Written by Paul Simon
Recorded by Simon and Garfunkel
The story of “America” follows a young couple on their journey from Saginaw, MI to somewhere on the New Jersey Turnpike, perhaps Philly or Trenton. It’s unclear where they wind up but I’ve always assumed it was New York, and hopefully not Atlantic City. The action takes place on a bus that our protagonist and his girlfriend Kathy board in Pittsburgh. But this is no ordinary road trip and Simon’s Greyhound transports our couple from the innocence of youth to the responsibilities of being a grownup.
The couple buy snacks and cigarettes, and the first leg of their trip eastbound across Pennsylvania seems to be going well. The two are not yet weighed down by the crushing realities of adulthood and they enjoy what is left of their fleeting innocence as we move into the bridge:
Laughing on the bus
Playing games with the faces
She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy
I said "Be careful, his bowtie is really a camera"
Musically, the bridge introduces a shift in key and a soprano saxophone that joyfully chases after the bass line like two children in a playground. But this couple are no longer children. The bridge drifts back into the verse like the transition from a sweet dream into the harsh awareness of the waking life. The soprano sax is gone – and so are their cigarettes – oh no!
Without the coping mechanism of a good smoke, our protagonist struggles with his first existential crisis. He’s lost and no one can hear him. But the good news is he’s not alone – everyone is lost, but no one has given up hope: they’ve all come to look for America.
-MJK
Recorded by Simon and Garfunkel
The story of “America” follows a young couple on their journey from Saginaw, MI to somewhere on the New Jersey Turnpike, perhaps Philly or Trenton. It’s unclear where they wind up but I’ve always assumed it was New York, and hopefully not Atlantic City. The action takes place on a bus that our protagonist and his girlfriend Kathy board in Pittsburgh. But this is no ordinary road trip and Simon’s Greyhound transports our couple from the innocence of youth to the responsibilities of being a grownup.
The couple buy snacks and cigarettes, and the first leg of their trip eastbound across Pennsylvania seems to be going well. The two are not yet weighed down by the crushing realities of adulthood and they enjoy what is left of their fleeting innocence as we move into the bridge:
Laughing on the bus
Playing games with the faces
She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy
I said "Be careful, his bowtie is really a camera"
Musically, the bridge introduces a shift in key and a soprano saxophone that joyfully chases after the bass line like two children in a playground. But this couple are no longer children. The bridge drifts back into the verse like the transition from a sweet dream into the harsh awareness of the waking life. The soprano sax is gone – and so are their cigarettes – oh no!
Without the coping mechanism of a good smoke, our protagonist struggles with his first existential crisis. He’s lost and no one can hear him. But the good news is he’s not alone – everyone is lost, but no one has given up hope: they’ve all come to look for America.
-MJK
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