An American Trilogy
| "An American Trilogy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Las Vegas, Nevada | ||||
| Genre | Popular, country, Gospel | |||
| Length | 4:34 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Mickey Newbury | |||
| Producer(s) | Felton Jarvis | |||
| Elvis Presley singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"An American Trilogy" is a 1972 song medley arranged by country composer Mickey Newbury and popularized by Elvis Presley, who included it as a showstopper in his concert routines. The medley uses three 19th-century songs:
- "Dixie" — a popular folk song about the southern United States.
- "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" — a marching hymn of the Union Army during the American Civil War;[1]and
- "spirituals and widely used by folk musicrevivalists
First performances
Newbury first recorded "An American Trilogy" for his 1971 album
Presley began singing "An American Trilogy" in concert in January 1972; a live recording made the following month was released as a single by RCA Records. Presley modifies Newbury's sequence by reprising after "All My Trials" both "Dixie" (in the solo flute) and with a bigger ending on "Battle Hymn". He performs the medley in the 1972 concert film Elvis on Tour. Presley's version didn't equal the US chart success of Newbury's single, reaching No. 66 late in 1972 and peaking at No. 31 on the Easy Listening chart. However, it was included in both versions of the widely-seen 1973 satellite telecast Aloha from Hawaii. Presley's recording was more successful in the UK, where it reached No. 8.
Recent versions
In 2002 the medley was covered by
Charts
Mickey Newbury
| Chart (1971–72, 1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] | 30 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 76 |
French Singles Chart
|
53 |
UK Singles Chart
|
42 |
| US Hot Country Singles
|
93 |
| US Billboard Hot 100
|
26 |
| US Billboard Easy Listening
|
9 |
Elvis Presley
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Sweden | 11 |
| UK Singles Chart | 8 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 66 |
| US Billboard Easy Listening | 31 |
| US Cash Box Top 100
|
73 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[4] Elvis Presley version |
Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ISBN 978-080901641-9
- ^ "Mickey Newbury : 50 Years, 50 Genres, 1,500+ Covers" (PDF). Mickeynewbury.com. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "British single certifications – Elvis Presley – An American Trilogy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
Further reading
- Collins, Ace. Songs Sung, Red, White, and Blue: The Stories Behind America's Best-Loved Patriotic Songs. ISBN 0060513047
