“Live in America” is an updated version of the original “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” song written by Dan O’Brien and performed by James Brown and Charlie Midnight. It was originally released as a single on November 3, 1985 and reached #4 on the Pop Chart. The song then remained at number 4 on the Pop Chart for eleven consecutive weeks. It finally reached the top spot of the R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart for fourteen consecutive weeks. The song also spent three weeks at the top of the Adult Contemporary chart.
The basic premise of the song is that America is the promise land, where if you follow your dreams there is no doubt in your mind that you will live in abundance. Many people, upon hearing this timeless hit think to themselves that it is an old song and that they probably don’t remember it. The fact is that the words are so true that they have inspired millions of Americans to live their lives to the fullest.
In the song, the words “you live in America” are again sung to express how far the country has come. The reality of living in the United States of America is that although we are a wealthy country, many of us are stuck in poverty. People in other countries live in better environments and are better off financially than most of us here. But because of our incredible tax system and inefficient government agencies, we cannot trust the American dream with all of our earnings.
The American dream is a vision that is too close to be taken for granted by any of us, especially those who have put so much blood, sweat and tears into everything we have built together. So many of us are stuck in poverty because we believe that in order to achieve the American dream, we must become more like everyone else in America. And that is not true – no one can truly live the American dream except for America.
One of the things that I believe the song is trying to say is that as Americans we must continue to build bridges of friendship and foster greater relations between all nations. The world needs us and we need them. We need China to buy our lumber and we need the oil-producing nations to open up to us. We need the middle class in the poorer nations to know that they can stay in their homes and have jobs if they want to. And we need the wealthy countries to care for them so that they will keep coming to our shores to take advantage of all the free benefits that our wonderful country has to offer.
Living in America does not mean that we are perfect. We have our faults, and we do make mistakes. It is how we deal with those mistakes and flaws that make America so great. And there are a lot of things that make Americans exceptional – but I think the above article explains why the American dream is alive and well even though many people here are afraid to call it that. So the next time you hear someone say that the United States is broke, sorry, but millions of people still live in the greatest nation ever created in the history of mankind.
