America (song) - Definition and Overview

America is a song sung by a 1960s folk duo Simon and Garfunkel, written by Paul Simon. It was included in the album Bookends, released April 3, 1968. The song was also covered by the progressive rock band Yes in 1971.

The song was released as a single in 1972, to coincide with the album Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits.

In poetic terms the song describes in first-hand terms the physical and metaphorical journey of two companions in search of the true meaning of America. Their initial hopefulness, indicated by such lyrics as "Let us be lovers", turns to a sense of frustration and sadness, accompanied by the inevitable breakdown of their relationship: "Kathy I'm lost, I said - though I knew she was sleeping".

Finally the realisation dawns on the singer that, like El Dorado, the fabled America for which they are searching is an illusion, and all the travellers (and by extension all Americans) are seeking this mythical land in vain.

External link

• Lyrics (http://www.medialab.chalmers.se/guitar/america.lyr.html)