"America" is a sardonic attack on the mid-1980s
United States, referencing
Communism, and worrying about nuclear war, a common theme in Prince's lyrics in the 1980s. The song begins with the sound of a
record starting and stopping, as if being cued by a
DJ. This leads into a
guitar solo and a rising synthesized
flute line. The main tune is standard
rock and roll and fades out at 3:40. The
12-inch single extended version is notable for being over 21 minutes long and including various instrumental solos. The song fades just before the audio tape ran out, as Prince and the Revolution had jammed the song out until there was no more room on the tape. The video for this song, a 10-minute live version, was shot on October 27, 1985 during a "One Off" performance in Nice, France at Théâtre de Verdure and shown on
MTV during an entire segment dedicated to the single. This would be the first televised interview that Prince gave since 1980 on
American Bandstand. The segment included a live rendition of "America" and a one-on-one interview with fans surrounding Prince. The
B-side of the track is "Girl", a light pop number that speaks of Prince's lust for a woman. Featuring a minimal drum loop and sparse synthesizer lines, Prince's lust is in such force that he declares, "All I have to do is think about you, and I can have an orgasm," as he invites her to both feel how sweaty his hands have gotten from their meeting, and let him be "the water in your bath". The full-length version from the
12-inch single features
backmasking of
Vanity reciting the lyrics with the word "boy" replacing the word "girl". ==Reception==