State of Independence

This article is about the Jon & Vangelis song. For the Pennsylvania motto, see Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. For the Homeland episode, see State of Independence (Homeland).

"State of Independence"
1984 reissue cover
Single by Jon & Vangelis
from the album The Friends of Mr Cairo
B-side	"Beside"
Released	31 July 1981 [1]
Recorded	1981
Genre	Electronic, pop
Label	Polydor
Composer(s)	Vangelis
Lyricist(s)	Jon Anderson
Producer(s)	Vangelis
Music video
"State Of Independence" on YouTube

"State of Independence" is a song written by Jon Anderson and Vangelis. The track was released as a single but did not chart. It subsequently became better known when Donna Summer released a cover version a year later in 1982. That became a top 20 UK hit single (and repeated the same feat 14 years later when issued as a remixed version in 1996) and a number one hit in the Netherlands. In 1992, a third version of the song — retitled "Spiritual High (State of Independence)" — was recorded and released as a single by Moodswings, with vocals by the Pretenders lead singer Chrissie Hynde.

Original Jon and Vangelis version (and subsequent Anderson re-recordings)

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:

The rhythm started and I began clapping my hands and I got into this really "up" sort of feeling ... I was singing all different kinds of things, which kept coming and hitting me, singing strange ideas that I wouldn't have even thought of. ... that went on for maybe 20 minutes. ... It was a joyful experience ... it's called the 'State of Independence' because to be independent is to be totally free and to be totally immersed in something around you and that's really what the song became.

— Jon Anderson, Vangelis: The Unknown Man (1994), page 59

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. ^[2] 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

"State of Independence"
1982 worldwide picture sleeve
Single by Donna Summer
from the album Donna Summer
B-side	"Love Is Just a Breath Away"
Released	1982 (1982)
Recorded	1982
Genre	Post-disco
Length	5:50
Label	Geffen (U.S.) Warner Bros. (Europe)
Composer(s)	Vangelis
Lyricist(s)	Jon Anderson
Producer(s)	Quincy Jones
Donna Summer singles chronology
"Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)" (1982) "State of Independence" (1982) "I Feel Love (Patrick Cowley Remix)" (1982)
Music video
"State Of Independence" on YouTube

Original cover version (and reissue)

Donna Summer covered "State of Independence" on her 1982 album Donna Summer produced by Quincy Jones. It was released as the follow-up to her hit single "Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)" in 1982. This version just missed the U.S. top 40, peaking at No. 41. ^[3] 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. ^[4]

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, released both on 12" vinyl and CD on PolyGram's sub-label Manifesto, included mixes by Phil Ramocon, Sold Out, DJ Dero, Ralph Falcon & Oscar G, and Jules & Skins. 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. The Martin Luther King Jr. sample introduced by Eddie Gordon into the track was to emphasize the full independent meaning of the song as he understood it.^{[ citation needed ]}

Charts

Weekly charts 1982 weekly chart performance for "State of Independence" Chart (1982) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report) [5] 19 Luxembourg (Radio Luxembourg) [6] 8 Ireland (IRMA) [7] 10 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [8] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [9] 3 Spain Radio (Los 40) [10] 26 UK Singles (OCC) [11] 14 US Billboard Hot 100 [12] 41 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ( Billboard ) [13] 31 Chart (1990) Peak position Netherlands (Single Top 100) [9] New Bass Mix 69 UK Singles (OCC) [14] 45 Chart (1996) Peak position UK Singles (OCC) [15] 13 Chart (2012) Peak position UK Singles (OCC) 143

Year-end charts Chart (1982) Rank Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [16] 38 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [17] 31 Chart (1996) Rank UK Club Chart (Music Week) [18] 46

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. ^[19] 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

1. "Music Week" (PDF). p. 28.
2. "The Official Charts Company - Jon And Vangelis - State Of Independence". Official Charts . Retrieved March 16, 2009.
3. Melchior, Al (27 September 2024). "The Story Behind Donna Summer’s Cover of “State of Independence” and Its Impressive Legacy". American Songwriter . Retrieved 11 October 2024.
4. "State of Independence by Donna Summer". Songfacts . Retrieved June 30, 2019.
5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 243. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
6. Radio Luxembourg Singles, 11 November 1982
7. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – State of Independence". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
8. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 44, 1982" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
9. "Donna Summer – State of Independence" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
10. Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
11. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
12. "Donna Summer Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
13. "Donna Summer Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
14. "The Official Charts Company - Donna Summer - State Of Independence 1990". Official Charts . Retrieved March 18, 2009.
15. "The Official Charts Company - Donna Summer - State Of Independence 1996". Official Charts . Retrieved March 18, 2009.
16. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1982".
17. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1982" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
18. "The RM Club Chart of the Year 96" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). January 11, 1997. p. 8. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
19. "The Official Charts Company - Moodswings Featuring Chrissie Hynde - Spiritual High". Official Charts . Retrieved March 18, 2009.