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We Asked For Your Favorite Anthems. You Answered 'America'

Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon perform in 1982 at Paris' Auteuil Hippodrome.
Joel Robine
/
AFP/Getty Images
Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon perform in 1982 at Paris' Auteuil Hippodrome.

This story is part of American Anthem, a yearlong series on songs that rouse, unite, celebrate and call to action. Find more atNPR.org/Anthem.


When NPR launched the American Anthem series this summer, we asked you to send us stories about your personal anthems — the songs that have been the most uplifting in your own experience. One popular and poignant choice was Simon & Garfunkel's "America": Released in 1968, it's a road trip song that's about more than just traveling across the country.

"The song really speaks to me in the sense of a kind of a search, a quest for meaning," said Eugene Lisansky from St. Petersburg, Fla. He's one of a handful of listeners who spoke with Morning Edition about what it means to go looking for America — be it as a hitchhiker, a child of immigrants or simply someone struggling to make sense of the news, from Vietnam and Watergate to the present. Hear his story and others at the audio link.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Elizabeth Blair is a Peabody Award-winning senior producer/reporter on the Arts Desk of NPR News.
Rose Friedman is an Associate Editor for NPR's Arts, Books & Culture desk. She edits radio pieces on a range of subjects, including books, pop culture, fine arts, theater, obituaries and the occasional Harry Potter-check-in. She is also co-creator of NPR's annual Book Concierge and the podcast recommendation site Earbud.fm. In addition, Rose has edited commentaries for the network, as well as regular features like This Week's Must Readon All Things Considered.