State of Independence

Originally recorded in Paris by Jon and Vangelis for their 1981 album The Friends of Mr Cairo, the lyrics were improvised for the music which was conceived as spiritual and uplifting in a Byzantine style. Anderson described his state of flow: Jon & Vangelis released "State of Independence" as a single in 1981, with "Beside" as the B-side. It was re-released in 1984 and this version peaked at No. 67 on the UK Singles Chart. Anderson recorded a new version of the song for his solo album Change We Must (1994) and a live acoustic version can be found on his Live from La La Land (2007). More recently, Anderson also performed the song live with the AndersonPonty Band. Personnel • Vangelis – keyboards, synthesizers • Jon Anderson – vocals • Dick Morrissey – saxophone == Donna Summer version ==

Original cover version (and reissue) American singer Donna Summer covered "State of Independence" on her tenth studio album Donna Summer (1982). Her version was produced by Quincy Jones. It was released as the second single from the album on 29 September 1982. Summer's version just missed the US top 40, peaking at No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100. It did much better in Europe, including a one-week stay at number one on the Dutch Top 40, making it Summer's second chart-topper in the Netherlands. The single was reissued in Europe in 1990 following the release of the compilation album The Best of Donna Summer. Summer's version is notable for its all-star choir which included Lionel Richie, Dionne Warwick, Michael Jackson, Brenda Russell, Christopher Cross, Dyan Cannon, James Ingram, Kenny Loggins, Peggy Lipton, Patti Austin, Michael McDonald, and Stevie Wonder. 1996 remixes Following the dance chart success of the 1995 remix of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love", PolyGram issued a remixed version of Summer's recording of "State of Independence". The single was released both on 12" vinyl and CD on PolyGram's sub-label Manifesto. It peaked at No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart in 1996, going one place higher than the original release, with the dance mixes peaking at No. 1 on the UK Dance Singles Chart. Charts Weekly charts Year-end charts == Moodswings version ==

In 1992, the duo Moodswings released their album Moodfood, which scored a hit single with their cover version of the song, retitled as "Spiritual High (State of Independence) Pt. II" with vocals by Chrissie Hynde and samples from Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech. The single peaked at No. 47 on the UK Singles Chart. Their version was later played during the closing credits on the soundtrack of Single White Female and it was also included on the Pretenders' Greatest Hits in 2000. ==References==