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"Living in America"
Single by James Brown
from the album Rocky IV and Gravity
B-side	"Farewell" by Vince DiCola
Released	1985
Genre	R&B/Pop
Length	5:56 (full version), 4:41 (single version)
Label	Scotti Bros.
Writer(s)	Dan Hartman, Charlie Midnight
Producer	Terry Jackson

"Living in America" is a 1985 song performed by James Brown. It was prominently featured in the film Rocky IV. In the film, Brown sings the song before Apollo Creed enters the boxing ring, in reference to the character's patriotism.

"Living in America" was released as a single in 1985 and reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also became a top five hit for Brown in the United Kingdom, peaking at number five on the UK Singles Chart; this was his only top 10 single in the UK. It appeared on the Rocky IV soundtrack album. The full version of the song (nearly six minutes long) was also included on Brown's 1986 album, Gravity, and on various compilations throughout the 1990s.

In 1986, "Living in America" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song, and James Brown won a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. The vocal version by writer Dan Hartman is included on his Greatest Hits album "Keep The Fire Burnin'".

Parody

"Weird Al" Yankovic parodied "Living in America" on his 1986 album Polka Party! in a song entitled "Living with a Hernia", describing various kinds of hernias where Brown originally listed several American cities.

Paul Shanklin also parodied "Living in America" on his 1999 album "Bill Clinton: The Comeback Kid Tour" in a song entitled "Sneaking in America", as a reference to illegal immigration to America.

The song was also parodied in TV advertisements for the TV series Daisy Does America, substituting the show's title for the song's.

Other appearances

• WWE's Lilian Garcia sang "Living in America" at the 75th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade while on the WWE's (at the time WWF) parade float.
• It was also featured in an episode of The Simpsons aired in February 6, 2000, titled "Saddlesore Galactica", in which the elementary school band play the song at a state fair.
• The song was used as the opening sequence to the 1st hour of The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly.
• The song was used on Soccer AM when the fans of the weeks attempt to score into the "O" of the hollywood sign during season 07/08.
• It is the theme song for Sports Radio WEEI's afternoon drive-time show, The Big Show.
• On an episode of the hit American sitcom Amen, Deacon Ernest Frye (Sherman Hemsley) and other cast members performed their own version of "Living in America".
• TNA Wrestler Consequences Creed often uses the song during his entrance in house shows.
• An altered version of this song was the theme song for the T.V. series Daisy Does America.
• Heard in an episode of Everybody Hates Chris, in a Rocky parody.
• An edited version of this song is used as the opening theme for the Charlotte-based sports talk radio show, "Primetime with the Packman", hosted by Mark Packer.

External links

• Review at Allmusic