A registered Communist starts a band called The United States of America and lands a major label record deal before playing a single live gig? Only in the Sixties. After studying with avant-garde legend John Cage in New York City, composer Joseph Byrd moved to Los Angeles in 1967 and decided to form a psychedelic rock band. His first recruit was ex-girlfriend Dorothy Moskowitz, whose icy vocals formed the perfect complement for the trippy sonic experiments Byrd had in mind.
The band recorded only one self-titled album before dissolving, but it was a memorable one."The American Metaphysical Circus" begins the album with a lilting calliope tune upon which Byrd heaps one patriotic marching band tune after another. Just when the whole insane cacaphony is on the verge of collapse, in comes Moskowitz - transmitting from a sinking submarine. "Cloud Song" features delicate plucked bass and an ever-haunting melody. Like an LSD flashback, the final minutes of closing track "The American Way of Love" features snippets of all the preceding songs flowing in and out of consciousness. "The United States of America" sold poorly upon release, thanks to Columbia's near total lack of faith. As Byrd puts it, "There was scant enthusiasm from the executives for a band whose name they hated, whose music they didn't understand, and whose politics they thought treasonous." But over the years, the group has developed a devoted cult following and influenced numerous modern bands, most notably Broadcast.
Despite releasing only one album, The United States of America was among the most revolutionary bands of the late '60s -- grounded equally in psychedelia and the avant-garde, their music eschewed guitars in favor of strings, keyboards and haunting electronics, predating the ambient pop of the modern era by several decades. Leader Joseph Byrd had studied with contemporary classical composers including John Cage (together with Yoko Ono); after the USA's single record he went on to form the equally short-lived Joe Byrd and the Field Hippies.
Where Is Yesterday
The United States of America Lyrics
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Qui tollis peccata mundi
Miserere eis.
Agunus dei
Qui tollis peccata mundi
Donna eis requiem.)
a thousand years ago?
Where is yesterday?
Do you remember what you said and did
a thousand weeks ago?
Where is yesterday?
Yesterday in crannies or in nooks you will not find;
Yesterday in chronicles or books you will not find;
All you see of yesterday is shadows in your mind;
Shadows on the pavement but no bodies do you find.
Do you believe that snows of winters long ago return again?
Where is yesterday?
A voice you knew a thousand years ago you can't remember when?
Where is yesterday?
Here is only waiting for a day that went before
Here is only waiting for an answer at the door;
Here is only living without knowing why for sure.
Here is something gone you cannot find it anymore.
The United States of America's song "Where Is Yesterday" is a poignant inquiry into the elusive nature of time and the impermanence of memory. The lyrics open with a Latin phrase, "Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi Miserere eis", which translates to "Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us". This provides a solemn and reflective tone to the song, which continues to ask a series of questions about the past.
The first stanza poses the question of whether we can remember what we said and did a thousand years ago. The repetition of "Where is yesterday?" emphasizes the idea that the past is not something we can easily access or retrieve. The following stanza questions whether we can even recall events from a thousand weeks ago. The lyrics then turn to the difficulty of recollecting the past, despite its perceived persistence in various forms of ephemera. The past, as represented in crannies, nooks, chronicles, or books, is ultimately intangible, and all that remains are shadows in our minds.
The song ends with a sense of loss and longing for something irretrievable. The singer is waiting for a day that has passed, an answer at the door that is no longer there, and a reason for living that is uncertain. The final lines convey a sense of grief for the loss of something that cannot be found. The song speaks to the human experience of seeking and grappling with the past, while also acknowledging the impossibility of ever truly returning to it.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you remember what you said and did
a thousand years ago?
Where is yesterday?
The United States of America is questioning if anyone can truly remember what they did a thousand years ago and expressing the elusiveness of the concept of 'yesterday'.
Do you remember what you said and did
a thousand weeks ago?
Where is yesterday?
The band is asking if anyone can remember what they did a shorter time ago and further emphasizing the fleeting nature of the past.
Yesterday in crannies or in nooks you will not find;
Yesterday in chronicles or books you will not find;
All you see of yesterday is shadows in your mind;
Shadows on the pavement but no bodies do you find.
The song is stating that physical evidence of the past is hard to come by and that our memories of it are often just distorted impressions.
Do you believe that snows of winters long ago return again?
Where is yesterday?
A voice you knew a thousand years ago you can't remember when?
Where is yesterday?
The United States of America is using rhetorical questions to emphasize that the past cannot be revisited and that memories of it fade over time.
Here is only waiting for a day that went before
Here is only waiting for an answer at the door;
Here is only living without knowing why for sure.
Here is something gone you cannot find it anymore.
The band is describing the present as a time of waiting and uncertainty, with the past having passed beyond our grasp.
Contributed by Aaron T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.