{"id":7508,"date":"2026-01-28T21:36:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T02:36:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baselines.com\/?p=7508"},"modified":"2026-02-02T14:14:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T19:14:51","slug":"new-video-for-american-tune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baselines.com\/?p=7508","title":{"rendered":"New video for American Tune"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Here&#8217;s a video to accompany my cover of Paul Simon&#8217;s song. There is an intro hymn &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/O_Sacred_Head,_Now_Wounded\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">O Sacred Head, Now Wounded<\/a>&#8221; piece that inspired the song.  See the bottom of this writeup for intro on the Hymm,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1Y5CM3Hsl-E?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;<strong>American Tune<\/strong>&#8221; is a song by the American singer-songwriter&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Paul_Simon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Paul Simon<\/a>. It was the third&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Single_(music)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">single<\/a>&nbsp;from his third studio album,&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/There_Goes_Rhymin%27_Simon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">There Goes Rhymin&#8217; Simon<\/a><\/em>&nbsp;(1973), released on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Columbia_Records\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Columbia Records<\/a>. The song, a meditation on the American experience, is based on the melody of the hymn &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/O_Sacred_Head,_Now_Wounded\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">O Sacred Head, Now Wounded<\/a>&#8221; and bears a striking resemblance to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/J._S._Bach\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">J. S. Bach<\/a>\u2019s \u201cErkenne mich, mein H\u00fcter\u201c. The song reached number 35 on the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Billboard_Hot_100\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Billboard<\/em>&nbsp;Hot 100<\/a>.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune#cite_note-Whitburn-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[2]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Lyrics\">Lyrics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In an interview with&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tom_Moon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tom Moon<\/a>&nbsp;in 2011, Paul Simon was asked about political references in his songs, and he said: &#8220;I don\u2019t write overtly political songs, although &#8216;American Tune&#8217; comes pretty close, as it was written just after&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nixon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nixon<\/a>&nbsp;was elected.&#8221;<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune#cite_note-paul_Paul-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[3]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Reception\">Reception<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Billboard_(magazine)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Billboard<\/a><\/em>&nbsp;described it as a &#8220;discourse on inner security while being far from home&#8221;.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune#cite_note-bb-4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[4]<\/a><\/sup>&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cash_Box\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cash Box<\/a><\/em>&nbsp;called it a &#8220;gorgeous, haunting, highly lyrical track&#8221; and said that the &#8220;soft vocal performance is heightened by sweet string section.&#8221;<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune#cite_note-5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[5]<\/a><\/sup>&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Record_World\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Record World<\/a><\/em>&nbsp;said that it &#8220;should touch the hearts and ears of many Americans&#8221; with a &#8220;beautiful melody wrapped around meaningful lyrics.&#8221;<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune#cite_note-rw-6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[6]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is ranked number 262 on&nbsp;<em>Rolling Stone&#8217;<\/em>s list of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_500_Greatest_Songs_of_All_Time\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time<\/a>.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune#cite_note-7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[7]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Years after the song&#8217;s release, the&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Los_Angeles_Times\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Los Angeles Times<\/a><\/em>&nbsp;wrote &#8220;It does not ring with the loud anger that runs through our time. It is mournful, as if unspooling in the candlelight of a day\u2019s end&#8221;, and praised the song for its tender, timeless nature, noting it as a &#8220;visceral [reminder] of our history&#8221;.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune#cite_note-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[8]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Music\">Music<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The tune is based on the melody of the hymn &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/O_Sacred_Head,_Now_Wounded\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">O Sacred Head, Now Wounded<\/a>&#8221; (German: &#8220;O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden&#8221;, text by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Paul_Gerhardt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Paul Gerhardt<\/a>). The common name for this hymn tune is &#8220;Passion Chorale&#8221;. The well-known hymn is itself a reworking of an earlier secular song, &#8220;Mein G&#8217;m\u00fct ist mir verwirret&#8221;, composed by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hans_Leo_Hassler\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hans Leo Hassler<\/a>.