----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE--------------------------------
This file is the author`s own work and represents their interpretation of the
song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research.
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From the liner notes to _The Brill Building Sound_:
At the height of the civil rights furor, Barry Mann wrote a song for
the Drifters, one he felt strongly about since it incorporated a lot of
personal feelings in lyrics such as `Only in America / Land of
opportunity / Can they save a seat in the back of the bus just for me /
Only in America / Where they preach the Golden Rule / Will they start to
march when my kids want to go to school`. To Mann`s dismay, Leiber &
Stoller told him to rewrite it along less controversial lines. `They
said there`s no way the Drifters could do this song,` he recalls. `No
one would play it`. At this point, record sales mattered less to him
than voicing his message, but out of respect to Leiber & Stoller he went
ahead and turned the song into this flag-waving anthem. Stoller later
told the authors of _Behind The Hits_ that the Drifters were afraid of
recording the revamped version. `They thought they`d get too much flak.
It would be too controversial. We felt it would make a strong ironic
statement -- that it would be more effective -- four black guys singing
aoubt what was obviously *not* taking place.`
Resigned to the fact that the song was more suited to a whitebread pop
group, Leiber & Stoller brought it to Jay & The Americans [some sources
indicate that they used the same backing track]. It came out as the
follow-up to their first hit, `She Cried`. A decade later, Mann
confessed, `It just makes me cry now. It would`ve been a more honest
song but I wasn`t strong enough to stick to my guns.`
Only In America
(Leiber / Stoller / Mann / Weil)
E D E D
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
Verse 1:
E D
Only in America
E D
Can a guy from anywhere
E D E
Go to sleep a pauper and wake up a millionaire
A G
Only in America
A G
Can a kid without a cent
A G A
Get a break and maybe grow up to be President
Chorus:
D A/C
Only in America
D A/C
Land of opportunity
Bm Fm G A [1: B 2: E, to coda]
Would a classy girl like you fall for a poor boy like me
Verse 2:
Only in America
Can a kid who`s washing cars
Take a giant step and reach right up and touch the stars
Only in America
Could a dream like this come true
A G A B E
Could a guy like me start with nothing and end up with you
Instrumental break:
(chords as per Verse 1)
[repeat chorus]
Coda:
E D E
(Only in America) Poor boy like me
(Only in America) Poor boy like me
(Only in America) Only in America [repeat to fade]
-- another ace 60`s tab from Andrew Rogers
