America (Leonard Bernstein song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"America" is a well-known song from the musical West Side Story. Leonard Bernstein composed the music; Stephen Sondheim wrote the song's lyrics.

In the original stage version of the musical, Anita (a female member of the Sharks, and the musical's most important female character besides Maria) literally sings the praises of America, while a fellow Shark, Rosalia, sings in favor of Puerto Rico. This version of the song arguably provides an unfavorable caricature of the island, while only highlighting positive qualities of the United States ("I'll drive a Buick through San Juan," "if there's a road you can drive on").

In the 1961 film version of the musical, Anita still sings in favor of the United States, while Bernardo responds to her praises with corresponding criticisms satirizing latent racism in American society, especially towards Puerto Ricans ("Life is all right in America," "If you're all white in America"). Most of the song's original disparaging elements towards Puerto Rico have been removed.

From a technical standpoint, the song is also noteworthy for its use of hemiola meter, which the composer self-referentially highlights during the song's bridge.