This Is Not America
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"This Is Not America" (1985) is a song by English singer David Bowie and American jazz fusion band Pat Metheny Group, taken from the soundtrack to the 1985 film The Falcon and the Snowman. It was released as a single in February 1985, reaching number 14 in the United Kingdom and number 32 in the United States. The instrumental song that "This Is Not America" is based on, was written by Metheny and Mays and is itself a song called "Chris", which was also included on the soundtrack for the film. "This Is Not America" differs from "Chris" through the addition of drums and David Bowie's vocal performance.
The song later appeared on Bowie's 2002 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."
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Live versions
- Pat Metheny Group recorded the song live for the 1995 DVD We Live Here, with band members replacing Bowie on vocals.
- Bowie recorded a performance of the song at BBC Radio Theatre in London on 27 June 2000, and it was released on the bonus disc accompanying the first release of Bowie at the Beeb.
- Another version featuring Anna Maria Jopek and Pat Metheny was recorded live in Warsaw in 2002, and is included on the album Anna Maria Jopek and Pat Metheny Live in Warsaw 2002.
Other appearances
- The 1995 reissue of Bowie's 1984 album Tonight includes "This Is Not America" as a bonus track.
- "This Is Not America" appears as a B-side to Bowie's 1997 single "I Can't Read".
- 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 the 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; two-disc and three-disc editions), and Bowie Legacy (2016; two-disc edition).
Track listing
- 7" and 12" single
- A. "This Is Not America" – 3:51
- B. "This Is Not America" (instrumental) – 3:51
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Falcon and the Snowman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
- David Bowie – vocals, production, songwriting
- Pat Metheny – production, songwriting
- Bob Clearmountain – mixing
- Bob Ludwig – mastering engineering
- Lyle Mays – songwriting
- Steve Rodby – bass
- Paul Wertico – drums, percussion
