This song is about a Kerouacian road trip. The first line is: “Let us be lovers, we’ll marry our fortunes together.” What the narrator doesn’t say is: “Hey, let’s take a road trip together.” This is because the road trip is a metaphor for the relationship, a journey through life that two people share. America is a metaphor for happiness. America is the land of opportunity, where one can make one’s fortune and create one’s happiness. The invitation he extends to Kathy is to take a journey through life together and look for happiness.
The song is made up of three sections:
First, the journey begins. The young lovers are exuberant as they board a bus with a supply of nicotine, junk food, and weed. They laugh and play games. They are optimistic and happy being together and sharing the experience. The journey promises adventure.
They board a Greyhound bus in Pittsburgh. Going where? What is the destination? What is their itinerary, other than to “look for America?” How does one look for America when one is standing in the middle of it? What they are really in search of is their place in America, their own slice of the American dream. In the meantime, we are reminded of a literal America that—50 years later--doesn’t exist anymore. When was the last time anyone felt safe hitchhiking for four days without ending up dead in a ravine? When was the last time you could ride a bus and see men dressed in suits and ties?
In the second part, the initial excitement wears off and the tedium of bus travel sets in. She reads a magazine while he contents himself with the picturesque scenery of the American landscape. In relationships, the thrill of initial attraction and sexual desire wanes and you settle into the day-to-day predictability of life.
In the third part, it is night. There is nothing to look at and the initial thrill of the adventure has passed. The narrator is no longer distracted by excitement or scenery and must confront his inner thoughts. He acknowledges an unspecific angst. Yet he cannot confess these feelings except when he knows his companion can't hear.
The narrator went looking for America but feels lost. Either he is not finding it on this journey, or more probably he realizes that he won’t be able to find it with the girl he loves. The only solace he can find is in imagining that everyone he sees in the passing cars are all on a journey to find America. In his mind, everyone else is lost, empty and aching as well.
“America” is based on a road trip Paul Simon took with his British girlfriend Kathy Chitty in the early to mid '60's. (She is also the subject of "Kathy's Song" and "Homeward Bound.") Simon at the time was about to get his big break. The road trip came about because he'd been called back from England by music executives interested in his songs. Together, they made a trip across the US. Perhaps it was during this time that they both realized their journeys would have to be made separately.
Simon craved fame and acclaim as a pop star. Kathy craved privacy and anonymity. She had no interest in being the girlfriend or wife of a celebrity. The empty and aching Simon describes probably came from realizing he desired the love of “America” more than the love of a quiet English girl.
This song is about a Kerouacian road trip. The first line is: “Let us be lovers, we’ll marry our fortunes together.” What the narrator doesn’t say is: “Hey, let’s take a road trip together.” This is because the road trip is a metaphor for the relationship, a journey through life that two people share. America is a metaphor for happiness. America is the land of opportunity, where one can make one’s fortune and create one’s happiness. The invitation he extends to Kathy is to take a journey through life together and look for happiness. The song is made up of three sections:
First, the journey begins. The young lovers are exuberant as they board a bus with a supply of nicotine, junk food, and weed. They laugh and play games. They are optimistic and happy being together and sharing the experience. The journey promises adventure. They board a Greyhound bus in Pittsburgh. Going where? What is the destination? What is their itinerary, other than to “look for America?” How does one look for America when one is standing in the middle of it? What they are really in search of is their place in America, their own slice of the American dream. In the meantime, we are reminded of a literal America that—50 years later--doesn’t exist anymore. When was the last time anyone felt safe hitchhiking for four days without ending up dead in a ravine? When was the last time you could ride a bus and see men dressed in suits and ties? In the second part, the initial excitement wears off and the tedium of bus travel sets in. She reads a magazine while he contents himself with the picturesque scenery of the American landscape. In relationships, the thrill of initial attraction and sexual desire wanes and you settle into the day-to-day predictability of life. In the third part, it is night. There is nothing to look at and the initial thrill of the adventure has passed. The narrator is no longer distracted by excitement or scenery and must confront his inner thoughts. He acknowledges an unspecific angst. Yet he cannot confess these feelings except when he knows his companion can't hear. The narrator went looking for America but feels lost. Either he is not finding it on this journey, or more probably he realizes that he won’t be able to find it with the girl he loves. The only solace he can find is in imagining that everyone he sees in the passing cars are all on a journey to find America. In his mind, everyone else is lost, empty and aching as well. “America” is based on a road trip Paul Simon took with his British girlfriend Kathy Chitty in the early to mid '60's. (She is also the subject of "Kathy's Song" and "Homeward Bound.") Simon at the time was about to get his big break. The road trip came about because he'd been called back from England by music executives interested in his songs. Together, they made a trip across the US. Perhaps it was during this time that they both realized their journeys would have to be made separately. Simon craved fame and acclaim as a pop star. Kathy craved privacy and anonymity. She had no interest in being the girlfriend or wife of a celebrity. The empty and aching Simon describes probably came from realizing he desired the love of “America” more than the love of a quiet English girl.