Song 127 - America from West Side Story by Sondheim and Bernstein

With it being International Woman's day being today, it has taken me most of the day to decide on a track that would celebrate women in music. Then, it came to me, America from the musical West Side Story, which is vibrate, lively and brave sung by women who are setting up a new life in New York City; whilst the males are trying to convince them that life would be better back where they came from. I also think it is rather fitting to have this track to celebrate the life of Nancy Regan, who died yesterday at the age of 94. She became the first lady of America when Ronald Regan took office in 1981 and became the 40th President of the United States of America. Nancy Regan was strong and independent whilst standing by her man and sticking up for him when others laughed at the first stages of his memory loss.

Anyway I am getting side tracked, lets get back to the music, America is one of the outstanding tracks from West Side Story written by Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein. In the original stage version, Anita praises America while a fellow Puetro Rico. This version of the song deprecates of the island and highlights the positive qualities of American life. The irony of this supposedly pro-American number, however, is its vibrantly Hispanic musical style, with Latin percussion, complex cross-rhythm and Spanish guitar.

West Side Story arrived on Broadway in 1957 and since then had been sparkling the world. Based on Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, the music together to the excellent choreography by Jerome Robbins, has ensured that the music never ages; and issues over people moving countries to create a better life are as relevant today as they were in the 1960s. When the film version of musical was released in 1961, it was nominated for 11 Oscars; winning 10 including the best supporting actress for Rita Moreno, who played Anita in the film. The image of Anita in her purple dress dancing on the roof top in this number is one of the stronger image of musical film I have.


To bring some colour into this Monday; enjoy this clip and take an action to watch the whole film:

America, sung by Rita Moreno from West Side story.

Written by Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein
Released: 1957

Song 105 - America by Simon & Garfunkel

Simple beautiful are the two words that come to mind when I hear the opening bars of this Simon & Garfunkel's song. America, taken from their fourth album Bookends, is about a pair of lovers hitchhiking around America, and is drawn from Paul Simon's own experiences with an old girlfriend. There is a deeper message behind the lyrics suggesting that America had lost its own cultural identity. If you think about America in late 1960s, it was disjointed and discontented with the Vietnam War and the corruption of Nixon in the early 1970s; and the album was released 24 hours before the assassination of Martin Luther King; the song fitted an America so far away from the American dream.

Arguable one of the best singer/songwriter duos of the 20th Century, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel met and started harmonising their voices together in the 1950s, under the stage name of Tom and Jerry. Receiving their first record deal signing whilst they were only 15,  they released their first album in 1964, Wednesday Morning AM, and released 5 albums before they went their separate ways in 1970.   The album Bookends is a concept album and was heavy influenced by albums like Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in the lyrics and the production of the album.

When I hear Simon and Garfunkel's songs, I am taken back to my childhood as they were another favourite in the Boxer household. It was only listening to their Greatest Hits did I realise how well I knew their songs. America for me also makes me think of my relationship with my husband as one of the first holidays we had together was in America so the opening lines "Let us be lovers and marry our fortune together" rang through my ear as we travelled from Washington D.C. to New York. I also considered using the line on our wedding order of services.

To hear a mellow tune for a Tuesday and go to America
America by Simon and Garfunkel


Written by Paul Simon
Album: Bookends, 1968