America (Paul Simon song)
Encyclopedia
"America", written by Paul Simon
, is a song popularized by 1960s folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. It was included in their album Bookends
, released on 3 April 1968, and is notable as one of the few rock records to have a completely unrhymed lyric.
The song was released in 1971 as the B-side to "Keep The Customer Satisfied" a US promo only release. Then as a single in 1972, to coincide with the album Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits
, and eventually hit #97 on the Billboard Hot 100
. The flip side of the single, "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her
," unexpectedly did much better, reaching #53.
The song mentions the cities of Saginaw, Michigan
, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
; the New Jersey Turnpike
; a Greyhound
bus; Mrs. Wagner's Pies
; and a gabardine
suit.
The song describes in first-hand terms with non-rhyming lyrics, the physical and metaphorical journey of two companions in search of the true meaning of America. On a metaphorical level, the lovers' initial hopefulness, turns to a sense of angst and maybe sadness. "'Kathy, I'm lost,' I said, though I knew she was sleeping" is a reference to Kathy Chitty, with whom Simon had had a relationship while living in England in 1965.
On a more literal level, the song describes a trip east through America which leads to New York City
, as Simon's lovers travel from Michigan to Pittsburgh and then onto the New Jersey Turnpike leading to New York City.
In 2000, "America" was featured in the soundtrack to the film Almost Famous
. The main character's sister, Anita, uses this song to represent her reason for leaving home to become a stewardess.
Subsequent compilation CDs contain the single mix of the song, which features a clean intro (as opposed to the version on Bookends, which segues from the song that precedes it on the album, "Save the Life of My Child").
band Yes
in 1971. Yes added elements typical to progressive rock, such as changes in time signature and long instrumental segments, while dropping the song's original repeat and fade ending. The complete Yes version clocks in at ten and a half minutes. This recording first appeared in 1972 on the sampler album The New Age of Atlantic
and was later included on the compilation album Yesterdays in 1975 and on the 2003 re-issue of their album Fragile
. An edited version of this recording lasting 4 minutes was released as a single and hit #46 on the pop chart. It also appeared on the Yesyears and Yesstory
boxed sets. The edited version was also included as a bonus track on the re-issue of Close to the Edge. A live version of the song was included on 1996's Keys to Ascension
.
The original version of "America" came from the band Clouds
. In their earlier incarnation as 1-2-3, they had performed a re-written version of the song that included all the elements later used by Yes: changes in time signature, classical interludes, newly-written segments etc. A live tape exists of this being performed at the Marquee in April 1967, prior to the release of any known recording by any artist, including the writer himself. Paul Simon had recorded demos at Levy studios in London in 1965, and tapes of these were passed to the band by a studio engineer (Stu Francis of Radio Luxembourg). In 1966, 1-2-3 also performed Sounds of Silence from this same tape.
to open The Concert for New York City
, held in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks
. Bowie performed seated, centre stage, with a microphone and a Suzuki Omnichord
. One of the interesting things about this is that David Bowie was in attendance at the Marquee during 1967 when 1-2-3 (later Clouds
) performed this song. He was a friend of Billy Ritchie
, the keyboard player/writer, and the band were also at the time, playing a song by a then-unknown David Bowie, I Dig Everything
.
covered it on his live album, Live at The Greek
. He also played it at the A Capitol Fourth
concert on July 4, 2011.
Vocalist Alyssa Graham
replaces Simon’s “Kathy” with "Douglas" in her version, the leadoff track on her 2008 album Echo.
Lucy Wainwright Roche
plays it, together with The Roches
, at her 2010 album Lucy
.
The band America
also released a cover of the song on their 2011 album Back Pages.
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
, is a song popularized by 1960s folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. It was included in their album Bookends
Bookends
-Charts:-Personnel:*Paul Simon - Vocals, Guitar, Producer*Art Garfunkel - Vocals, Producer*Hal Blaine - Drums, Percussion*Joe Osborn - Bass*Larry Knechtel - Piano, Keyboards*John Simon - Production Assistant...
, released on 3 April 1968, and is notable as one of the few rock records to have a completely unrhymed lyric.
The song was released in 1971 as the B-side to "Keep The Customer Satisfied" a US promo only release. Then as a single in 1972, to coincide with the album Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits
Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits
Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits is the first compilation album from Simon & Garfunkel, released on June 14, 1972 two years after the duo disbanded.-Overview:...
