« Back to No Excuses main page
Song Info
Gary Richardi: lead vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards
Gary Grantham: backing vocals
Paul Russell: drum programming and mix
Produced by Gary Richardi & Paul Russell
Lyrics and title from a wonderful story idea by Bill Bryan
This song would never have been written had it not been for a story told to me during a weekly raquetball game with a long-time friend, Billy Bryan. Billy is a special effects designer/craftsman in Hollywood. If you've seen DUNE, GHOSTBUSTERS, and many other films I can't think of at the moment, you've seen his work (he built and was inside the Stay Puft man suit in GHOSTBUSTERS). A very talented guy, Billy also writes and is a musician. One evening during a raquetball game he told me his idea for a story called "AmericaLand" (retold here with his permission).
AmericaLand was at one time an amusement park in space, shaped like the USA, and orbiting the Earth. Due to some accident (or foul play) a catastrophe caused the park to break orbit and get lost into deep space (like the old TV series SPACE 1999 which he referenced). After a long time (decades? centuries?) in space, a culture evolved that was based on life in the old amusement park. In AmericaLand people became STARS in a number of ways: doing something very well, like an actor or musician, doing something infamous like murdering someone famous, or by a park lottery. Throughout the park were scattered replicas of the Statue of Liberty but instead of a torch, the statues held an old-style telephone handset. Occasionally, when someone passed one of these inert statues, the phone would ring, the statue would come to life and hand you the phone (even if it had to chase you down to do so) saying ominously, "It's for you!". Immediately, all the marquees would show your name and everyone around would be wearing a button with your name and face on it. You'd just become the next big star.
Now, as everyone knows, stars become....er....unavailable. So after your big party, no one would ever see you again and eventually you'd be strapped to a catapult and blasted into space to be a "star" forever. Seems the culture had evolved to do this to the people who had ideas about returning the park to Earth orbit because going back there would be the real madness!
By the time our game was over, I had the lyrics and melody for first line of the chorus. The rest of the song came quickly after that. Originally, I repeated the first verse but for EC3, I finally write a proper third verse.
Perhaps someday Billy will sell one of the great story ideas he told me during our weekly games (or more likely, afterwards over beers). I'd certainly love to see AmericaLand produced. Plus, I've got a good suggestion for a theme song....
Lyrics
AmericaLand
There's a magic all around tonight
Like a carnival/state fair
You can feel the electricity in the air
All the noise and smells and lights blend
With the faces of the crowd
They are all waiting for the voice that sings out loud:
"It's for you
You're gonna be a star tonight
It's for you
Your name in lights will shine so bright
If you reach out your hand
In AmericaLand"
There's a universe of star out there
If you lift your head to see
And maybe you can join them
Be what you want to be
And the fans will sing your praises
See your pictures everywhere
You'll have immortal fame
You'll never have a care
It's for you
You're gonna be a star tonight
It's for you
Your name in lights will shine so bright
If you reach out your hand
In AmericaLand
Far from the maddening rat race or the life that you have known
You'll find the solitude you crave
And we'll preserve your memories
All you did and all you said
To be enjoyed by all for years after you're dead
Now the future holds so many choices
We have just begun
It's hard to choose a path to make your way
Everybody's looking for their moment in the sun
Where dreams come true and nightmares fade away
It's for you
You're gonna be a star tonight
It's for you
Your name in lights will shine so bright
If you reach out your hand
In AmericaLand .....
If you reach out your hand.......it's AmericaLand
About Gary Richardi