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.Īnd the track experienced a resurgence in popularity altogether when it was featured on a film in 2000 entitled “Almost Famous”. Other notable Simon & Garfunkel songs in the aforementioned list include the following:Īmerica has been featured on commercials by the likes of American Express and Volkswagen. 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.)įurthermore, 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. “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. He and Art Garfunkel collectively produced it, doing so alongside Roy Halee. 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. 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. Pursuit of American Dreamīut 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.īut 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. 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. Fun, Fun, Funīut 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. 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.Īnd 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.Īnd then in the middle of the fifth and final verse there is a shoutout to the New Jersey Turnpike. We can say it points to these characters’ destinies, for lack of a better word. 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. his girlfriend, deciding to ‘ marry their fortunes together’ and sort of hitchhiking from the Midwest to Northeastern United States. The lyrics start off with the singer and the addressee, 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. 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.īut by and large, at least surface-wise they read more as the former, i.e.