Harry Chapin - What Made America Famous

[bestinthepack]

DJ's...Need to make this one a top ten...NOW!

[stavrosteve]

Still gets me misty eye'd after all these years, you are missed Harry.

[GuitaristInProgress]

Fantastic version. Thanks for posting it.

[MsHappygirl23]

What the hell happened to our country????????? Its sad *sigh* do not give me this and that! We are all one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *peace*

[TravenV]

is anybody there?

[rfwelsh]

How is it possible to click "dislike" for this version?

[bravo723]

@rfwelsh Go figure but 6 dumb ass pieces of Fu@#&ng Sh!* did....

probably Muslims,  Cat Stevens fans maybe

[rfwelsh]

@bravo723 This song is precisely NOT about this type of comment.

[TheColonelsKitchen]

Magic... One voice, one guitar... so powerful.

What happened to you America?

[legend101zelda]

@TheColonelsKitchen The same thing that happened to the rest of the past. It became the past, people continue to look back on it with nostalgia, and claim today, tomorrow and next week as the end of X.

[rfwelsh]

Is there anyway to get this concert on DVD? On Mp3? This acoustic version is far better than his studio recording. Raw and real.

Truly a master.

[carsonsheir]

This has to be one of my fav Harry songs. I am 25 (soon to be 26) and I sadly never got the chance to see him perform. I count that as one of the biggest regrets I have in a music sense. Truely a great man and we shall not see his like again.

[fredlunau]

Rest in peace, you beautiful man.  Thank you from the depths of my heart for all that you have done. A more humble of a shining light than you is hard to find.

[60schildthe]

RIP Harry. The day you died was one of the bleakest days in my life.

[laura1658]

that gave me chills! He' amazing!

[vickic44]

Timeless song - the churches full and the kids all gone to hell. One of my favorite quoate

[magicalgold010]

America, has lost much of its dignity in my eyes, i mean sufffocating religion, abuses creeping upwards, divorce rates burning up, people loving dogs more as compared to other immigrants, insurance companies robbing the poor, a president who's words are intriguing but actions pathetic.Making destrutice arms freely for war, killing 1.5 million iraqis, vietnamis. I for one am upset of what is becomming of the image of america throughout the world. still hopes remains!!

[huang602041]

GREAT SONG!

[huang602041]

I'm so sad after I heard this song.

[huang602041]

I'm sad after I heard this song.

[123rkharris]

GOD he was so HANDSOME!

Doesn't get much prettier than Harry! But I think Harry knew that :)

Even better than his looks, was his beautiful mind......

[seanbon74]

HARRY made america GREAT RIP HARRY WE LOVE YOU

[bierlvr]

On the question of tlelvision apearances, Harry did a week on the Mike Douglas Show, I believe in 1977. I remember watching all of it.

[tweisse]

Harry played at ESU many times... he loved it there.

[Opalwitley]

Please, will someone put DOGTOWN on youtube???

[TheAmaSceneAesthetic]

i am also older and have been bless to see him and meet him in person and everything you heard about himm is so very true what a truely great person and i am a better person because of him

[dsk8er96]

I AM HERE HARRY!!  I Care.

[fredlunau]

The half-dozen Harry Chapin concerts I went to as a student were magical. To

DominicGabriel112's post above - you are so right, my friend, but even I can't put that magic to words. All I can do is listen to his music, get involved in changing the world, and hope someday to become the plumber that Harry sings about.

[kevinshadden]

This song can always bring a tear. Hell, lots of his songs do. What a talent.

[DeanDanforth1]

I saw Harry Chapin in concert in 1977. I met him afterwords and he talked to me and signed an autograph. Later i tought myself guitar. Since then I have written over 1000 songs. I have a special song I have written as a tribute to Harry. I will finely record it and make a music video as a tribute to Harry. He is my musical hero. My Saviour is Jesus Christ. Jesus put the music in my heart and Harry showed me that I can sing. I will forever miss Harry. I hope to see him one day in Heaven.

