America, I Hear You Singing

America, I Hear You Singing
Studio album by
Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Fred Waring
ReleasedApril 1964 (LP)
June 2010 (CD)
RecordedJanuary 2–February 4, 1964
StudioLos Angeles
GenreTraditional pop, patriotic
Length32:39
LabelReprise
F 2020
ProducerSonny Burke
Frank Sinatra chronology
Sinatra Sings Days of Wine and Roses, Moon River, and Other Academy Award Winners
(1964) 		America, I Hear You Singing
(1964) 		Robin and the 7 Hoods
(1964)
Bing Crosby chronology
Return to Paradise Islands
(1964) 		America, I Hear You Singing
(1964) 		Robin and the 7 Hoods
(1964)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]

America, I Hear You Singing is an album recorded and released in 1964 by American singers Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby, backed by Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians.[2] The album is a collection of patriotic songs, recorded as a tribute to the assassinated president John F. Kennedy. The artists would collaborate again for the album 12 Songs of Christmas, released later the same year.

An abridged version of the album was reissued as This Land Is Your Land (H 30931) on Columbia's budget label Harmony in 1971. The album received its first release on CD in 2010. The tracks featuring Frank Sinatra were included on the 1995 box set The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings.

Sinatra's daughter, Nancy Sinatra, said the album reflected her father's deepest beliefs. "I love my father's patriotism," she wrote. "I love the fact that he is so open and honest about his feelings for and about our nation. This beautiful album is an example of his deep love and respect for the U.S.A."[3]

Reception

A critic at Variety magazine liked the album, commenting, "This is an impressive gathering of top names for a patriotic paean in a swinging format. Backed by Fred Waring's orchestra and chorus, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra singly and in tandem deliver a fine collection of flag-wavers."[4]

The album first appeared on the Billboard Top LPs chart in the issue of May 30, 1964, ranked at No. 130.[5] It was still on the chart seven weeks later, ranked at No. 125.[6]

Track listing

All tracks feature Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians.

Side One
No.TitleWriter(s)Performer/ArrangerLength
1."America, I Hear You Singing"Tom Scottarr. Tom Scott0:53
2."This Is a Great Country"Irving BerlinBing Crosby, arr. Dick Reynolds/Jack Halloran2:41
3."The House I Live In"Lewis Allan, Earl RobinsonFrank Sinatra, arr. Nelson Riddle3:39
4."The Hills of Home"Floride Calhoun, Oscar Foxarr. Roy Ringwald4:39
5."This Land Is Your Land"Woody GuthrieBing Crosby, arr. Reynolds/Halloran3:25
6."Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor"Emma Lazarus, Irving Berlinarr. Roy Ringwald3:01
Side Two
No.TitleWriter(s)Performer / ArrangerLength
1."You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith"Francis Burke, Hughie Prince, Don RayeFrank Sinatra, arr. Reynolds/Halloran3:46
2."A Home in the Meadow"Robert Emmett Dolan, Sammy CahnBing Crosby, arr. Hawley Ades2:50
3."Early American"Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van HeusenFrank Sinatra, arr. Nelson Riddle3:34
4."You Never Had It So Good"Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van HeusenCrosby, Sinatra, arr. Reynolds/Halloran3:01
5."Let Us Break Bread Together"TraditionalCrosby, Sinatra, arr. Roy Ringwald3:39
6."The Stars and Stripes Forever"John Philip Sousaarr. Harry Simeone2:52

Personnel

References

  1. ^ America, I Hear You Singing at AllMusic
  2. ^ "A Bing Crosby Discography". A Bing Crosby Discography. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  3. ^ Sinatra, Nancy. "Frank Sinatra, My Father" (1986), p. 364
  4. ^ "Variety". Variety. May 9, 1964.
  5. ^ "Billboard". 30 May 1964.
  6. ^ "Billboard". 11 July 1964.