Living in America (James Brown song)

1985 song by James Brown

"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

4:42 (soundtrack version)
5:57 (Gravity album version)
4:09 (single version)

Label

Scotti Bros.
5682

Songwriter(s)

Dan Hartman
Charlie Midnight

Producer(s)

Dan Hartman

James Brown charting singles chronology

"Unity Part 1 (The Third Coming)"
(1984)

"Living in America"
(1985)

"Gravity"
(1986)

Music video

"James Brown - Living in America" on YouTube

"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.^[2]^[3]

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 was also featured in the 2003 NASCAR Pontiac commercial with 5 drivers Mike Skinner, Jack Sprague, Jerry Nadeau, Johnny Benson, Jr. and Ricky Craven.

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.^[4]

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

Weekly charts

Chart (1985-1986)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[5]	18
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[6]	2
Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[7]	5
France (SNEP)^[8]	18
Ireland (IRMA)^[9]	8
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[10]	9
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[11]	8
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[12]	5
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[13]	10
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[14]	9
UK Singles (OCC)^[15]	5
US Billboard Hot 100^[16]	4
US Billboard Hot Black Singles^[16]	10
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play^[16]	3
US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales^[16]	1
US Cash Box^[17]	5
West Germany (Official German Charts)^[18]	12

Year-end charts

Chart (1986)	Position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[19]	21
Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[20]	56
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[21]	78
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[22]	83
US Billboard Hot 100^[23]	65
US Cash Box^[24]	65

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)^[25]	Silver	200,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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

^ Tucker, Ken (February 24, 1986). "Funk music is back". Boca Raton News. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
^ Tucker, Ken (February 24, 1986). Funk music is back. Boca Raton News. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
^ Tucker, Ken (March 6, 1986). Funk music prominent on charts. The Day. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
^ Gravity (liner notes). James Brown. Scotti Bros. 1986. Retrieved April 2, 2016.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 12. March 22, 1986. p. 73. ISSN 0006-2510.
^ "James Brown – Living in America" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0640." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
^ "James Brown – Living in America" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Living in America". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – James Brown - Living in America" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
^ "James Brown – Living in America" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
^ "James Brown – Living in America". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
^ "James Brown – Living in America". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
^ "James Brown – Living in America". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Gravity – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending FEBRUARY 22, 1986". Cash Box. Archived from the original on October 2, 2012.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – James Brown – Living in America" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
^ "Jaaroverzichten 1986" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
^ "Top 100 Singles of '86". RPM. Vol. 45, no. 14. Library and Archives Canada. December 27, 1986. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1986" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
^ "Top Pop Singles" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 52. December 27, 1986. p. Y-21. ISSN 0006-2510.
^ "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1986". Cash Box. Archived from the original on October 2, 2012.
^ "British single certifications – James Brown – Living In America". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 14, 2024.

External links

Review at AllMusic

James Brown singles

Billboard charting singles (R&B and Pop)

1950s

1956	"Please, Please, Please"
1958	"Try Me"
1959	"I Want You So Bad"

1960s

1960	"I'll Go Crazy" "Think" "You've Got the Power" "This Old Heart" "The Bells"
1961	"Bewildered" "I Don't Mind" "Baby, You're Right" "Just You and Me, Darling" "Lost Someone"
1962	"Night Train" "Shout and Shimmy" "Mashed Potatoes U.S.A." "Three Hearts in a Tangle" "I've Got Money"
1963	"Like a Baby" "Every Beat of My Heart" "Prisoner of Love" "These Foolish Things" "Signed, Sealed, and Delivered"
1964	"Oh Baby Don't You Weep" "Please, Please, Please" "Caldonia" "The Things That I Used to Do" "Out of Sight" "Have Mercy Baby"
1965	"Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" "Try Me" "I Got You (I Feel Good)"
1966	"Lost Someone" "I'll Go Crazy" "Ain't That a Groove" "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" "Money Won't Change You" "Don't Be a Drop-Out" "Sweet Little Baby Boy"
1967	"Bring It Up" "Kansas City" "Think" "Let Yourself Go" "Cold Sweat" "Get It Together" "I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)" "There Was a Time"
1968	"You've Got to Change Your Mind" "I Got the Feelin'" "Licking Stick – Licking Stick" "America Is My Home" "I Guess I'll Have to Cry, Cry, Cry" "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud" "Goodbye My Love" "Tit for Tat (Ain't No Taking Back)"
1969	"Give It Up or Turnit a Loose" "Soul Pride" "I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open Up The Door, I'll Get It Myself)" "The Popcorn" "Mother Popcorn (You Got to Have a Mother for Me)" "Lowdown Popcorn" "World" "Let a Man Come In and Do the Popcorn" "Ain't It Funky Now"

1970s

1970	"It's a New Day" "Funky Drummer" "Brother Rapp" "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" "Super Bad" "Santa Claus Is Definitely Here to Stay" "Get Up, Get into It, Get Involved"
1971	"Spinning Wheel" "Soul Power" "I Cried" "Escape-ism" "Hot Pants" "Make It Funky" "I'm a Greedy Man"
1972	"Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing" "King Heroin" "There It Is" "Honky Tonk" "Get on the Good Foot" "I Got a Bag of My Own" "What My Baby Needs Now Is a Little More Lovin'"
1973	"I Got Ants In My Pants (And I Want to Dance)" "Down and Out in New York City" "Think" "Sexy, Sexy, Sexy" "Stoned to the Bone"
1974	"The Payback" "My Thang" "Papa Don't Take No Mess" "Funky President (People It's Bad)" "Coldblooded"
1975	"Reality" "Sex Machine" "Hustle!!! (Dead on It)" "Superbad, Superslick" "Hot (I Need To Be Loved, Loved, Loved, Loved)"
1976	"(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" "Get Up Offa That Thing" "I Refuse to Lose" "Bodyheat"
1977	"Kiss in 77" "Give Me Some Skin" "If You Don't Give a Doggone About It"
1978	"Eyesight" "The Spank" "For Goodness Sakes, Look at Those Cakes"
1979	"It's Too Funky in Here" "Star Generation"

1980s

1980	"Regrets" "Rapp Payback (Where Iz Moses)"
1981	"Stay with Me"
1983	"The Night Time Is the Right Time (To Be With the One That You Love)"
1984	"Unity"
1985	"Living in America"
1986	"Gravity"
1987	"How Do You Stop"
1988	"I'm Real" "Static"
1989	"Gimme Your Love"