American Storm
"American Storm" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band | ||||
from the album Like a Rock | ||||
B-side | "Fortunate Son" | |||
Released | March 1986 | |||
Recorded | 1985–1986 | |||
Genre | Heartland rock, country rock | |||
Length | 4:17 (album version) 4:34 (12" full length version) | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Songwriter(s) | Bob Seger | |||
Producer(s) | Punch Andrews, David N. Cole, Bob Seger | |||
Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band singles chronology | ||||
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"American Storm" is a song written by American singer-songwriter
Background and writing
In 1986, Seger told The New York Times that the song is about cocaine abuse. "I wrote it after reading 'Wired,' Bob Woodward's biography of John Belushi. That was two and a half years ago, when there was a lot of publicity about cocaine abuse in show business. At the time, I thought that it was just a trend that would quickly die out and that the song would be out of date when it came time to record. But the situation has gotten worse. Maybe cocaine isn't quite as fashionable on the East and West Coasts these days, but the plague has spread into the heartland – into the Middle West and the South. The key line in 'American Storm' is 'You never feel the need.' You never feel anything when you're on drugs. You're numb. You're afraid to feel for one reason or another, and that's why you turn to drugs. I want to see people not do that."[2]
"American Storm" is in the
Reception
Maury Dean praised the song effusively, calling it "one of the Top 38 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time."[3] Dean praised Seger's "vocal power" as being comparable to the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Roy Orbison, Paul McCartney and Elvis Presley.[3]
Music video
The music video featured
. The performance section was directed by Jim Yukich.Personnel
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Like a Rock.[6]
- Bob Seger – lead vocals, guitar
The Silver Bullet Band
- Chris Campbell – bass
- Craig Frost – organ
- Alto Reed – baritone saxophone
Additional musicians
- Pete Carr – guitar
- Russ Kunkel – drums
- Bill Payne – piano
Chart performance
Chart (1986) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canadian RPM Top Singles[7] | 26 |
UK Singles Chart | 78 |
US Billboard Hot 100[1] | 13 |
US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks[1]
|
2 |
References
- ^ Allmusic. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
- ^ The Pop Life – Bob Seger's view of life and loving
- ^ ISBN 087586208X.
- ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. March 15, 1986. p. 13. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
- ^ "Reviews". Billboard. March 15, 1986. p. 101. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
- ^ Like a Rock (CD). Bob Seger. Capitol Records. 1986. CDP 7 46195 2.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - April 19, 1986" (PDF).