only in america
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Artist:
When The Drifters recorded "Only In America," their version stayed in the Atlantic vaults, because, let's face it, the irony of the Mann & Weil/Leiber & Stoller song sung by a black group would have sailed over the heads of the kids listening to Top 40 radio.
The track was given to Jay & The Americans, a white group, who had a modest hit with it.
"Only in America," Jay sang, "could a kid without a cent/Get a break and maybe grow up to be President."
That version charted in August 1963, entering the charts the week before Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, 45 years before Barack Obama accepted the Democratic Party's nomination for President.
It's nowhere near the best work of either Mann & Weil (who originally conceived of it as more of a sardonic protest song) or Leiber & Stoller (who suggested rewriting it). It's not so much about social aspiration as it is a paean to romantic opportunity (he's a poor boy, who has won the love of a 'classy girl'; is this a great country, or what?).
Still, when I heard the Brooks & Dunn song "Only In America" after Obama's speech the other night in Denver, my pop-addled mind thought back to 1963, and the idea of how preposterous it would have been to have a black group sing, sincerely or sarcastically, about what the U.S. held out to them in terms of promise, beyond the attaining of that classy girl.
Locating MOG account...
Comments (7)
Man, that poster is a part of Atlanta History! I believe that was at The Atlanta Crackers stadium - which was a Negro Legaue stadium. It's not there anymore, unfortunately (now it's a Whole Foods, Petco and Home Depot - progress?). But Ponce De Leon was a magic place back then. It was sort of the color line between the "White" north of the city and the "Black" south. It was later refered to as "The Golden Ghetto" having a wide array of clubs, bars and restaurants that were worth visiting, all the meanwhile being a bit rough around the edges.
It's pretty gentified now, but you still have you hold outs that are crazy as ever. Makes me miss ATL.
And a small sidenote...Fagen and Becker were part of the Jay & The Americans' travelling band....only in America indeed.
So how many Drifters' records did Jay & the Americans botch up? Content and context aside, the contrast in the vocals and the arrangement is, well, striking. The difference between the Drifters' This Magic Moment and Jay's is the difference between transplendent and ... thunk.
To let you know how twisted this racially-driven musical renovation situation was, I had forgotten that "Only in America" was originally a Drifters number until reading this post. Me, Mr. Pop-Music Database. would have answered any question of who sang the song by saying "Jay & the Americans." Sad. (Meanwhile, thanks for the Drifters stream. It's been quite a while, but it's still awesome.)
I remember the Jay & The Americans version, but I have the Drifters on CD instead. (The original just sounds better.)
love the drifters ;)
Ok I got the classy girl. I'm still waiting to wake up a millionaire. I've been here all my life. Or am I in the wrong America? Maybe I should go to Central or South. They're not specific on America. I like the rhythm on the song. Kind of a strange mix.