This Is Not America

"This Is Not America"
Single by Pat Metheny Group and David Bowie
from the album The Falcon and the Snowman soundtrack
B-side	"This Is Not America (instrumental)"
Released	February 1985
Format	7"/12" single
Recorded	May 1984
Genre	Jazz fusion soft rock synthpop
Length	3:51
Label	EMI
Songwriter(s)	David Bowie Pat Metheny Lyle Mays
Producer(s)	David Bowie Pat Metheny
David Bowie singles chronology
"Tonight" (1984) "This Is Not America" (1985) "Loving the Alien" (1985)
"Tonight" (1984) "This Is Not America" (1985) "Loving the Alien" (1985)

"This Is Not America" is a song by jazz fusion band Pat Metheny Group and rock singer David Bowie, taken from the soundtrack for the film The Falcon and the Snowman.^[1]

The song, a midtempo ballad, was released as a single that reached No. 14 in the UK and No. 32 in the US. The song later appeared on Bowie's greatest hits compilation Best of Bowie, appearing on all but the Australian and Japanese pressings of that album. Metheny later noted that Bowie's words were "profound and meaningful—and absolutely perfect for the film."^[2]

Track listing

7": EMI America / EA 190 (UK)

1. "This Is Not America" (David Bowie, Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays) – 3:51
2. "This Is Not America (instrumental)" (Bowie, Metheny, Mays) – 3:51

12": EMI America / 12EA190 (UK)

1. "This Is Not America" (Bowie, Metheny, Mays) – 3:51
2. "This Is Not America (instrumental)" (Bowie, Metheny, Mays) – 3:51

Personnel

• David Bowie—vocals and lyrics

Pat Metheny Group:

• Pat Metheny—electric guitar
• Lyle Mays—keyboards
• Steve Rodby—electric bass guitar
• Paul Wertico—drums

Live versions

• Bowie recorded a performance of the song at BBC Radio Theatre, London, 27 June 2000, and it was released on the bonus disc accompanying the first release of Bowie at the Beeb.
• Pat Metheny Group recorded it live in the DVD We Live Here, with band members substituting for Bowie on vocals.
• Another version featuring Anna Maria Jopek and Pat Metheny was recorded live in Warsaw, 2002, included in an album called Anna Maria Jopek and Pat Metheny Live in Warsaw 2002.

Other releases

• "This Is Not America" was released on the single "I Can't Read" in December 1997.
• The Virgin Records release of the Tonight album in 1995 featured this song as a bonus track.
• Bowie performs a variation of "This Is Not America" on the P. Diddy song "American Dream" for the soundtrack to the 2001 film Training Day.
• The song has been included on compilation albums: The Singles Collection (1993), Best of Bowie (2002) (multiple editions), The Platinum Collection (2005), The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987 (2007), Nothing Has Changed (2014) (2-disc and 3-disc editions), and Bowie Legacy (2016) (2-disc edition).

Cover versions

• Lana Lane with Rocket Scientists—Echoes from the Garden (1998)
• Xavier Naidoo—Nicht von dieser Welt (1997)
• Italian singer-songwriter Alice—Personal Jukebox (2000)
• An instrumental version performed by the Ahn Trio featured on the 2001 album Classical Chillout as well as the album Lullaby for my Favorite Insomniac with a mix from Superdrive.
• Silje Nergaard—Nightwatch (2003)
• Kartagon—Natural Instincts (2003)
• Protection—Protection EP (2005)
• Liberation Music Orchestra—Not in Our Name (2005)
• Juliette Lewis—Hollywood, mon amour (2008)
• Claudia Brucken [Propaganda/Act] and Paul Rutherford [Frankie Goes To Hollywood] "ComBined" (2011)
• Petra Haden—"Petra Goes to the Movies" (2012)
• Janette Mason—D'Ranged (2014)

Chart positions

References

• Pegg, Nicholas, The Complete David Bowie, Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2000, ISBN 1-903111-14-5

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics