Living in America (James Brown song)

"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 1987, 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.

"Living in America"
Single by James Brown
from the album Rocky IV and Gravity
B-side"Farewell" by Vince DiCola
ReleasedDecember 1985 (1985-12)
GenreFunk[1]
Length4:42 (soundtrack version)
5:57 (Gravity album version)
4:09 (single version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Dan Hartman
James Brown charting singles chronology
"Unity Part 1 (The Third Coming)"
(1984)		 "Living in America"
(1985)		 "Gravity"
(1986)

Legacy

The song was prominently featured in the film Rocky IV. In the film, Brown sings the song during Apollo Creed’s ring entrance, in reference to the character's patriotic image. It appeared on the Rocky IV soundtrack album.

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

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album Gravity.[2]

  • James Brown – lead vocals
  • Stevie Ray Vaughan – lead guitar
  • Dan Hartman – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
  • T. M. Stevens – bass, backing vocals
  • Ray Marchica – drums
  • The Uptown Horns (Arno Hecht, Bob Funk, Crispin Cioe, "Hollywood" Paul Litteral) – horns

Chart performance

Track listings
12" release
  • A. Living in America (R & B Dance Version) – 6:30
  • B1. Living in America (Instrumental) – 4:33
  • B2. Living in America (LP Version) – 4:42
7" release
  • A. Living in America – 4:08
  • B. Farewell (Vince DiCola) – 2:58

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. The parody ends with Al shouting "I feel bad!" instead of Brown's trademark "I feel good!" The music video was shot on the same set Brown performed on in Rocky IV. 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.

References
  1. Tucker, Ken (February 24, 1986). "Funk music is back". Boca Raton News. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  2. Gravity (liner notes). James Brown. Scotti Bros. 1986. Retrieved April 2, 2016.CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 98 no. 12. March 22, 1986. p. 73. ISSN 0006-2510.
  4. "Ultratop.be – James Brown – Living in America" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  5. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0640." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  6. "Lescharts.com – James Brown – Living in America" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  7. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Living in America". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  8. "I singoli più venduti del 1986" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  9. "Nederlandse Top 40 – James Brown - Living in America" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  10. "Dutchcharts.nl – James Brown – Living in America" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  11. "Charts.nz – James Brown – Living in America". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  12. "Swedishcharts.com – James Brown – Living in America". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  13. "Swisscharts.com – James Brown – Living in America". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  14. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  15. "Gravity – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  16. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending FEBRUARY 22, 1986". Archived from the original on October 2, 2012.. Cash Box magazine.
  17. "Offiziellecharts.de – James Brown – Living in America". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  18. "Jaaroverzichten 1986" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  19. "Top 100 Singles of '86". RPM. Vol. 45 no. 14. Library and Archives Canada. December 27, 1986. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  20. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  21. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1986" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  22. "Top Pop Singles" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 98 no. 52. December 27, 1986. p. Y-21. ISSN 0006-2510.
  23. "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1986". Cash Box. Archived from the original on October 2, 2012.
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