Living in America (James Brown song)

"Living in America"
Single by James Brown
from the album Rocky IV and Gravity
B-side "Farewell" by Vince DiCola
Released December 1985 (1985-12)
Genre Funk[1]
Length 4:08
Label
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Terry Jackson
Certification Gold (CRIA)[2]
James Brown charting singles chronology
"Unity Part 1 (The Third Coming)"
(1984)
"Living in America"
(1985)
"Gravity"
(1986)

"Living in America" is a 1985 song composed by Dan Hartman and Charlie Midnight and performed by James Brown. It was released as a single in 1985 and reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song entered the Billboard Top 40 on January 11, 1986, and remained on the chart for 11 weeks. It also became a top five hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 5 on the UK Singles Chart; it was his only top 10 single in the UK. It was his first Top 40 hit in ten years on the US pop charts, and it would also be his last. In 1986, it was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song and won Brown a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

The song was prominently featured in the film Rocky IV. In the film, Brown sings the song before Apollo Creed enters the boxing ring, in reference to the character's patriotism. It appeared on the Rocky IV soundtrack album. The full version of the song (nearly six minutes long) was included on Brown's 1986 album, Gravity, and on various compilations throughout the 1990s. Live performances of the song appear on the albums Soul Session Live and Live at the Apollo 1995.

The song's co-writer Dan Hartman later included his recording of the song on his 1994 album Keep the Fire Burnin'.

Music video

The music video consists of scenes of James Brown giving a concert interspersed with still images of the United States, as well as scenes from the movie Rocky IV.[3]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album Gravity.[4]

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1986) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] 18
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[6] 2
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[7] 1
Canada (CHUM)[8] 2
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[9] 5
France (SNEP)[10] 18
Germany (Official German Charts)[11] 12
Ireland (IRMA)[12] 8
Italy (FIMI)[13] 13
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[14] 9
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] 8
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] 5
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[17] 10
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] 9
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[19] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[20] 4
US Billboard Hot Black Singles[20] 10
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[20] 3
US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales[20] 1
US Cash Box[21] 5

Year-end charts

Chart (1986) Position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[22] 21
Canada (RPM Top Singles)[23] 56
Italy (FIMI)[13] 87
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[24] 78
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[25] 83
US Billboard Hot 100[26] 65
US Cash Box[27] 65

Preceded by
"Baby Talk" by Alisha
Belgian VRT Top 30 Flanders number-one single
February 22, 1986 – March 1, 1986 (2 weeks)
Succeeded by
"Burning Heart" by Survivor

Track listings

12" release
7" release

Parody

"Weird Al" Yankovic parodied the song on his 1986 album Polka Party! in a song entitled "Living with a Hernia", describing various kinds of hernias where Brown originally listed several American cities. Paul Shanklin also parodied "Living in America" on his 1999 album Bill Clinton: The Comeback Kid Tour in a song entitled "Sneaking in America", as a reference to illegal immigration to America. The song was also parodied in TV advertisements for the TV series Daisy Does America, substituting the show's title for the song's.

Other appearances/versions

Appearances

Altered versions and performances

Covers

References

  1. Tucker, Ken (February 24, 1986). "Funk music is back". Boca Raton News. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  2. "Gold/Platinum". Music Canada. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  3. "James Brown – Living In America". YouTube. March 4, 2007. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  4. Gravity (liner notes). James Brown. Scotti Bros. 1986. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  5. "Hits of the World". Billboard. 98 (12): 73. March 22, 1986. ISSN 0006-2510.
  6. "Ultratop.be – James Brown – Living in America" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  7. "Radio 2 Top 30 : 1 maart 1986" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  8. CHART NUMBER 1522 – Saturday, February 22, 1986 at the Wayback Machine (archived July 29, 2007). CHUM.
  9. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0640." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  10. "Lescharts.com – James Brown – Living in America" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  11. "Offiziellecharts.de – James Brown – Living in America". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  12. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Living in America". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  13. 1 2 "I singoli più venduti del 1986" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  14. "Nederlandse Top 40 – James Brown - Living in America search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  15. "Dutchcharts.nl – James Brown – Living in America" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  16. "Charts.org.nz – James Brown – Living in America". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  17. "Swedishcharts.com – James Brown – Living in America". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  18. "Swisscharts.com – James Brown – Living in America". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  19. "Archive Chart: 1986-02-15" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  20. 1 2 3 4 "Gravity – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  21. CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending FEBRUARY 22, 1986 at the Wayback Machine (archived October 2, 2012). Cash Box magazine.
  22. "Jaaroverzichten 1986" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  23. "Top Singles – Volume 45, No. 14, December 27, 1986". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  24. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  25. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1986" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  26. "Top 100 Hits for 1986". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  27. The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1986 at the Wayback Machine (archived October 2, 2012). Cash Box magazine.
  28. "Everybody Hates Boxing". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
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