This Is Not America
"This Is Not America" is a song by English singer David Bowie and American jazz fusion band Pat Metheny Group, taken from the soundtrack to the 1985 film The Falcon and the Snowman.[1] It was released as a single in February 1985, reaching number 14 in the United Kingdom and number 32 in the United States. The instrumental song that "This Is Not America" is based on, was written by Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays and is itself a song called "Chris", which was also included on the soundtrack for the film.
"This Is Not America" | ||||
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Single by David Bowie and Pat Metheny Group | ||||
from the album The Falcon and the Snowman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | ||||
B-side | "This Is Not America" (instrumental) | |||
Released | February 1985 | |||
Recorded | c. September-October 1984 | |||
Length | 3:51 | |||
Label | EMI America | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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David Bowie singles chronology | ||||
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The song later appeared on Bowie's 2002 greatest hits compilation Best of Bowie, appearing on all but the Australian and Japanese pressings of that album. Metheny later noted that Bowie's words were "profound and meaningful—and absolutely perfect for the film."[2]
Live versions
- Pat Metheny Group recorded the song live for the 1995 DVD We Live Here, with band members replacing Bowie on vocals.
- Bowie recorded a performance of the song at BBC Radio Theatre in London on 27 June 2000, and it was released on the bonus disc accompanying the first release of Bowie at the Beeb.
- Another version featuring Anna Maria Jopek and Pat Metheny was recorded live in Warsaw in 2002, and is included on the album Anna Maria Jopek and Pat Metheny Live in Warsaw 2002.
Other appearances
- The 1995 reissue of Bowie's 1984 album Tonight includes "This Is Not America" as a bonus track.
- "This Is Not America" appears as a B-side to Bowie's 1997 single "I Can't Read".
- Bowie performs a variation of "This Is Not America" on the P. Diddy song "American Dream" for the soundtrack to the 2001 film Training Day.
- The song has been included on the compilation albums The Singles Collection (1993), Best of Bowie (2002; multiple editions), The Platinum Collection (2005), The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987 (2007), Nothing Has Changed (2014; two-disc and three-disc editions), and Bowie Legacy (2016; two-disc edition).
Track listing
- 7" and 12" single
- A. "This Is Not America" – 3:51
- B. "This Is Not America" (instrumental) – 3:51[3]
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Falcon and the Snowman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.[4]
- David Bowie – vocals, production, songwriting
- Pat Metheny – production, songwriting
- Bob Clearmountain – mixing
- Bob Ludwig – mastering engineering
- Lyle Mays – songwriting
- Steve Rodby – bass
- Paul Wertico – drums, percussion
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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References
- Parsons, Tony (2 February 1985). "Singles". NME. p. 14. ISSN 0028-6362.
- Metheny, Pat (2000). Pat Metheny Song Book. Hal Leonard Publishing. ISBN 0634007963.
- This instrumental version is a true instrumental version of "This Is Not Ameica" but not the Song "Chris"
- The Falcon and the Snowman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (liner notes). Pat Metheny Group. EMI America Records. 1985. SV-17150.CS1 maint: others (link)
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- "Austriancharts.at – David Bowie / Pat Metheny Group – This Is Not America" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- "Ultratop.be – David Bowie / Pat Metheny Group – This Is Not America" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
- "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0500." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
- "European Top 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 2 no. 9. 4 March 1985. p. 14. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 6 July 2018 – via American Radio History.
- Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – David Bowie / Pat Metheny Group – This Is Not America". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- "The Irish Charts – Search Results – This Is Not America". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 97 no. 18. 4 May 1985. p. 64. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 6 July 2018 – via Google Books.
- "Nederlandse Top 40 – David Bowie" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – David Bowie / Pat Metheny Group – This Is Not America" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
- "Charts.nz – David Bowie / Pat Metheny Group – This Is Not America". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
- "Norwegiancharts.com – David Bowie / Pat Metheny Group – This Is Not America". VG-lista. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- "Lista Przebojów Programu 3" (in Polish). LP3. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- "Swedishcharts.com – David Bowie / Pat Metheny Group – This Is Not America". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- "Swisscharts.com – David Bowie / Pat Metheny Group – This Is Not America". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- "David Bowie Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- "David Bowie | Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- "David Bowie Pat Metheny Group Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- "Jahreshitparade Singles 1985". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- "Jaaroverzichten 1985 – Singles". Ultratop (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts – 1985". Offizielle Deutsche Charts (in German). Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1985". Dutch Top 40 (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- "Podsumowanie roku 1985". Archive of Polish Single Chart (in Polish). Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1985". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 July 2018.
Bibliography
- Pegg, Nicholas (2000). The Complete David Bowie. Reynolds & Hearn. ISBN 1-903111-14-5.