Steve Miller Band "Living in the U.S.A"
Printed From: Top 40 Music on CD
Category: Top 40 Music On Compact Disc
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Printed Date: 03 May 2025 at 12:33am
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Topic: Steve Miller Band "Living in the U.S.A"
Posted By: Bill Cahill
Subject: Steve Miller Band "Living in the U.S.A"
Date Posted: 05 September 2010 at 3:44pm
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I just discovered a radio edit version, which looks to have only been issued in 1968 (the first time this song was released as a single)
It's a Capitol target label, both sides mono, the short side says (Short Version) and is labeled PRO-4704, the long side is labeled (Long version) and is labeled PRO-4705. The printed label time is correct is both on both sides, the short side is 3:10, the long side 4:03. The short version makes a couple of edits on the intro to make it only 26 seconds before you get to the Doo De Doo Doo Doo Doo part.. takes a full minute on the 4:03 side to get to that point. |
Replies:
Posted By: Hykker
Date Posted: 05 September 2010 at 5:45pm
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According to Whitburn, this song charted in November, 1968...at that time Capitol promo singles were still using the yellowish-green label with the target label not coming along until March/April of 1969.
I wonder if your copy is some sort of later reservice like my copy of "Games People Play". |
Posted By: Bill Cahill
Date Posted: 06 September 2010 at 6:17am
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It may indeed have been a re-issue promo from early 1969 to radio. Later in 1969 the "Fancy" by Bobby Gentry promo numbers were Pro-4865 and Pro-4868. So Pro-4704 would have been from earlier in the year or even late 1968.
Also, like the "Games People Play" target label promo covered in the other string, my "Living in the U.S.A" target promo has the oval Capitol logo on it which Hykker reports didn't last long (Fancy has the later logo) Unless at some pressing plants Capitol ran out of yellow promo labels and swtiched to the Target logo early. |
Posted By: jimct
Date Posted: 14 July 2013 at 11:11am
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Bill, I have just acquired a 1974 promo copy of this song. Since I see Pat
already has notes on this song in the db, that don't jive with mine, for clarity, I just decided to look a bit deeper into this song's 45 release history. During its brief, #94 peaking, late 1968 chart run, Discogs has a label scan of a yellowish-green promo copy. "Living In The U.S.A." is only on one side, with a listed time of (4:03). 45cat has a label scan of the copy you have reported on. (Short Version) listed (3:10), (Long Version) listed (4:03). I am somewhat familiar with the Capitol "PRO-####" series. They seemed to historically utilize it, even going back to the 50's for certain 45, EP & LPs which were "non-standard" in some way, without disrupting the label's usual 45/LP numbering sequence. Based on that 4705 #, I have every reason to believe that it was a legitimate, 2nd Capitol promo 45, issued during its original late '68 run, and not a later 45 issue of it. Although your copy doesn't have a (2287) in parens (its 1968 45 stock 45 #), to me it seems like Capitol, for whatever reason, began using the "PRO" numbering series *far* more frequently, on its promo 45s, during 1969 and 1970. Most of these, in additional to the unique "PRO" #, also included the official 45 release # in parens. Now, to tie all of this info back into Pat's db. Pat, I am now of the opinion that your existing (3:10) db notations for "Living In The U.S.A." are actually reflective of an earlier, non-hit (for your purposes) run. The 1968 chart run. "Living In The U.S.A." only appears in your db because of its 1974 chart run, as a re-issue. Capitol chose it as a second follow-up single to "The Joker" (after "Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash".) As Capitol 3884. To me, the details from *this* 45 should be the only ones listed in your db. Therefore, here are all of my stock/promo 45 particulars: -Steve Miller Band--"Living In The U.S.A." (Capitol 3884) (stock copy) (deadwax info: "S45 - 70165 - F2 #2"). Listed time (4:03); actual time (4:02). -Steve Miller Band--"Living In The U.S.A." (Capitol P-3884) (PRO-6887) (promo copy) (mono) (deadwax info: "PRO-6887-F-1") (listed & actual time 3:22). -Steve Miller Band--"Living In The U.S.A." (Capitol P-3884) (PRO-6888) (promo copy) (stereo) (deadwax info: "SPRO-6888-F-1") (listed & actual time 3:22). Pat, it is certainly possible that Capitol also released a full-length, (4:03) promo 45 copy in 1974. But I do not own one. The promo 45 with the (3:22) DJ 45 short version, on both sides, is all I own. |
Posted By: Pat Downey
Date Posted: 15 July 2013 at 10:18am
| Upon further review as they say in the NFL I have determined that Living In The USA was not a consensus top 40 hit so I have deleted it from the database. |
Posted By: jimct
Date Posted: 15 July 2013 at 3:21pm
| After all that work? Now you tell me that???? :) |
Posted By: eriejwg
Date Posted: 08 July 2015 at 1:50pm
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Even though it wasn't a Top 40 hit, can someone detail
the edits needed to create the "short" version? |
Posted By: eriejwg
Date Posted: 09 July 2015 at 2:40pm
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For those of you interested in the short version of
this non-Top 40 song, John, (Yah Shure), was kind enough to send me a dub of his 1974 promo 45. My source file was the Best of 1968-1973. There's one edit on the intro and an early fade. Keep 00.00-16.593 Remove 16.593-44.00 Keep 44.00 to the end, and then fade from 3:16.437 to 3:25.166 (just before the track announcer. Fade ends on the word "hey." I had to pitch up my file 1.3% for a run time of 3:22.03. |
Posted By: Hykker
Date Posted: 09 July 2015 at 5:23pm
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Does anyone else find it odd that Capitol would use a 5+ year
old song as a follow up to a #1 hit? I wonder what the reasoning was for that. |
Posted By: Bill Cahill
Date Posted: 10 July 2015 at 4:54am
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"Your Cash Ain't Nothing But Trash" failed as a follow
up single, and somebody at Capitol determined that there was no other suitable third single release from "The Joker". Steve didn't have another album coming, so to spur sales from 1972's "Anthology" they released "Living in the USA", which was a staple on the growing album rock radio format. That's why the single says "from the album Anthology" not "Sailor". |
Posted By: KentT
Date Posted: 23 July 2015 at 7:48am
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Hykker,
This track was re-released as a single to promote the new LP at the time, "Anthology" which covered the Steve Miller Band's earlier work. And also, this track was getting heavy FM airplay at the time. ------------- I turn up the good and turn down the bad! |
Posted By: Yah Shure
Date Posted: 01 September 2015 at 8:38am
To clarify: as Bill had already stated in the post directly above yours, Anthology was already a year and a half old when the decision was made to pull "Living In The U.S.A." as a single from that older LP, since the more-recent The Joker album lacked any further singles potential in Capitol's eyes. Bill had also already mentioned in that same post that the song had become an FM staple by then. |
KentT wrote:Posted By: aaronk
Date Posted: 01 September 2015 at 11:47am
And just to re-clarify: As Bill, KentT, and Yah Shure have already stated, "Living In The USA" was chosen as the next single, even though it had already been released in 1968. Apparently, their most recent LP The Joker did not have a suitable third single. I'm sure others have also already stated this, but "Living In The USA" had been getting heavy FM airplay by 1974, so it was an obvious choice for the next single. OK, that will be my only smart a$$ comment today. I think. ------------- Aaron Kannowski http://www.uptownsound.com" rel="nofollow - Uptown Sound http://www.919thepeak.com" rel="nofollow - 91.9 The Peak - Classic Hip Hop |