[DominicGabriel112]

It's a real shame to be young and a fan of Harry Chapin. I'm 21 now so I never got my chance to go see him. I'm a real picky person when it comes to music and I always criticize the so called artists that we have around now for lack of originality and creativity. It goes without saying, without a shadow of a doubt, that this man was, is, and will always be a legend.

RIP Harry.

[maryredmond]

You are so right. I am old enough to have seen Harry and Steve and big John live in concert before you were born. Your appreciation of his music will keep his gift alive.

Mary

[81MJT]

My word, without fail when he sings those last bars my pulse just races and I end up shaking my fist with joy - that is true passion in performance. The record is fantastic too but like someone else said on here, Chapin was one of those guys who was EVEN better live. He's calling us with vigour to make a difference in this world - all of us.

[Cabellero69]

A genuine troubadour, he sung about things that mattered in a way that drove the point home. There is a high degree of honor in being a troubadour, he surely was not doing it merely for the money. "Something's buning somewhere; - does anybody care?

RIP Harry you have been and will continue to be sorely missed.

[75vicenza]

This song is very truly timeless. Man, I miss this guy alot.

[jonesbeach93]

Used to go to Long Point often...touches home for anyone who has ever lived on L.I.

[capttheo1]

No, not a great storyteller. THE storyteller.

[Rastafari6]

I became a NYC Firefighter in 1992 and often thought of this song by Harry. Its good to see the video. Miss u Harry

[3DogsLive]

From the album "Verities and Balderdash", one of my favorites

[harvey28f22]

My wife and I saw Harry perform in Worcester,MA and at the Club Casino at Hampton Beach. A great story teller. None like him since :-(

[vipermopar1]

Absolutely the best!

[maryredmond]

Harry sang this one and several other great ones inckuding Mr. Tanner in Wolfville, Nova Scotia in about 1977. Big John was there and amazing ...

He has been too many years gone ...

Mary

[knoxvilleguy2]

maryredmond:

I know it's a cliche, but when they made him, they tossed the mold away afterwards.

FYI: He inspired Kenny Rogers to have food drives at HIS concerts. I worked at one in '83.

[bionic4ever]

Stunningly beautiful. Thank you so much for posting this!

[MrPatohara]

fantastic song,one of his best

[pickrjm]

AdamSlayr? yepper, well, kinda. Harry was killed. but he'll never die. he was my "teacher" 40 years ago, sounds like he is your "teacher" now. Good. Don't lethim die.

[AdamSlayr]

Is he dead? We learned about him and this song in our literature class and we had to compare this song to the Buffalo Springfield song..."For What It's Worth" really kinda eye opening and sad

[fred10s]

I was fortunate to see Harry 3 times during the 70s. Twice in Scranton and once at Bucknell University. When he performed in Scranton he would not sing bananas so as not to offend the family of the truck driver in the song. He never meant to hurt the family of the driver and he would always sing something different when people requested bananas and just told the audience that he made a promise to the family of the driver. He was always good to his word.

[BroadwayGalGA]

This is the first Harry Chapin song I ever heard WAY back in 1974. They played it on WSB radio in Atlanta. I had no idea who the artist was. But I kept waiting for it to be played so I could record it on cassette. I didn't know who it was until a special friend introduced me to Harry's music a few years later. This remains my very favorite Harry song. I am honored I saw him 3 times in concert. A true genious. I miss him terribly.

[HarryZinn32]

@BroadwayGalGA This song was also my first exposure to Harry Chapin. I heard it on my little transistor radio on KHJ-AM in Los Angeles. It was way before the internet, so I went to the local record store, and looked up the title in those big directories of music organized by album title, artist, and song. Thus began a life-long love affair . . . .

[ed1cat]

I've listened to the studio recording of this song many times but as with his other songs the live performance is so much more moving and convincing. Adding strings and horns took away from Harry's presentation. His record producers should have known this.

[ptkoke]

What a message we could use today. Love you Harry.

