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America (Neil Diamond song)

Song by Neil Diamond

Field	Value
name	America
cover	Neil Diamond America.jpg
type	single
artist	Neil Diamond
album	The Jazz Singer soundtrack
B-side	Songs of Life
released	April 1981
recorded	1980
genre	Pop
length	3:27 (single version)
4:19 (album version)
label	Capitol
writer	Neil Diamond
producer	Bob Gaudio
prev_title	Hello Again
prev_year	1981
next_title	Yesterday's Songs
next_year	1981

| B-side = Songs of Life 4:19 (album version)

"America" is a song written and originally recorded by Neil Diamond, released in 1980 on the soundtrack album of Diamond's film The Jazz Singer. The song was a hit single in the United States in 1981, reaching number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, and was Diamond's sixth number one on the Adult Contemporary chart. Billboard also rated it the #62 pop single overall for 1981. Although the single version was a studio recording, overdubs of crowd cheering simulate the feel of a live performance.

, the song had sold 634,440 downloads in the United States since Nielsen started tracking sales.

Background

The song's theme is a positive interpretation of the history of immigration to the United States, during both the early 1900s and the present. Combining Diamond's powerful melody, dynamic arrangement, and bombastic vocal, it ends with an interpolation of the traditional patriotic song "My Country, 'Tis of Thee".

In Diamond's concerts, the song is a very popular number both at home and abroad, with a large United States flag often displayed from the rafters on cue to the lyric "Every time that flag's unfurled / They're coming to America." The song was featured at the Stone Mountain Laser Show near Atlanta, Georgia.

The song has been used in a number of contexts, including as a theme song for Michael Dukakis' 1988 presidential campaign, the ending scene from Born in East L.A., and in promotion of the 1996 Olympics. Diamond also sang it at the centennial re-dedication of the Statue of Liberty and at Ball Arena in Denver on New Year's Eve 1999.

Shortly after the September 11 attacks, Diamond modified the lyrics to "America" slightly during live performances. Instead of "They're comin' to America," toward the end it became "Stand up for America." It was included on a memorandum listing songs deemed inappropriate by Clear Channel Communications following the September 11 attacks.{{cite news | access-date = August 4, 2008

Reception

Record World said that "Rumbling drums and Diamond's dramatic, upbeat vocal will incite waves of patriotic surges."

Chart history

Weekly charts

Chart (1981)	Peak
position
Canada RPM Top Singles	45
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary	15
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	8
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary	1
U.S. Cash Box Top 100	10

Year-end charts

Chart (1981)	Rank
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	62
U.S. Cash Box	61

Certifications

Cover version

New-age pianist David Lanz performed a cover of this song for his album Finding Paradise.

References

Whitburn, Joel. (2002). "Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001". Record Research.
(December 26, 1980). "Pop Singles". [[Billboard Magazine]].
"Nielsen SoundScan charts – Digital Songs – Week Ending: 7/6/2017". [[Nielsen SoundScan]].
(May 25, 1991). "Waves 'N' Raves".
Laura Jackson. ''Neil Diamond: His Life, His Music, His Passion'' (ECW Press, 2005): p. 165.
(December 31, 2015). "Neil Diamond Denver NYE 1999/2000".
Isaac Guzman, "[http://www.neildiamondhomepage.com/20012002reviews/101101.htm American Icon: Neil Diamond shows his colors at Garden concert] {{Webarchive. link. (2012-07-16 ." ''Daily News Feature Writer''.)
Scott Holleran. "[http://www.scottholleran.com/music/neil-diamond.htm Neil Diamond Diamond Shines in Red, White and Blue] {{Webarchive. link. (2012-03-30 " (2001). ''Los Angeles Daily News''.)
(April 25, 1981). "Hits of the Week".
(June 13, 1981). "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada".
(June 27, 1981). "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada".
''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990'' - {{ISBN. 0-89820-089-X
Whitburn, Joel. (2002). "Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001". Record Research.
"Cash Box Top 100 Singles, June 27, 1981".
[http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1981.htm Musicoutfitters.com]
"Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 26, 1981".
"Finding Paradise overview". [[Allmusic.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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