Calling America -- By ELO

Jeff Lynne -- Leader of ELO
Writer of "Calling America"

One of my favorite rock bands is ELO, or Electric Light Orchestra.

 

I grew up listening to their greatest hits riding to school, and while my mother took my around the South Bay in Southern California.

 

Only recently did I learn about their latest (hopefully not their last) hit "Calling America."

 

This ballad about a lover reaching out to his beloved in the New World cannot be missed.

 

We the People of the United States need to hear this song, and know that even today, the teeming masses of this fallen world are still "Calling America".

 

America is more than a country, more than the New World, but the idea, the Dream made Real of redemption, renewal, of growth and wonderful from the disconnected and unimportant.

 

America is the final destination of all mankind, where God is the final authority, where the truth sets us free, determined not by the might of men, but the right of eternity, where rights are given by Eternal Providence, not temporal favors.

Somebody told her that there was a place like heaven
Across the water on a 747
Yeah, we're living in
In a modern world

We live a in modern world, filled with inventions and innovations, because of America. While European countries sought collective safety and conformity based on tradition and pedigree, and while Ancient China discouraged trade and invention, the United States of America welcome, prospered, and rewarded inventors, artists, creators of all sorts.

Before the founding, individuals felt the pressure to conform. They had to believe whatever the King deemed holy, or face charges of heresy and death. Liberty is one of the holiest of virtues, and for many people, America is as close to heaven on earth as one can find.

And pretty soon she's really got the notion
Of flying out across the big blue ocean
Yeah, we're living in
In a modern world

In America, you can have an idea, and take off with it. You can go anywhere, the sky is the limit. The men who discovered this country were not intimidated by the large bodies of water between continents, but overcame them. A modern world is about seeing the truth, rejecting the traditions, and growing towards the limit, only to surpass it for something better.

Talk is cheap on satellite
But all I get is static information
I'm still here re-dial on automatic

In the United States, the Communication Revolution took off, and never looked back. Without Facebook, there would have been no Arab Spring. Without Twitter, isolated Americans would not have shouted together #MakeDCListen. A free press for free people is a modern reality, one which lay dormant for centuries in the wake of servitude and tyranny. Talk is cheap, but powerful, and even the static can shake up the status quo.

Calling America (can't get a message through)
Calling America (that's what she said to do)
Calling America (that's where she has to be)
Calling America (she left a number for me)
Calling America
Perseverance is a key trait to success, and in America success is prevalent in the midst of challenges, and plenty is available to those willing to get it. Not just about working hard, but not giving up when you fail, determines the difference between winners and losers. In the United States of America, you can fail and try again, and fail again, but still consider yourself a gainer, and ultimately reach success. As American inventor Thomas Edison outlined: "Success is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.

But I'm just talking to a satellite
Twenty thousand miles up in the sky each night
Yeah, we're living in
In a modern world

While many may think that there is too much talk, in America, we need to believe the truth: that we are reaching out to someone. No matter where you are, you will find someone who is listening, and who is willing to learn.

All I had to do was pick up the phone
I'm out in space, trying to talk to someone
Yeah, we're living in
In a modern world

ELO Album Balance of Power
which included "Calling America"

She left a number I could call
But no one's there, no one at all
There must be something going wrong
That number just rings on and on

The latter part of this song suggests that lingering silence of many Americans, who are frustrated with the poor leadership, a federal government which does not listen to We the People. Yet no matter how distant and unresponsive our governments may seem, no matter how alone we may feel, let us never stop calling.

Calling America (can't get a message through)
Calling America (that's what she said to do)
Calling America (that's where she has to be)
Calling America (she left a number for me)
Calling America

Said she'd call when she'd been gone a while
Guess she's missing me across the miles
Yeah, we're living in
In a modern world

Does America the Beautiful seem like a distant memory, a hope deferred which will never return?  In the last verses of the song, the singer knows that his beloved will call back. Instead of "Calling America" referring to us who do make the call, the song is now describing the New World, which calls us.

The Dream of America is a reality which may appear elusive for now, but  we know that even if we give up, the Dream of America will not die, will not go away, and we can know that America will be.


Calling America (can't get a message through)
Calling America (that's what she said to do)
Calling America (that's where she has to be)
Calling America (she left a number for me)
Calling America

While the times are tough, and America's greatness looks waning not waxing, failing and not gaining, we can still see that the world is "Calling America". Today, America is calling once again, to be seen, to be loved, to be revered and recognized greater than before!