American Jerusalem: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox song <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Songs --> |
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| Name = American Jerusalem |
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| Cover = |
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| Album = No Commercial Traffic |
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| Artist = [[Rod MacDonald]] |
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| Released = 1983 |
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| Recorded = |
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| Genre = [[folk music]] |
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| Length = |
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| Writer = Rod MacDonald |
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}} |
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"'''American Jerusalem'''" is a song written by singer-guitarist [[Rod MacDonald]] in 1978, "a brilliant contrast of rich and poor, of the powerful and the powerless in Manhattan." [[sfn/Regenstreif, Mike Sing Out! Summer 2003]] The song also presages some of the [[September 11, 2001]] events with such lines as “in the ashes of American Jerusalem/the prophets live their deaths out on the corner/the pretty people say there should have been a warning/but nobody heard it” and “then shadows lick the sun/the streets are paved with footsteps on the run.” |
"'''American Jerusalem'''" is a song written by singer-guitarist [[Rod MacDonald]] in 1978, "a brilliant contrast of rich and poor, of the powerful and the powerless in Manhattan." [[sfn/Regenstreif, Mike Sing Out! Summer 2003]] The song also presages some of the [[September 11, 2001]] events with such lines as “in the ashes of American Jerusalem/the prophets live their deaths out on the corner/the pretty people say there should have been a warning/but nobody heard it” and “then shadows lick the sun/the streets are paved with footsteps on the run.” |
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Usually played slowly, the nearly-six-minute song song first appeared on MacDonald’s 1983 debut album ''No Commercial Traffic'' (originally on Cinemagic Records, reissued by Blue Flute Music). When [[Smithsonian Folkways]] re-released |
Usually played slowly, the nearly-six-minute song song first appeared on MacDonald’s 1983 debut album ''No Commercial Traffic'' (originally on Cinemagic Records, reissued by Blue Flute Music). |
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When [[Smithsonian Folkways]] re-released ''Fast Folk: A Community of Singers & Songwriters'' from the vaults of Fast Folk's seminal collection of 200 songwriters and 600 songs dating back to 1982, a live performance of "American Jerusalem" by MacDonald at NYC’s Bottom Line was the opening track. |
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MacDonald re-recorded the song for his 2009 CD ''After the War,'' with [[Gary Burke]] (drums), [[Pete Levin]] (keyboards), [[Mark Dann]] (bass), [[JP Bowersock]] (guitar) and [[Tracy Grammer]] (harmony vocals). |
MacDonald re-recorded the song for his 2009 CD ''After the War,'' with [[Gary Burke]] (drums), [[Pete Levin]] (keyboards), [[Mark Dann]] (bass), [[JP Bowersock]] (guitar) and [[Tracy Grammer]] (harmony vocals). |
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Revision as of 12:01, 1 January 2014
 | This article, American Jerusalem, has recently been created via the Articles for creation process. Please check to see if the reviewer has accidentally left this template after accepting the draft and take appropriate action as necessary.
Reviewer tools: Inform author |
| This article, American Jerusalem, has recently been created via the Articles for creation process. Please check to see if the reviewer has accidentally left this template after accepting the draft and take appropriate action as necessary.
Reviewer tools: Inform author |
Comment: This sounds like a notable song, but the article must demonstrate this by including references to sources not connected with the song or its publishers and performers, such as news reports, music reviews, magazine articles, books, etc., to confirm the information and to show that the song has been written about extensively by journalists and other authors. Online sites that are user-contributed are not considered reliable. —Anne Delong (talk) 06:22, 30 December 2013 (UTC)
- not sure how to reach you...I read the info on your rejection and did some research into Wiki policies and also your user page...one standard for non-single songs is to have some significant artists other than me record them, which is documented here, along with the Smithsonian deciding to start its series with my song. ...I also note a long list of articles you have created, I'm sure they're all highly worthy, yet you may be as unaware of current American folk music and this song's place in it, as I am unaware of Canadian bluegrass, which now seems very well represented with people I have never heard of...the point is, I have submitted this song --of the two or three hundred I have published--because folk people keep telling me it belongs on Wikipedia, it probably has relatively the same recognition as your favorite bluegrass music....
apparently the submission process erased my slim citations, but the statements of its importance are not mine..., my bad, i'm not adept at your process, so I have re-added them here, with a request you take another look at this with a more open mind...thanks very much for your attention and time.
| "American Jerusalem" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"American Jerusalem" is a song written by singer-guitarist Rod MacDonald in 1978, "a brilliant contrast of rich and poor, of the powerful and the powerless in Manhattan." sfn/Regenstreif, Mike Sing Out! Summer 2003 The song also presages some of the September 11, 2001 events with such lines as “in the ashes of American Jerusalem/the prophets live their deaths out on the corner/the pretty people say there should have been a warning/but nobody heard it” and “then shadows lick the sun/the streets are paved with footsteps on the run.”
Usually played slowly, the nearly-six-minute song song first appeared on MacDonald’s 1983 debut album No Commercial Traffic (originally on Cinemagic Records, reissued by Blue Flute Music).
When Smithsonian Folkways re-released Fast Folk: A Community of Singers & Songwriters from the vaults of Fast Folk's seminal collection of 200 songwriters and 600 songs dating back to 1982, a live performance of "American Jerusalem" by MacDonald at NYC’s Bottom Line was the opening track.
MacDonald re-recorded the song for his 2009 CD After the War, with Gary Burke (drums), Pete Levin (keyboards), Mark Dann (bass), JP Bowersock (guitar) and Tracy Grammer (harmony vocals).
The publishing rights to "American Jerusalem" were acquired in 1985 by Dick James Music, which later sold its entire catalogue to Polygram International; it is currently the property of Universal Music. MacDonald is a longtime member of ASCAP.
Covers and reception
The song was covered by Canadian singer-songwriter Garnet Rogers on his album The Outside Track in 1986 (reissued in 2004 by the Canadian label Snow Goose).
It was also covered by Shawn Colvin on her 2012 Nonesuch debut All Fall Down.[1]
All Music Guide said in its review: “American Jerusalem and the title tune are thoughtful, pointed commentaries on the state of the union in 2012”. Performing Songwriter magazine, called her version of the song "stunning", asked her "Your cover choices, as always, are terrific. Was Rod MacDonald’s 'American Jerusalem' one you used to perform in the early days of your career?" Colvin replied "Yeah … forever ago. In the early 80s before I started writing I’d perform it in Greenwich Village at the Cottonwood Café. I think that song’s more reminiscent of the New York that I—for want of a better phrase—grew up in, in my 20s. It was a little bleaker. So that’s kind of a little snapshot of New York when I first got there and didn’t know anybody and I was getting used to living in this … jungle. I’m so glad I finally recorded it."[2]
References
- ^ AllMusic: Shawn Colvin - All Fall Down review by Mark Deming
- ^ Lydia Hutchinson, Lydia. "Shawn Colvin: All Fall Down". Performing Songwriter,
- Regenstreif, Mike Sing Out! * Summer 2003.
- After The War, Blue Flute Music (US), June 2009; Brambus Records (Switzerland) 2009.