[Ilicet]

This is without question my favorite Harry song

[KidValhalla]

I have Verities and Balderdash on LP. I can't find this song on any of the collections. I don't know why. I personally consider it one of his best, precisely because it really tells about America at its best.

[PuffPastryHangman83]

This performance is awesome, he is on fire here. Pardon the pun!

[ONtheROADtoMLG]

No question mark in the title.

[Happy2BNRoundRock]

This song came out shortly before I became a firefighter in 77. When I hear it, it reminds me why I chose my career. It held a lot of meaning to me. I'm glad there are people like Harry, who can write songs to remind us of what life is about.

[pifarrar]

I defy anybody to show me a better song writer than Harry,and what a man to go with it.

[godsfornication]

One of my favorites... it has that definite message involved.

[Animaltrout]

Fan of the Cheap seats!

[annjmurphy]

Great video. I was smitten back in 1975 and when I saw him singing at a concert,outside of Gainesville Fl. I sat directly in front of him and felt like I was in the company of someone holy. I was crushed when he died. It would seem that Obama,another hero of mine shares the same hope that yes we can, create a future better than.... God be with them both.

[hazinn]

I heard this song on KHJ 930AM in LA in the early 70s and my love affair with Harry began.

[Celestino51]

Harry was & is the best songwrighter & poet of modern times...

Will always love you Harry...

Glad to have lived in your times...

[tragnilrats]

i'm back....WOW!

[tragnilrats]

Somethin's allways burnin' somewhere...Cheers to Harry!!!

[tecwolfen]

Awesome musican all of them tis a shame he died such a dreamer, humanitarian my love goes out (lights lighter)

[foundationandempire]

beautiful powerful song, based on a true story( read about in the biography of harry chapin "taxi"). Test of a good song, doesn't need anything but a guitar. Keep on singing harry.

[foundationandempire]

Is that an Ovation guitar?

[KhunJim]

great tune

[papo45]

Classic , , ,

[witros]

ah harry.....in my heart forever...

was anyone lucky enough to see the night that made america famous on broadway way back when?

[Tncat9]

Yes I saw his play! And it was cool. He sat on the edge of the stage near the audience and sang his heart out! I also lived in the same town as he did and he would sing for the elementary school kids and my daughter has found memories of this. Several times he showed up unannounced and surprised the kids.

[hazinn]

I have been on a quest to find a playbill from the show. any ideas?

[Tommy666Slayer]

This was from a PBS Special and it is for sale on Amazon

[jbigblue]

Always loved this song! Let's hope someone's still there and still cares!

[Energyium]

awesome singer

[ninajoy83]

Still looking for Dogtown. Anybody have it????

[jdewbre]

I don't think there's any surviving footage of Chapin performing that live. (If he ever did perform it live.)

[jdawgsworld]

i miss this dude...to few dare sing about real issues anymore...

[bobgee1999]

I'm tempted to say we need Harry today, but nobody would listen anyway. Few of us ever did to begin with.

[peeceb2u]

I've always loved this song! Thanks!

[peeceb2u]

I've always loved this song! Thanks!

[cdzlink]

First time I heard this. Powerful!

[daddiov]

Awesome song and awesome perfomance by a great singer and song writer.

[KnoxvilleDaniel]

Excuse me - I meant last TELEVISED performance. Sorry !!

[KnoxvilleDaniel]

This looks like a PBS performance ( " Soundstage " ), Harry's last ( ? ) performance in 1974. Published by Rhino Records, VHS. Can anyone confirm this ?

[jdewbre]

This is indeed that same PBS Soundstage performance - not sure if Rhino released it on VHS, but this is from the (now out of print) DVD produced by some company I've never heard of. It's also known as "The Book Of Chapin". I'm not an expert on Harry's television appearances, but since he lived for about six or seven more years after this, I'm fairly certain that he must have done other stuff on TV. On the Tonight Show, perhaps?

