“In America” by Charlie Daniels
It can be said that Charlie Daniels was one of the most-patriotic American musicians whose heyday was during the 1970s. This was an era in American history where many citizens’ belief in the system was put to the test but a number of issues. But Charlie, once again being a patriot, had not lost faith in his homeland.
And the lyrics of this song are an expression of that sentiment, his admiration for the U-S of A. Or stated differently, he believes in the people of America, not the government per se. And he goes about letting the entire world, even the dreaded Russia, know that they are in fact a force to be reckoned with.
However, this is not an exercise in blind faith. Charlie Daniels is an artist whom some of his hits have religious connotations. And in this case, in order to be re-blessed by God in his opinion, the singer is calling on his countrymen to focus “on the path of righteousness” in order to be truly favored.
Track’s Title
Meanwhile the title of the track ultimately points back to a situation dubbed the Iran Hostage Crisis in which a group of Americans were threatened by one of the nation’s traditional Middle Eastern adversary, that being Iran. And the way laymen responded to the situation, rallying behind those hostages and the country in general, was in Charlie Daniel’s mind a re-manifestation of the spirit, i.e. patriotism, which made America great in the first place.
Facts about “In America”
This song came out on 20 April 1979. The label behind it is Epic Records. And it served as the lead single from the album “Full Moon” by The Charlie Daniels Band.
“In America” peaked at number 11 on the Billboard’s renowned Hot 100 and number 13 on their Hot Country Songs chart. And it also charted in Canada.
The writers of this song were the members of the Charlie Daniels Band at the time:
- Charlie Daniels
- Joel DiGregorio
- Fred Edwards
- Jim Marshall
- Tom Crain
- Charles Hayward
And its producer is John Boylan, who worked regularly with the band.
“In America” experienced a resurgence in popularity in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In fact a music video to the song didn’t come out until then, some 12 years after the song’s initial release.
