Still Looking For America by Violet Schumacher

It’s very difficult to be a person who feels things deeply and not feel alone in that intensity, like no one else has ever felt that way before. But no matter how far back you look, the same struggles have always existed. In this age of isolation, one way I remind myself that I am no different from anyone else—that I am not uniquely inventing suffering or loneliness—is by turning to older music.

In 1968, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel released their fourth studio album, Bookends, and on it is the song America. America tells the story of two young lovers traveling across America, hoping to find America. And just like any good song, it has vast grounds for interpretation. It could be a metaphor for how lost Americans felt during the late 60s, a time of severe social change following the peak of the Civil Rights Movement and protests against the Vietnam War. Or, it could have been a way to express the complex relationship between Simon and his then-girlfriend Kathy Chitty, one of Simon's most notable muses, and the road trip they went on together that produced this song. In my personal favorite interpretation, it shows how people crave the idea of intimacy and love that they build in their heads. So much so, they are willing to lose what they already have, even if it is exactly what they wanted, for the chance of something greater and unknown. They are willing to risk “traveling to America”, not knowing they are already there. 

The song opens with the two lovers at the start of their travels. The first hint that they are already in America is the mention of a Ms. Wagner pie in verse one, a dessert discontinued in 1969 but, before then, only found in the States. As we proceed into verse two, Simon starts to give us locations, Pittsburgh and Michigan, making it abundantly clear the immigration narrative he was building was a false pretense. As we move through the end of verse two and the bridge, the beat naturally intensifies; we are reaching the climax of the song and the climax of the relationship. The bridge depicts Kathy and Paul bonding, joking about other people on their Greyhound from Pittsburgh. The pair are clearly in love, with a strong foundation of friendship. It sounds exactly like what most people look for in a relationship: companionship and adventure. From the outside looking in, much like America, it is perfect. When we reach verse three, the beat has returned to its steady rhythm, and they are out of the honeymoon phase. The cigarettes that were mentioned along with the pie in verse one are gone, just like the thrill of the relationship.. They start to push each other away and fall into individual activities. They are out of distractions and crave the feeling of something new again. In the closing verse, Simon is talking to Kathy while she is asleep. He confides in her about the state of their relationship, but it only leads to more miscommunication. He doesn't know why he feels bored with her or why he suddenly wants something more. With the last line, “Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike, they've all come to look for America,” he is relating the song back to the listeners. He is telling us that hundreds of people are building expectations in their heads that can only be matched when something feels new and exciting. That people tend to want connection above all else, yet will sabotage it when it is presented, especially if it does not have the same novelty and perfection as it once did. 

Simon writes this song about common struggles in relationships, and there is no greater example than the relationship between him and his lifelong friend turned collaborator, Art Garfunkel. The pair met in a Queens elementary school in 1953 and quickly shared their passion for music. Together they released five studio albums, with songs climbing charts and cementing their place as one of the most influential folk-rock duos of all time. At their peak, they were battling The Beatles in sales and were a household name. However, by the time their fifth and final album, Bridge Over Troubled Water, was in the works, the pair couldn’t get over their creative differences. Garfunkel began pursuing acting while waiting for Simon to finish writing lyrics. They each felt undervalued in the partnership and resentful of the other, and couldn’t work around it. Simon felt abandoned, and Garfunkel felt useless. The pair officially split in 1970. As America suggests, people often struggle when relationships change, choosing to end them rather than learning how to change alongside them. 

Older adults like to say that our generation is “doomed” and that forming a meaningful connection nowadays is impossible. But people have always been difficult to connect with. People have always run away from what was good in hopes of finding what is great. People have always been dissatisfied. Adding social media – and within that, greater access to public opinion – into the mix has just put what has always been true under a microscope. We are not reinventing the wheel or ruining the human race. Modern intimacy is no different from intimacy 60 years ago; the struggles have just been magnified. We are all still looking for America, unaware that we are standing right on the soil. Everyone can form connections that cannot be severed. Even after their split, Simon and Garfunkel continued to perform together for years, despite the partnership changing. And in 2024, 54 years after the official breakup, Simon and Garfunkel reconciled and are even discussing touring again. Amid the doubt and uncertainty, people still find others to be vulnerable with. Feeling hopeless and alone is inevitable, but it is not permanent. I spent a lot of time relying on music to make me feel less alone, instead of looking for people to connect with. Until I started sharing the music I loved and realized my connection to songs wasn't unique. Some of my most meaningful friendships started with me sending a song, for no reason other than I thought they would feel it in the same way I do. It's instinct to share things with others when they need to hear the message.

People will always have people. I think the kids will be alright.