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune#cite_note-9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[9]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Personnel\">Personnel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Paul_Simon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Paul Simon<\/a>&nbsp;\u2013 vocals, acoustic guitar<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bob_James_(musician)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bob James<\/a>&nbsp;\u2013 keyboards<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bob_Cranshaw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bob Cranshaw<\/a>&nbsp;\u2013 bass guitar<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Grady_Tate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Grady Tate<\/a>&nbsp;\u2013 drums<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Del_Newman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Del Newman<\/a>&nbsp;\u2013 string arrangement<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Live_performances\">Live performances<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;American Tune&#8221; became a concert favorite, both for Simon and in reunion concerts with Simon&#8217;s former singing partner,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Art_Garfunkel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Art Garfunkel<\/a>. The song appears on several of Simon&#8217;s solo live albums and on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Simon_%26_Garfunkel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Simon &amp; Garfunkel<\/a>&#8216;s post-breakup live albums, most famously&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Concert_in_Central_Park\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Concert in Central Park<\/a><\/em>. A live version with a string quartet appeared on Simon&#8217;s 1977 album&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Greatest_Hits,_Etc.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Greatest Hits, Etc.<\/a><\/em>&nbsp;Simon performed the song live on November 18, 2008, during the airing of&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Colbert_Report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Colbert Report<\/a><\/em>,<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune#cite_note-10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[10]<\/a><\/sup>&nbsp;and on September 11, 2015, to close out the last show of the first week of&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Late_Show_with_Stephen_Colbert\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Late Show with Stephen Colbert<\/a><\/em>.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune#cite_note-11\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[11]<\/a><\/sup>&nbsp;In his surprise appearance at the 2022&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Newport_Folk_Festival\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Newport Folk Festival<\/a>, Simon introduced&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rhiannon_Giddens\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rhiannon Giddens<\/a>&nbsp;to sing the song, with lyrics adjusted to include the lines, &#8220;We didn&#8217;t come here on the Mayflower \/ We came on a ship in a blood red moon&#8221;. Giddens backed the song with banjo, while Simon accompanied on guitar.&nbsp;<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune#cite_note-12\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[12]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Cover_versions\">Cover versions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The song has been covered by many artists, notably&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rhiannon_Giddens\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rhiannon Giddens<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Willie_Nelson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Willie Nelson<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Eva_Cassidy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Eva Cassidy<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ann_Wilson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ann Wilson<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Shawn_Colvin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shawn Colvin<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Allen_Toussaint\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Allen Toussaint<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gretchen_Peters\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gretchen Peters<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Indigo_Girls\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Indigo Girls<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Starland_Vocal_Band\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Starland Vocal Band<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dave_Matthews\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dave Matthews<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Trey_Anastasio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Trey Anastasio<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/John_Boutt%C3%A9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">John Boutt\u00e9<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Keane_(band)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Keane<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Glen_Phillips_(singer)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Glen Phillips<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jerry_Douglas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jerry Douglas<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kurt_Elling\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kurt Elling<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Curtis_Stigers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Curtis Stigers<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Darrell_Scott\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Darrell Scott<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Storyhill\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Storyhill<\/a>, and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Stacey_Kent\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stacey Kent<\/a>.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune#cite_note-13\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[13]<\/a><\/sup>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mandy_Patinkin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mandy Patinkin<\/a>&nbsp;covered the song in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Yiddish\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yiddish<\/a>&nbsp;on his 1998 album&nbsp;<em>Mamaloshen<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2017,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Elvis_Costello\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Elvis Costello<\/a>&nbsp;released a non-album single version under the pseudonym &#8220;The Imposter&#8221;. In 2020,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dave_Matthews\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dave Matthews<\/a>&nbsp;performed &#8220;American Tune&#8221; for&nbsp;<em>Jimmy Kimmel Live!<\/em>&nbsp;during the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/COVID-19_pandemic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>. In 2023,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rufus_Wainwright\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rufus Wainwright<\/a>&nbsp;performed &#8220;American Tune&#8221; on his tour with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta through the Netherlands.