"State of Independence"
1984 reissue cover
Single by Jon & Vangelis
from the album The Friends of Mr Cairo
B-side"Beside"
ReleasedJuly 1981 (1981-07)[1]
Recorded1981
GenreElectronic, pop
LabelPolydor
Composer(s)Vangelis
Lyricist(s)Jon Anderson
Producer(s)Vangelis

"State of Independence" is a song written by Jon Anderson and Vangelis.

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

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)

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]

Jon 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

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"
Released1982 (1982)
Recorded1982
GenrePost-disco
Length5:50
Label
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. 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.[3]


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

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.[16] 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. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 865. ISBN 9780862415419.
  2. ^ "The Official Charts Company - Jon And Vangelis - State Of Independence". Retrieved March 16, 2009.
  3. ^ "State of Independence by Donna Summer". Songfacts. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  4. ^ Radio Luxembourg Singles, 11 November 1982
  5. ^ "dutchcharts.nl - Donna Summer - State Of Independence". Retrieved March 17, 2009.
  6. ^ "irishcharts.ie search results". Retrieved March 17, 2009.
  7. ^ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  8. ^ "The Official Charts Company - Donna Summer - State Of Independence". Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "allmusic - Donna Summer > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Retrieved March 17, 2009.
  10. ^ "dutchcharts.nl - Donna Summer - State Of Independence (New Bass Mix)". Retrieved March 18, 2009.
  11. ^ "The Official Charts Company - Donna Summer - State Of Independence 1990". Retrieved March 18, 2009.
  12. ^ "The Official Charts Company - Donna Summer - State Of Independence 1996". Retrieved March 18, 2009.
  13. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1982".
  14. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1982" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  15. ^ "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.
  16. ^ "The Official Charts Company - Moodswings Featuring Chrissie Hynde - Spiritual High". Retrieved March 18, 2009.
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