covered by Shawn Colvin and Waylon Jennings, etc. He’s still active, too.
Here’s his original version of “Muskrat Candlelight,” from his 1972 debut album.
Well, that’s the life of a songwriter. Hope the royalties are still rolling in.