Simon & Garfunkel’s “America” Lyrics Meaning
“America” is a song partially inspired by Paul Simon’s relationship with a lady named Kathy Chitty, a union we will get a bit more into later. Or more precisely in relation to this track, the two young lovebirds once took a road trip through America’s heartland.
And it is that experience which the lyrics of this song are based on. And apparently, said wording is meant to be both literal and symbolic in nature. In terms of the latter, they are reportedly meant to serve as a criticism of the American Dream.
But by and large, at least surface-wise they read more as the former, i.e. as if the singer is literally on a road trip, with the exception of what is put forth at the very beginning and very end of the song.
Lyrics
The lyrics start off with the singer and the addressee, i.e. his girlfriend, deciding to ‘marry their fortunes together’ and sort of hitchhiking from the Midwest to Northeastern United States.
In terms of their “fortune”, it doesn’t seem that they actually possess anything material or monetarily that is really of worth. Rather in this case, fortune can be interpreted more of the futuristic sense of the word. We can say it points to these characters’ destinies, for lack of a better word.
Or stated differently the narrator and his partner are rather banking on discovering some sort of mutual, prosperous future together somewhere along their travels. So yes, the lyrics may come off as if they are touring primarily for fun. But they are, once again, hoping to encounter the American Dream along the way.
And throughout their travels there are three locations definitively mentioned. First is Pittsburgh, at the beginning of the first verse. Next is Saginaw, Michigan, later in the first verse.
And then in the middle of the fifth and final verse there is a shoutout to the New Jersey Turnpike.
Fun, Fun, Fun
But lack of attention of localities is arguable because the locations in and of themselves aren’t of the utmost importance to what is being expressed. Instead it is the fun the two characters have along the way, at least nearer to the beginning of their journey.
This includes “laughing on the bus”, “playing games” and apparently smoking plenty of cigarettes. They’re also enjoying the scenery, overall sense of freedom and hope we can say that comes along with experiencing the open road of America.
Pursuit of American Dream
But another observation the singer makes is that like he and his partner, there are many other people out looking for the American Dream. Or rather let’s say something like the singer concludes that what unites all of the people of the land, who are out and about on the road doing their thing, is their pursuit of this cause.
But even more importantly is the fact that, getting to the end of the narrative, he has not gotten any closer to actually discovering it than when he began his journey. And his waning optimism along the way reflects this reality.
Conclusion
So in a way, it’s sort of like he’s recognizing the act of chasing the American Dream – or we can say the very reality of it – as being a vain quest. And just to note, this song was written during the 1960s when many free-spirited, artsy types like Simon & Garfunkel became disillusioned in terms of what exactly the United States was about and what it had to offer.
When did Simon & Garfunkel release “America”?
Simon & Garfunkel fans will recognize this tune as coming from the duo’s fourth album, “Bookends”. Both originally came out, courtesy of Columbia Records, on 3 April 1968.
And later, in 1972, Columbia also issued this as the fifth single from said project. Or more specifically it acted as the B-side to another single, entitled “For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her”, with the latter being unrelated to “Bookends”.
Did Paul Simon write “America”?
Yes. Simon composed this song. He and Art Garfunkel collectively produced it, doing so alongside Roy Halee.
Success of “America”
“America” appeared on both the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart, breaking the top 30 in the latter case but not performing particularly-well on either.
However, it is still considered by many to be a Simon & Garfunkel classic and one of the best songs Paul Simon has ever written. (For example, the lyrics are exceptional in that they feature no rhyming lines.)
Furthermore, this track has been ranked as Simon & Garfunkel’s fourth-best song on lists compiled by both Rolling Stone in 2014 and The Independent in 2020.
Other notable Simon & Garfunkel songs in the aforementioned list include the following:
America has been featured on commercials by the likes of American Express and Volkswagen.
When Bernie Sanders was trying to win the Democratic primaries in 2016, he also utilized this tune – with the blessings of both Simon and Garfunkel – for his campaign.
And the track experienced a resurgence in popularity altogether when it was featured on a film in 2000 entitled “Almost Famous”.
This song also made its influence felt in 2010 when a group of protestors known as Paint Saginaw painted phrases from the lyrics onto abandoned buildings in Saginaw, Michigan, one of the three localities mentioned in the lyrics.
They were actually doing so as an act of protest or recognition of the fact that the population of the town had diminished significantly since the old days.
Famous Covers
This song has been covered or used by the likes of David Bowie, Sting, U2 and the band America itself.
An English group known as Yes also dropped their own rendering of it in 1972 which performed better on the Hot 100 than the original.
Who is Kathy Chitty?
Kathy Chitty is an Englishwoman who, despite dating Paul Simon briefly, had a profound effect on his artistry. For besides being given an overt shoutout in “America”, she is also referred to in Simon & Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound” (1966) and “The Late Great Johnny Ace” (1983).
Simon’s first solo album, “The Paul Simon Songbook” (1965) features her on the cover. And she is also the inspiration behind one of the tracks continued therein entitled “Kathy’s Song”.
Paul met Kathy in England, with the two of them hooking up while he was in his early 20s and she her teens. But ultimately, even though they apparently cared for each other deeply, the relationship didn’t last.
This was due to Chitty being adverse to the spotlight which was part of parcel of Simon’s fame. And in her latter years she has in fact taken up residence in “a quiet Welsh-speaking village”.
Nice article. Lots of new info I never knew about this beautiful song and the musical giants who sang it.