Sweet America
Encyclopedia
Sweet America was the twelfth studio album by Buffy Sainte-Marie
and her last before retiring from music to work on Sesame Street
and in education. The album was dedicated to the American Indian Movement
and featured some songs with tribal rhythms and vocals that she was later to develop on her 1992 comeback Coincidence and Likely Stories
.
After parting with MCA Records
, Sainte-Marie signed with ABC Records
, then home of such artists as Steely Dan
, the early Pointer Sisters
, Isaac Hayes
and the James Gang
. Although Sweet America received a little more attention from the press than her two MCA albums Buffy
and Changing Woman
, most reviews were not favorable. When MCA acquired ABC Records in 1979, Sweet America went out of print
along with her two MCA albums, and remaining copies were not thereafter circulated. Claims that her retirement was motivated by the collapse of ABC Records are unlikely because she had not been recording for over three years when the label collapsed.
Buffy Sainte-Marie
Buffy Sainte-Marie, OC is a Canadian Cree singer-songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, educator, pacifist, and social activist. Throughout her career in all of these areas, her work has focused on issues of Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Her singing and writing repertoire includes...
and her last before retiring from music to work on Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
and in education. The album was dedicated to the American Indian Movement
American Indian Movement
The American Indian Movement is a Native American activist organization in the United States, founded in 1968 in Minneapolis, Minnesota by urban Native Americans. The national AIM agenda focuses on spirituality, leadership, and sovereignty...
and featured some songs with tribal rhythms and vocals that she was later to develop on her 1992 comeback Coincidence and Likely Stories
Coincidence and Likely Stories
Coincidence and Likely Stories was the thirteenth studio album by Buffy Sainte-Marie but her first for sixteen years, during which time she had been raising her son and working on the children's television show Sesame Street...
.
After parting with MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
, Sainte-Marie signed with ABC Records
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
, then home of such artists as Steely Dan
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
, the early Pointer Sisters
Pointer Sisters
The Pointer Sisters are an American pop/R&B recording act from Oakland, California that achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. Spanning over three decades, their repertoire has included such diverse genres as pop, disco, jazz, bebop, blues, soul, funk, dance, country and rock.The...
, Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
and the James Gang
James Gang
The James Gang was a rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. Though the band was not a huge commercial success, except in the Northeast Ohio area, the fame garnered by guitarist Joe Walsh has since made the group more notable.- History :...
. Although Sweet America received a little more attention from the press than her two MCA albums Buffy
Buffy (album)
Buffy was the tenth album by Buffy Sainte-Marie and her first after leaving Vanguard Records, with whom her relationship had been strained for several albums....
and Changing Woman
Changing Woman
Changing Woman was Buffy Sainte-Marie's eleventh studio album and her second and last for MCA Records.Whereas her other MCA album, Buffy had been a continuation of the style of her last Vanguard albums, She Used to Wanna Be a Ballerina, Moonshot and Quiet Places, Changing Woman was a return to...
, most reviews were not favorable. When MCA acquired ABC Records in 1979, Sweet America went out of print
Out of print
Out of print refers to an item, typically a book , but can include any print or visual media or sound recording, that is in the state of no longer being published....
along with her two MCA albums, and remaining copies were not thereafter circulated. Claims that her retirement was motivated by the collapse of ABC Records are unlikely because she had not been recording for over three years when the label collapsed.
Track listing
All songs written by Buffy Sainte-Marie unless otherwise noted.- "Sweet America" (Barry Greenfield) - 3:04
- "Wynken, Blynken and Nod" (Eugene FieldEugene FieldEugene Field, Sr. was an American writer, best known for his children's poetry and humorous essays.-Biography:...
, Buffy Sainte-Marie) - 3:08 - "Where Poets Go" - 2:52
- "Free the Lady" (Barry Greenfield) - 3:22
- "America My Home" - 2:32
- "Look at the Facts" - 2:12
- "I Don't Need No City Life" - 3:10
- "Sweet January" - 2:49
- "Qu'appelle Valley, Saskatchewan" - 3:19
- "Honey Can You Hang Around" - 3:15
- "I Been Down" - 2:03
- "Starwalker" - 2:32
- "Ain't No Time for the Worrying Blues" - 1:00
Track notes
- "Wynken, Blynken and Nod" was later recorded by The Doobie BrothersThe Doobie BrothersThe Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. The group has sold over 40 million units worldwide throughout their career. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:...
on the 1980 Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
album In Harmony and included on their best-of Long Train Runnin': 1970-2000. - "Starwalker" was re-recorded on her 1992 comeback album Coincidence and Likely StoriesCoincidence and Likely StoriesCoincidence and Likely Stories was the thirteenth studio album by Buffy Sainte-Marie but her first for sixteen years, during which time she had been raising her son and working on the children's television show Sesame Street...
. - "Sweet America" and the album's first single "Free The Lady" were both recorded originally on writer Barry Greenfield's 1973 RCARCA RecordsRCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
album titled Blue Sky.