American Power

Annotation

The song "American Power" (Decca Records # 32162), released in July 1967 and written by the bluegrass songwriter Jim Anglin (member of the country duo the Anglin Twins), combined the issues of Vietnam with race relations, and thus also a Civil Rights song. Wright told the story of his friend's son dying in Vietnam. He then commented on a recent race riot, and called for people to unite and not to play into the hands of the enemy: "we must stick together or be destroyed from within". A female chorus led by Wright's wife Kitty Wells kicked the song off, telling the listener that "American power, not black and not white...regardless of race, let's respect one another". Wright followed this up with his spoken-word narrative. Perhaps hoping to repeat the major success of Johnny Wright's 1965 "Hello Vietnam" single, which held the # 1 spot in the Billboard Hot Country charts, the label Decca Records ran a full-page advert in Billboard, announcing the "release of a moving and meaningful record". The advert went on to boldly claim that "never before has a recording captured in music and lyric a performance with so timely a message. Listen to it! We sincerely believe it is one of the most important records of our time!".1 However, it never made it above # 66 in the charts. A month later, Billboard ran another story that the music "industry sets up organisation to prevent encores of racial strife", which listed "American Power" as an important record for programming which would "hopefully do much to cool the heat of this long, hot summer".2Sources1Billboard↩2Billboard, 12 August 1967↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs

The song "American Power" (Decca Records # 32162), released in July 1967 and written by the bluegrass songwriter Jim Anglin (member of the country duo the Anglin Twins), combined the issues of Vietnam with race relations. Wright told the story of his friend's son dying in Vietnam. He then commented on a recent race riot, and called for people to unite and not to play into the hands of the enemy: "we must stick together or be destroyed from within". A female chorus led by Wright's wife Kitty Wells kicked the song off, telling the listener that "American power, not black and not white...regardless of race, let's respect one another". Wright followed this up with his spoken-word narrative. Perhaps hoping to repeat the major success of Johnny Wright's 1965 "Hello Vietnam" single, which held the # 1 spot in the Billboard Hot Country charts, the label Decca Records ran a full-page advert in Billboard, announcing the "release of a moving and meaningful record". The advert went on to boldly claim that "never before has a recording captured in music and lyric a performance with so timely a message. Listen to it! We sincerely believe it is one of the most important records of our time!".1 However, it never made it above # 66 in the charts. A month later, Billboard ran another story that the music "industry sets up organisation to prevent encores of racial strife", which listed American Power as an important record for programming which would "hopefully do much to cool the heat of this long, hot summer".2Sources1Billboard↩2Billboard, 12 August 1967↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: On the front page of the paper there is some mighty bad news / Sometimes I can't help wondering what this world is coming to / Some good friends of mine who live about two blocks away, their son was killed in Vietnam / And they are returning his body today / Their sad and bad news / But the worst of all, I must say, is the picture of a race riot here in our USA, with weapons in hand, hate in heart, trying to kill each other, and the only reason for this useless fighting, their skins are different colour / American power needs all its citizens help, we only please our enemy when we fight among ourselves / Let the old hate of yesterday be gone with the wind / We must stick together or be destroyed from within

Notes

Decca 32162 (119,066), black label with rainbow band, "Mfr'd by Decca Records, a division of MCA Inc., New York"; "American Power" (Jim Anglin), Kitty Wells Publications (BMI), time 2:45; Johnny Wright, "Vocal with Chorus and Instrumental Accompaniment". Shown in two Decca company sleeves, one a red-striped Decca sleeve and the other headed "Music Wherever You Go" advertising Decca phonographs and guitars. [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

Born 13 May 1914, Mount Juliet, Tennessee, USA. Died 27 September 2011, Madison, Tennessee, USA

Themes

Soldier's Perspective · Patriotic · Civil Rights

In collections

Civil Rights Songs · US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs [War Years]