All the Way from America

Album: Me Myself I (1980)
Charted: 54
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Most of Joan Armatrading's songs are not personal, but this one is an exception. "That song was somebody who was in America who was trying to persuade me to go out with them and would call all the way from America when I got back to the UK," she said in a Songfacts interview.

    This explanation is as much as she's willing to divulge about the song, since she is an intensely private person.
  • Released in the UK as the second single from her Me Myself I album (following the title track, "All the Way from America" stands up as one of Armatrading's most enduring songs, and one that she consistently performs at her live shows.
  • Calling "all the way from America" to the UK might not seem like a big deal today, but in 1980 a call of this nature was very expensive - depending on the time of day, a 20-minute conversation could easily run $100, and the quality of the connection was iffy. Unless you were rich, you were very careful when calling overseas, keeping an eye on the clock for fear of the phone bill.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Mark Arm of Mudhoney

Mark Arm of MudhoneySongwriter Interviews

When he was asked to write a song for the Singles soundtrack, Mark thought the Seattle grunge scene was already overblown, so that's what he wrote about.

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"Songwriter Interviews

Ian talks about his 3 or 4 blatant attempts to write a pop song, and also the ones he most connected with, including "Locomotive Breath."

Michael Sweet of Stryper

Michael Sweet of StryperSongwriter Interviews

Find out how God and glam metal go together from the Stryper frontman.

Kim Thayil of Soundgarden

Kim Thayil of SoundgardenSongwriter Interviews

Their frontman (Chris Cornell) started out as their drummer, so Soundgarden takes a linear approach when it comes to songwriting. Kim explains how they do it.

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie Combination

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie CombinationSong Writing

In 1986, a Stephen King novella was made into a movie, with a classic song serving as title, soundtrack and tone.

Is That Song Public Domain?

Is That Song Public Domain?Fact or Fiction

Are classic songs like "Over The Rainbow" and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in the public domain?