, and eventually hit #97 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The flip side of the single, "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her
For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her
"For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her" is a song written by Paul Simon. It is the tenth track on Simon & Garfunkel's 1966 album by Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, where it is sung by Art Garfunkel....
," unexpectedly did much better, reaching #53.
The song mentions the cities of Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...
, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
; the New Jersey Turnpike
New Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike is a toll road in New Jersey, maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. According to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, the Turnpike is the nation's sixth-busiest toll road and is among one of the most heavily traveled highways in the United...
; a Greyhound
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
bus; Mrs. Wagner's Pies
Mrs. Wagner's Pies
Mrs. Wagner's Pies were single-serving pies sold in waxed paper. They were made until July 11, 1969, by a company named Mrs. Wagner's Home Made Pies that was originally located in Ocean Grove, New Jersey and later in Brooklyn, New York....
; and a gabardine
Gabardine
Gabardine is a tough, tightly woven fabric used to make suits, overcoats, trousers, uniforms, windbreakers, and other garments. The fibre used to make the fabric is traditionally worsted wool, but may also be cotton, texturized polyester, or a blend. Gabardine is woven as a warp-faced steep or...
suit.
The song describes in first-hand terms with non-rhyming lyrics, the physical and metaphorical journey of two companions in search of the true meaning of America. On a metaphorical level, the lovers' initial hopefulness, turns to a sense of angst and maybe sadness. "'Kathy, I'm lost,' I said, though I knew she was sleeping" is a reference to Kathy Chitty, with whom Simon had had a relationship while living in England in 1965.
On a more literal level, the song describes a trip east through America which leads to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, as Simon's lovers travel from Michigan to Pittsburgh and then onto the New Jersey Turnpike leading to New York City.
In 2000, "America" was featured in the soundtrack to the film Almost Famous
Almost Famous
Almost Famous is a 2000 musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and telling the fictional story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone magazine while covering the fictitious rock band Stillwater , and his efforts to get his first cover story published...
. The main character's sister, Anita, uses this song to represent her reason for leaving home to become a stewardess.
Subsequent compilation CDs contain the single mix of the song, which features a clean intro (as opposed to the version on Bookends, which segues from the song that precedes it on the album, "Save the Life of My Child").
Chart performance
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 25 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 97 |
Yes and 1-2-3 / Clouds arrangements
The song was rearranged by the progressive rockProgressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
in 1971. Yes added elements typical to progressive rock, such as changes in time signature and long instrumental segments, while dropping the song's original repeat and fade ending. The complete Yes version clocks in at ten and a half minutes. This recording first appeared in 1972 on the sampler album The New Age of Atlantic
The New Age of Atlantic
The New Age of Atlantic, released in 1972, was the third in a series of rock music samplers released by the Atlantic label in the UK. The collection is notable for its inclusion of two tracks, those by Yes and Led Zeppelin, unavailable elsewhere at the time. It reached no...
and was later included on the compilation album Yesterdays in 1975 and on the 2003 re-issue of their album Fragile
Fragile (Yes album)
Fragile is the fourth studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. It is the first to feature keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who replaced Tony Kaye in 1971, and the first to feature cover art by Roger Dean, who would design many of the band's records.Upon its...
. An edited version of this recording lasting 4 minutes was released as a single and hit #46 on the pop chart. It also appeared on the Yesyears and Yesstory
Yesstory
Yesstory is a double CD and triple LP career-spanning distillation of music by progressive rock band Yes that had originally appeared on the 1991 box set Yesyears...
boxed sets. The edited version was also included as a bonus track on the re-issue of Close to the Edge. A live version of the song was included on 1996's Keys to Ascension
Keys to Ascension
Keys to Ascension is a double album by the British progressive rock group Yes and was released in 1996. The last time Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman and Alan White had worked together on officially released studio recordings was 1978's Tormato...
.
The original version of "America" came from the band Clouds
Clouds (60s rock band)
Clouds were a 1960s Scottish rock band that disbanded in October 1971. The band consisted of Ian Ellis , Harry Hughes and Billy Ritchie .- Early days: The Premiers :...
. In their earlier incarnation as 1-2-3, they had performed a re-written version of the song that included all the elements later used by Yes: changes in time signature, classical interludes, newly-written segments etc. A live tape exists of this being performed at the Marquee in April 1967, prior to the release of any known recording by any artist, including the writer himself. Paul Simon had recorded demos at Levy studios in London in 1965, and tapes of these were passed to the band by a studio engineer (Stu Francis of Radio Luxembourg). In 1966, 1-2-3 also performed Sounds of Silence from this same tape.
