Artist	Song
The Pogues	Body Of An American [1986] 4:50
Danko/Fjeld/Andersen	When Morning Comes To America [1991] 4:04
Robert Penn Warren	American Portrait: Old Style [poem written 1978] 10:15
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Chorus feat. Susan Bickley	America: A Prophecy -- Part II [2004] 5:49
Brian Eno & David Byrne	America Is Waiting [1981] 3:38
The Doors	L'America [1971] 4:39
Paul Robeson	Ballad For Americans [1939] 10:09
David Bowie w/ The Pat Metheny Group	This Is Not America [1984] 3:46
Green Day	American Idiot [2004] 2:55
Don McLean	American Pie [1971] 8:37
Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra	An American In Paris [1981, written 1928] 17:15
Paul Simon	American Tune [1973] 3:48

Comment:

I originally put this mix together on account of the challenge of my friend JC: make a mix of songs with "America" in the title. Since it's compiled by "theme" (as in, what the composer(s) decided the theme was: America!) more than most any other mix CD i've done, i suppose it's only necessary that the sequencing is narrative, primarily, rather than musical. It's the (wonderful!) story of a European who comes to America, becomes greatly disillusioned, and finally learns to make his peace with it from afar. Opener "Body Of An American", during its course through the standard brilliant, cosmic-myth Pogues workout from flute-heavy Irish folk to full, blazing punk-rock (with lots of wordy poetry in the bargain) and back again, spins a complex tale of the Irish narrator's friend's trip to America to pay respects to his dead father. Letting the thread of the story carry over to the Norwegian, Jonas Fjeld, who co-wrote and sings "When Morning Comes To America", we find our European seriously starting to wonder about the place. He hears Robert Penn Warren's tale, "American Portrait", and, despite some serious warnings of danger ("America: A Prophecy", which declares "On earth we shall burn / We shall turn to ash") decides to sail over ("America is waiting for a message of some sort or another"). By "L'America" he's really in the thick of things: "I took a trip down to l'America / To trade some beads for a pint of gold" may sound innocuous, if a bit insane, but the doomy bass notes here let us know all is far from well. This leads us into Paul Robeson's "Ballad For Americans" (written by John LaTouche and Earl Robinson), by far the oldest and most bizarre of all the recordings on this mix. It's an enormous half-acted, half-sung, creepily patriotic song-suite (though in 1939 it apparently was liberal enough for the unapologetically leftist Robeson to sing proudly) that, from one point of view, incorporates the worst prog-rock-associated excesses of subject over substance, and lack of musical throughline -- in 1939! -- and from another is simply a grand musical statement that can finally match up to the size and grandeur of America itself; it's an immensely flawed song, but daring as anything. Paul Robeson declares that he himself represents the entirety of America at the end; it's so out of touch with the current times, it really had to be included. As for our European, he's realized an important fact: America isn't near what it's cracked up to be, especially what it's cracked up to be is a 10-minute prog/folk/classical/blindly symbolic suite! This is certainly Not America, and we won't stand for being an American Idiot ("a part of the redneck agenda")! The old romanticism is now summed up in the "A long long time ago..." that opens "American Pie"; and in the meantime, we're taking a long (17 minutes!) hit of pure, instrumental exile in Paris. We close with the second of the two linchpins of this album: Paul Simon's classic track from There Goes Rhymin' Simon, "American Tune". Comparing it with "Ballad For Americans" is instructive. Like Robinson and LaTouche, Simon uses the proud symbols of America -- the Mayflower, the Statue of Liberty -- without a hint of irony. Here, however, American pride isn't treated as a martial, aggressive force as apparently was more than de rigeur in the 30's: it's simply a well from which to draw comfort. "Tomorrow's gonna be another working day", Simon sings in his shockingly soothing voice, "and I'm trying to get some rest / that's all! I'm trying to get some rest." With this song, then, America is forgiven, temporarily at least, for all the darkness it's shown in "L'America" and "Ballad For Americans"; the cycle is completed. It's also a gentle comedown to end the CD after the 17-minute "American in Paris"; the musical traveler should be ready for anything, now!

Feedback: