America (Prince song)
Encyclopedia
"America" is a song by Prince
and The Revolution
. It was the final U.S. single from the group's 1985 album, Around the World in a Day
and is a sardonic attack on the mid-1980s United States
, referencing Communism
, and worrying about nuclear war, a common theme in Prince's lyrics in the 1980s.
The song begins with the sound of a record
starting and stopping, as if being cued by a DJ
. This leads into a guitar
solo and a rising flute
line. The main tune is standard rock and roll
and fades out at 3:40. The 12-inch single
extended version is notable for being over 21 minutes long and including various instrumental solos, and the song fades just before the audio tape ran out, being that Prince and the Revolution had jammed the song out until there was no more room on the tape. The video for this song was shown on MTV during an entire segment dedicated to the single. Prince refused to speak during the interview, and, thus, bandmates spoke for him.
The B-side
of the track was "Girl," a light pop number that speaks of Prince's lust for a woman. Featuring a minimal drum loop and sparse synthesizer lines, Prince's lust is in such force that he declares, "All I have to do is think about you, and I can have an orgasm," as he invites her to feel how sweaty his hands have gotten from their meeting. The full-length version from the 12-inch single
features backmasking
of Wendy Melvoin
reciting the lyrics with the word "boy" replacing the word "girl."
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
and The Revolution
The Revolution (band)
The Revolution was an American rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1979 by Prince. Although widely associated with rock music, the band's sound incorporated heavy metal, pop, funk, R&B and hard rock elements. Before their official break-up, The Revolution had released one studio album,...
. It was the final U.S. single from the group's 1985 album, Around the World in a Day
Around the World in a Day
Around the World in a Day is the seventh studio album by Prince and the second by The Revolution, released on April 22, 1985 on Warner Bros. In compliance with Prince's wishes, the record company released the album with minimal publicity, not even releasing an accompanying single until almost a...
and is a sardonic attack on the mid-1980s United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, referencing Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, and worrying about nuclear war, a common theme in Prince's lyrics in the 1980s.
The song begins with the sound of a record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
starting and stopping, as if being cued by a DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
. This leads into a guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
solo and a rising flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
line. The main tune is standard rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
and fades out at 3:40. The 12-inch single
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
extended version is notable for being over 21 minutes long and including various instrumental solos, and the song fades just before the audio tape ran out, being that Prince and the Revolution had jammed the song out until there was no more room on the tape. The video for this song was shown on MTV during an entire segment dedicated to the single. Prince refused to speak during the interview, and, thus, bandmates spoke for him.
The B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of the track was "Girl," a light pop number that speaks of Prince's lust for a woman. Featuring a minimal drum loop and sparse synthesizer lines, Prince's lust is in such force that he declares, "All I have to do is think about you, and I can have an orgasm," as he invites her to feel how sweaty his hands have gotten from their meeting. The full-length version from the 12-inch single
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
features backmasking
Backmasking
Backmasking is a recording technique in which a sound or message is recorded backward on to a track that is meant to be played forward...
of Wendy Melvoin
Wendy Melvoin
Wendy Melvoin is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Prince as part of his backing band The Revolution, and for her collaboration with Lisa Coleman as one half of the duo Wendy & Lisa....
reciting the lyrics with the word "boy" replacing the word "girl."