[lsachs07]

@jdewbre He did a bunch of TV stuff. Being that I am from the NY, NJ metropolitan area. It was pretty common to see him on local TV either just dropping buy to play his guitar or promoting something or working for W.H.Y. He also did a bunch of tonight shows. If I am note mistaken he was also the kids show Wonderama a time or two.

[kitosdad]

The darkened stage is suddenly bathed in light from a single spot, to reveal a man sat on a stool. Dressed in an old sweater with rolled up sleeves and worn jeans and scuffed shoes. He raises a beat-up guitar, and the magic unfolds.

Harry is here to lift our spirits and open our hearts. The music and words pour from him, and we share his dream of peace and harmony throughout the world. An end to starvation and oppression and greed. Surely, he was the greatest wordsmith of our generation.

[bonzelite]

he went for it; no holding back. genius work.

[Ghouma]

Im loving this, added to favorites!

[jonesbeach93]

The Greatest Song ever...Yes Point Lookout. Too bad not enough people have ever heard or seen this place.

[Celestino51]

one of the best songwrighters ever...

Harry will always live in my heart...

Thanx for posting...

[mpdtd24]

Holy cow. He is timeless.

[jonesbeach93]

Point Lookout...I love this song...

Long Island Lost..

MJ

[maryredmond]

Loved Harry. Saw/heard him in Nova Scotia almost 30 years ago. Wouldn't we all want to recapture what made America famous?

Mary

[Eddie629]

Friggin' Fantastic !!!!Love Harry Chapin !!..thanks so much for this !!!Wow!!

[glassmoon44]

this was amazing...i've heard the studio recorded version probably over a hundred times and this video still gave me chills.

[wee1man111]

thanks dehart dude ill be looking for ir again, and im a kiwi and i think harrys been the only muscician to truly give me that old lump in the throat, A great loss to the world rip harry dude , youll be lost world wide...

[RobGoth100]

This was from a Broadway musical he wrote in 1975.

[wee1man111]

we got three records that came to new zealand , they were Greatest stories live, verities and balderdash, and one other i had a copy and it got broken in a shift. it had sniper on it, Any ideas??????

[DeHart1414]

gold medal collection

[judy21549]

a great story teller and the kind of man this county needs.what a loss

[Surathan]

Sigh, Hard to find good Chapin...

What a wonderful song

[spookything]

Does anyone know, what is he singing about ? The meening of this song, the history behind it. Thanks

[ussaribb39]

It was written about a fire in Point Lookout, Long Island which burned under mysterious circumstances. The property on fire was home to a poor African-American family and it was believed that the Fire Department intentionally delayed their response because of the racial tensions in the area. Those accusations were never proved.

[K3adin]

There's a line at the end of this song where he says "you are there!" This is a clip from a PBS show from the mid 70's. The entire show was great.

[snakesmybuddy]

By the way he made america famous. :)

[snakesmybuddy]

Im only 17 and love all his songs. I grew up listing to my dad play his songs. Its hard to put into words how great a man he was....a true Humanitarian. Love you harry!

[emccarty0523]

I never needed psychology classes to learn what I know about human nature. I learned all I needed to learn from Harry Chapin songs. God bless him and God bless his family.

[imjones007]

I saw Harry several times in the Glasgow Apollo in the 70's 3 - 4 sets and one of the few people who can make me cry like a baby, what a waste, what else would he have wrote and achieved, thanks Harry for some wonderful memories rest in peace.

[lilbabykat82]

you need to post "dirt gets under the fingernails" or "the rock" :)

[lilbabykat82]

I grew up listening to Harry Chapin with my dad, thanks!!!

[jasoncolannino]

I never got into Dylan because i discovered Harry Chapin first.

[musiciansunite]

I can't believe you posted this too. Man you are amazing for posting this. Thank you for maing my day!

[jeffpoet]

Harry Chapin,Jim Croce, They don't make um like that anymore and it's a shame.

[GozerJr]

There never was another Harry Chapin and there never will be again!

[Sonovox01]

Agreed. He was an angel.