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

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

Song Titles That Inspired Movies

Song Titles That Inspired MoviesSong Writing

Famous songs that lent their titles - and in some cases storylines - to movies.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Superman in Song

Superman in SongSong Writing

Not everyone can be a superhero, but that hasn't stopped generations of musicians from trying to be Superman.

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.