Today is Independence Day here in these barely United States, which calls for a uniquely American tune as today’s classic song of the day. That tune is “American Tune,” written and performed by Paul Simon. Included as part of Simon’s third solo album, There Goes Rhymin’ Simon, the single was released in November of 1973 and peaked at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #8 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart.
“American Tune” might be the second-best song Paul Simon has ever written. (Number-one is, has been, and always will be, at least in my opinion, “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”) The song is a melancholy meditation on the American experience, written in the dark days after Richard Nixon’s re-election to the presidency in 1972. The lyrics describe the country’s weariness as the Vietnam War raged on and the Watergate scandal was unfolding. Some have described “American Tune” as a hymn to brokenness and an anthem for our troubled nation. As such, it has just as much meaning today as it did fifty years ago.
It’s best to let Simon’s words, in their entirety, tell the story:
Many’s the time I’ve been mistaken
And many times confused
Yes, and I’ve often felt forsaken
And certainly misused
Oh, but I’m alright, I’m alright
I’m just weary to my bones
Still, you don’t expect to be bright and bon vivant
So far away from home, so far away from home
And I don’t know a soul who’s not been battered
I don’t have a friend who feels at ease
I don’t know a dream that’s not been shattered
Or driven to its knees
But it’s alright, it’s alright
For we lived so well so long
Still, when I think of the
Road we’re traveling on
I wonder what’s gone wrong
I can’t help it, I wonder what has gone wrong
And I dreamed I was dying
I dreamed that my soul rose unexpectedly
And looking back down at me
Smiled reassuringly
And I dreamed I was flying
And high up above my eyes could clearly see
The Statue of Liberty
Sailing away to sea
And I dreamed I was flying
We come on the ship they call The Mayflower
We come on the ship that sailed the moon
We come in the age’s most uncertain hours
And sing an American tune
Oh, and it’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright
You can’t be forever blessed
Still, tomorrow’s going to be another working day
And I’m trying to get some rest
That’s all I’m trying to get some rest
“American Tune” has been covered by a legion of artists, including Willie Nelson, Eva Cassidy, Ann Wilson, Shawn Colvin, Allen Toussaint, Gretchen Peters, Indigo Girls, Dave Matthews, Trey Anastasio, and Mandy Patinkin. My favorite cover is by jazz vocalist Kurt Elling, who in 2018 reenvisioned the song as a rumination on America’s immigrant experience, which has particular relevance in the wake of rising right-wing anti-immigrant sentiment. It is a moving performance.
It gets even better. Elling’s recording inspired noted vocal arranger Kerry Marsh, Director of Vocal Singers and the Vocal Jazz Lab at the University of Kansas, to do his own choral arrangement of “American Tune.” That version, performed here by Excalibur, a vocal jazz ensemble from Fairview High School in Boulder, Colorado, mines even more emotion from Mr. Simon’s song. I defy you to listen to these young people sing Mr. Simon’s words without getting a little teary eyed.
Our country was in a mess when Paul Simon wrote those words and may be in a bigger mess today. We may be weary and confused, but the American dream persists. It’s alright, it’s alright; tomorrow’s going to be another working day and I’m trying to get some rest. Happy Fourth of July, everybody.
