Chuck Berry’s Back in The U.S.A. was released in June of 1959, the perfect soundtrack for this particular moment in time, even if most people didn’t buy the single and caught up with it years later on a Greatest Hits album. Berry had just gotten back from touring Australia and was not pleased with what he found there, apparently being unhappy with the aborigines’ living standards, as well as being unable to buy hotdogs. The joy in the first verse is palpable.

Oh well, oh well, I feel so good today,
We just touched ground on an international runway
Jet propelled back home from overseas to the USA

He sings of missing the big American cities, some of which were segregated, including his hometown:

New York, Los Angeles, oh how I yearned for you
Detroit, Chicago, Chattanooga, Baton Rouge
Let alone just to be at my home back in ol’ St-Lou

What gets me is that despite growing up as a poor black kid in St. Louis, and experiencing all sorts of discrimination, Berry still feels this country is the best in the world. Johnnie Johnson may have agreed; his piano solo is certainly on fire.

Did I miss the skyscrapers? Did I miss the long freeway?
From the coast of California to the shores of Delaware Bay
You can bet your life I did, ’til I got back to the USA

The open road, the tall buildings, drive-ins, hamburgers, and rock and roll music; the U.S. had it all.

Looking hard for a drive-in, searching for a corner cafe
Where hamburgers sizzle on an open grill night and day
Yeah, and a jukebox jumping with records like in the USA

Well, I’m so glad I’m livin’ in the USA
Yes, I’m so glad I’m livin’ in the USA
Anything you want, they got it right here in the USA
I’m so glad I’m livin’ in the USA
Yes, I’m so glad I’m livin’ in the USA

Berry idolized the United States not as it was, but as he saw it at its best. The country was at the apex of its power, and that vision of a place with all of the best things for everyone is how I wish it could be. Despite everything, I’m still glad I’m livin’ in the U.S.A. Thanks, Chuck.