Editing Song for America

{{for|the title track of this album|Song for America (song)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Song for America
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[Kansas (band)|Kansas]]
| cover      = Kansas - Song for America.jpg
| alt        =
| caption    = Cover painting by [[Peter Lloyd (illustrator)|Peter Lloyd]]
| released   = February 1975
| recorded   = December 1974
| venue      =
| studio     = [[Wally Heider Studios#Background|Wally Heider's Studio 3]] (Hollywood)
| genre      = {{hlist|[[Progressive rock]]|[[hard rock]]}}
| length     = 45:08
| label      = [[Kirshner Records|Kirshner]] <small>(US)</small><br /> [[Epic Records|Epic]] <small>(rest of the world)</small>
| producer   = [[Jeff Glixman]], [[Wally Gold]]
| prev_title = [[Kansas (Kansas album)|Kansas]]
| prev_year  = 1974
| next_title = [[Masque (Kansas album)|Masque]]
| next_year  = 1975 
| misc       = {{Singles
 | name        = Song for America
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[Song for America (song)|Song for America]]
 | single1date = April 1975 <ref>{{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Kansas&titel=Song+For+America&cat=s|title=Kansas singles}}</ref>
}}
}}

'''''Song for America''''' is the second studio [[album]] by [[United States|American]] [[progressive rock]] band [[Kansas (band)|Kansas]], released in 1975. The album was reissued in remastered format on CD in 2004. The 10-minute title track was edited down to three minutes for release as a single. The 45 R.P.M. edit resurfaced 29 years later as a bonus track on the remastered release, which provided improved sound as well as expanded liner notes, rare photos, and a live version of "Down the Road".

== Reception ==
{{Music ratings
|rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
|rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="allmusic">{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r10740/review|first=Mark W.B.|last=Allender}}</ref>
|rev2 = ''[[MusicHound|MusicHound Rock]]''
|rev2Score = 3/5<ref name=musichound>{{cite book |last1=Graff |first1=Gary |author-link=Gary Graff |url=https://archive.org/details/musichoundrockes0000unse |title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide|location=Canton, Michigan |publisher=[[Visible Ink Press]] |year=1996 |isbn=978-0787610371 |page=377|accessdate=October 27, 2021 |url-access=registration}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev3score = {{Rating|1|5}}<ref name="Cross">{{cite book|last=Cross|first=Charles R.|author-link=Charles R. Cross|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|title=[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide|The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]]|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|chapter=Kansas|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/446 446]}}</ref>
|rev4 = Sea of Tranquility
|rev4score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="SeaofTranquility">{{cite web |first=Steve|last=Pettengill|url=http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=1553 |title=Sea of Tranquility review |accessdate=June 20, 2017}}</ref>
}}

[[AllMusic]], in a retrospective review, praised the "intense energy" of the album's shorter songs, but contended that the longer songs require too much active listening to appreciate. They concluded that the album is "a good (if not adolescent) recording for a group of this genre."<ref name="allmusic"/> Conversely, [[Gary Graff]] described the title track as "one of prog-rock's sonic gems," recommending the album to "Those interested in Kansas at its most bombastic."<ref name=musichound/>

Steve Pettengill, writing for Sea of Tranquility webzine, describes the album as "full tilt symphonic rock with none of the stadium rock numbers that would pop up on later albums. Comprising four lengthy intricate pieces and two very American style romps, Kansas' second album very admirably showcases the band's trademark duality as proggers and rockers."<ref name="SeaofTranquility"/>

Ranking on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' album chart]] with a peak of #57, ''Song for America'' would in the months subsequent to its February 1975 release sell approximately 250,000 units.<ref>''Fort Lauderdale News'' 18 November 1979 "Cosmic Kansas Still Close to the Corn" by Jon Pareles p.15-G</ref>  Like all three of Kansas' first three album releases, ''Song for America'' attracted new commercial interest due to the platinum success of the band's fourth and fifth studio albums: ''[[Leftoverture]]'' (1976) and ''[[Point of Know Return]]'' (1977). Reported as having sold between 300,000 and 400,000 units in January 1978,<ref>''Cashbox'' 14 January 1978  "Success of Kansas Traced to Constant Touring, FM Airplay" by Mark Mehler p.12</ref> ''Song for America'' would be [[RIAA|certified Gold]] for sales of 500,000 units in June 1980.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=KANSAS&ti=SONG+FOR+AMERICA|title=Gold & Platinum|website=[[Recording Industry Association of America]]}}</ref>

== Track listing ==
{{Track listing
| headline = Side one
| title1 = Down the Road
| writer1 = [[Steve Walsh (musician)|Steve Walsh]], [[Kerry Livgren]] 
| length1 = 3:43
| title2 = [[Song for America (song)|Song for America]]
| writer2 = Livgren
| length2 = 10:03
| title3 = Lamplight Symphony
| writer3 = Livgren
| length3 = 8:17
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side two
| title4 = Lonely Street
| writer4 = Walsh, [[Dave Hope]], [[Rich Williams]], [[Phil Ehart]]
| length4 = 5:43
| title5 = The Devil Game
| writer5 = Walsh, Hope
| length5 = 5:04
| title6 = Incomudro - Hymn to the Atman
| writer6 = Livgren
| length6 = 12:11
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Bonus tracks on 2004 CD reissue
| title7 = Song for America
| note7  = [[Radio edit|Single edit]]
| length7 = 3:02
| title8 = Down the Road
| note8  = Live at the [[Agora Theatre and Ballroom|Agora Ballroom]], Cleveland, Ohio, 1975
| length8 = 3:53
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Bonus tracks on Japan Blu-spec 2011 CD reissue
| title9 = Incomudro - Hymn to the Atman
| note9  = Live 
| length9 = 16:10
}}

== Personnel ==
;Kansas
* [[Steve Walsh (musician)|Steve Walsh]] – [[Electronic organ|organ]], [[ARP Instruments|ARP]] and [[Moog synthesizer]]s, [[Lead vocalist|lead vocals]] (except on "Down the Road"), [[Backing vocalist|backing vocals]] on "Down the Road" and "Lonely Street", [[piano]] on "Down the Road"
* [[Kerry Livgren]] – [[Electric guitar|electric]] and [[rhythm guitar]]s (except on "Song for America" and "Lamplight Symphony"), Moog and ARP synthesizers, [[ARP String Ensemble|ARP strings]], piano (except on "Down the Road")
* [[Robby Steinhardt]] – [[violin]], backing vocals, lead vocals on "Down the Road"
* [[Rich Williams]] – electric, [[Acoustic guitar|acoustic]], and rhythm guitars
* [[Dave Hope]] – [[bass guitar]]
* [[Phil Ehart]] – [[Drum kit|drums]], [[glockenspiel]] on "Song for America", Moog drum and [[gong]] on "Incomudro - Hymn to the Atman"

;Production
*[[Jeff Glixman]] – [[Record producer|producer]], remastered edition producer
*[[Wally Gold]] – producer
*Peter Granet – [[Audio engineer|engineer]]
* Tom Rabstenek – [[Audio mastering|mastering]]
*Ed Lee – art direction
*[[Peter Lloyd (illustrator)|Peter Lloyd]] – cover painting
*Jeff Magid – remastered edition producer

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1975)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|Billboard200|57|artist=Kansas|rowheader=true|accessdate=May 4, 2021}}
|}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Kansas|title= Song for America|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=1975|certyear=1980}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{kansasband}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Kansas (band) albums]]
[[Category:1975 albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Jeff Glixman]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at Wally Heider Studios]]
[[Category:Epic Records albums]]