Oklahoma U.S.A.

Oklahoma U.S.A. is a song written by Ray Davies and performed by British rock band The Kinks on their 1971 LP Muswell Hillbillies.^[1]

Synopsis

The lyrics describe a young woman who leads a monotonous working class life, and imagines in her dreams she is in various Hollywood films, such as Oklahoma! ("But in her dreams she is far away/ In Oklahoma U.S.A./ With Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae").^[2][3] As the song progresses and she goes on with life she continues to dream of Oklahoma and Hollywood ("She walks to work but she's still in a daze/ She's Rita Hayworth or Doris Day/ And Errol Flynn's gonna take her away/ To Oklahoma U.S.A."). The song opens and closes with the lyrics "All life we work, but work is a bore./ If life's for livin', then what's livin' for?"^[2][3]

Instrumentation

The piece differs from the other songs on Muswell Hillbillies in the fact that it features a much quieter sound and overall feel. Mick Avory's drums are absent, and the only instruments used are an acoustic guitar, accordion, and keyboards (piano/organ).

Cover versions

Indie rock group Yo La Tengo covered it on their 1990 album Fakebook.^[4] Country artist Lauren Adams covered it on her album Secret Heart,^[5] and Leigh Harris recorded a version on the album House of Secrets.^[6]

References

General

• Paper by Alex DiBlasi on Muswell Hillbillies
• Chart Positions
• Amazon Listing for Muswell Hillbillies

In-Line Citations