David Bowie performance
A memorably minimalist performance of it was given by David BowieDavid Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
to open The Concert for New York City
The Concert for New York City
The Concert for New York City was a benefit concert, featuring many famous musicians, that took place on October 20, 2001 at Madison Square Garden in New York City in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks...
, held in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
. Bowie performed seated, centre stage, with a microphone and a Suzuki Omnichord
Omnichord
The Omnichord is an electronic musical instrument, introduced in 1981 and manufactured by the Suzuki Musical Instrument Corporation. It typically features a touch plate, and buttons for major, minor, and diminished chords...
. One of the interesting things about this is that David Bowie was in attendance at the Marquee during 1967 when 1-2-3 (later Clouds
Clouds (60s rock band)
Clouds were a 1960s Scottish rock band that disbanded in October 1971. The band consisted of Ian Ellis , Harry Hughes and Billy Ritchie .- Early days: The Premiers :...
) performed this song. He was a friend of Billy Ritchie
Billy Ritchie (musician)
William Edward Ritchie is a British keyboard player and composer. Formerly a member of The Satellites, The Premiers, 1-2-3, and Clouds. He is generally acknowledged as being the first keyboard player in rock music to stand and take a leading role, thereby providing a model for others such as Keith...
, the keyboard player/writer, and the band were also at the time, playing a song by a then-unknown David Bowie, I Dig Everything
I Dig Everything
"I Dig Everything" is a single by David Bowie.Released in 1966, the track was originally demoed with Bowie's touring band, The Buzz, but Tony Hatch was unhappy with their efforts, and replaced them with session players. The song was performed in 1966-67 as a rewritten version by 1-2-3 , which David...
.
Other versions
The Tenor Josh GrobanJosh Groban
Joshua Winslow "Josh" Groban is an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. His four solo albums have been certified at least multi-platinum, and in 2007, he was charted as the number-one best selling artist in the United States with over 21 million records in that country...
covered it on his live album, Live at The Greek
Live at the Greek
Live at the Greek: Excess All Areas is a double live album by Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes, released by musicmaker.com on 29 February 2000 and later by TVT Records on 4 July 2000. In October 1999, Page teamed up with The Black Crowes for a two-night performance of material from the Led Zeppelin...
. He also played it at the A Capitol Fourth
A Capitol Fourth
A Capitol Fourth is a free annual concert performed on the west lawn of the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., in celebration of the Independence Day. Broadcast live on PBS and NPR, the concert is viewed and heard by millions across The United States and the world, as well as...
concert on July 4, 2011.
Vocalist Alyssa Graham
Alyssa Graham
Alyssa Graham is a singer-songwriter based largely in New York City. She plays guitar and piano. In 2005, she launched her solo music career with the release of the critically acclaimed album, What Love Is, which was heralded by All About Jazz as one of the “Best New Recordings of 2005.” Her...
replaces Simon’s “Kathy” with "Douglas" in her version, the leadoff track on her 2008 album Echo.
Lucy Wainwright Roche
Lucy Wainwright Roche
Lucy Wainwright Roche is an American singer-songwriter, and the daughter of musicians, Loudon Wainwright III and Suzzy Roche. Preceded by two EPs, 8 Songs and 8 More, Roche released her debut album, Lucy in October 2010....
plays it, together with The Roches
The Roches
The Roches are a female vocal group of three songwriting Irish-American sisters from Park Ridge, New Jersey, known for their "unusual" and "rich" harmonies, quirky lyrics, and casually comedic stage performances.The Roches have been active as performers and recording artists since the mid-1970s,...
, at her 2010 album Lucy
Lucy (Lucy Wainwright Roche album)
Lucy is the debut studio album by American folk musician Lucy Wainwright Roche, released on October 26, 2010 on Strike Back Records. Produced by Stewart Lerman, the album features appearances from Roche's father Loudon Wainwright III, The Roches, Steuart Smith, David Mansfield and Kelly...
.
The band America
America (band)
America is an English-American folk rock band that originally included members Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek. The three members were barely out of their teens when they became a musical sensation during 1972, scoring #1 hits and winning a Grammy for best new musical artist...
also released a cover of the song on their 2011 album Back Pages.