English Feature #7-3426 Broadcast January 1, 2001
The music that you just heard, which opens this program every week, is from a song called "America", written by the popular American singer-songwriter Neil Diamond. Today on New American Voices we bring you the song in its entirety - and at the end, a special announcement.
Neil Diamond wrote the song "America" for a 1980 remake of the film "The Jazz Singer", in which he also starred as the son of Jewish immigrants to New York. Not long after the song made its debut as a single recording in April, 1981 it rose to number 8 on the popular hit charts, and stayed on the charts for 17 weeks. The song became a regular part of Neil Diamond's live concert repertoire, and appears in all the recorded collections of his greatest hits.
Far We've been traveling far Without a home But not without a star Free Only want to be free We huddle close Hang on to a dream On the boats and on the planes They're coming to America Never looking back again They're coming to America Home, don't seem so far away Oh, we're traveling light today In the eye of the storm In the eye of the storm Home, to a new and shiny place Make our bed, and we'll say our grace Freedom's light burning warm Freedom's light burning warm Everywhere around the world They're coming to America Every time that flag's unfurled They're coming to America Got a dream to take them there They're coming to America Got a dream they've come to share They're coming to America They're coming to America They're coming to America They're coming to America They're coming to America Today, today, today, today, today My country 'tis of thee Today Sweet land of libery Today Of thee I sing Today Of thee I sing Today
Neil Diamond and one of his greatest hits, the song "America", which serves as the leitmotiv for VOA's New American Voices program.
And now - our special announcement. New American Voices now has a website, and we invite all of you to visit it. Our address is www.voanews.com/newamericanvoices, written as one word. And I'm Oksana Dragan, wishing you a happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous new year.