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune#cite_note-14\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[14]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Simon&#8217;s own unfinished demo recording, with incomplete lyrics, was released as a bonus track on the 2004 CD reissue of&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/There_Goes_Rhymin%27_Simon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">There Goes Rhymin&#8217; Simon<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Use_and_references_in_popular_culture\">Use and references in popular culture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The song has been featured in the television series&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Wonder_Years\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Wonder Years<\/a><\/em>,<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune#cite_note-15\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[15]<\/a><\/sup>&nbsp;and used as the opening and closing song to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ken_Burns\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ken Burns&#8217;<\/a>&nbsp;documentary&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Statue_of_Liberty_(film)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Statue of Liberty<\/a><\/em>.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune#cite_note-16\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[16]<\/a><\/sup>&nbsp;A cover version by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Crooked_Still\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Crooked Still<\/a>&nbsp;was used for the closing credits of the final episode of the 2022 series&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_English_(TV_series)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The English<\/a>.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune#cite_note-17\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[17]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Simon performed the song at the pre-inaugural concert for Jimmy Carter, held at the Kennedy Center in Washington on January 19, 1977, the evening before Carter&#8217;s swearing-in as president.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune#cite_note-18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[18]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In late October 2008, the progressive advocacy group Progressive Future produced a 60-second television ad featuring &#8220;American Tune&#8221; in support of Senator&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Barack_Obama\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Barack Obama<\/a>&#8216;s presidential campaign. The &#8220;what&#8217;s gone wrong&#8221; line underscored a photo of President&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/George_W._Bush\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">George W. Bush<\/a>&nbsp;and Obama&#8217;s opponent&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/John_McCain\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">John McCain<\/a>&nbsp;standing close together.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune#cite_note-19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[19]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Charts\">Charts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Chart (1973\u201374)<\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Peak<br>position<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><th class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Canada (<em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/RPM_(magazine)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RPM<\/a><\/em>)<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune#cite_note-RPM1-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[20]<\/a><\/sup><\/th><td>35<\/td><\/tr><tr><th class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Canada&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Adult_contemporary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pop Music Playlist<\/a>&nbsp;(<em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/RPM_(magazine)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RPM<\/a><\/em>)<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune#cite_note-RPM2-21\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[21]<\/a><\/sup><\/th><td>5<\/td><\/tr><tr><th class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">US&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Adult_Contemporary_(chart)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Easy Listening<\/a>&nbsp;(<em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Billboard_(magazine)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Billboard<\/a><\/em>)<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune#cite_note-AC-22\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[22]<\/a><\/sup><\/th><td>8<\/td><\/tr><tr><th class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">US&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Billboard_Hot_100\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Billboard<\/em>&nbsp;Hot 100<\/a><sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune#cite_note-Billboardhot100-23\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[23]<\/a><\/sup><\/th><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">35<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cO Sacred Head, Now Wounded\u201d has one of the most layered and fascinating histories of any Passion hymn\u2014its roots stretch nearly a thousand years, passing through medieval monastic devotion, Lutheran hymnody, and Victorian English poetry.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Origins in Medieval Latin Poetry<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The hymn comes from a long medieval Latin poem titled <strong><em>Salve mundi salutare<\/em><\/strong>, a devotional work addressing different parts of Christ\u2019s crucified body.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The section that became <em>\u201cO Sacred Head, Now Wounded\u201d<\/em> is the portion addressed to Christ\u2019s head, beginning <strong>\u201cSalve caput cruentatum.\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The authorship is debated:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Traditionally attributed to <strong>Bernard of Clairvaux<\/strong> (12th century), a major theologian and mystic.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some scholars instead credit <strong>Arnulf of Leuven<\/strong> (13th century).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The earliest surviving manuscript is from the <strong>14th century<\/strong>, so the exact origin remains uncertain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>German Reworking by Paul Gerhardt (1607\u20131676)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In the 17th century, Lutheran pastor and poet <strong>Paul Gerhardt<\/strong> adapted the Latin poem into German as <strong>\u201cO Haupt voll Blut und Wunden.\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gerhardt didn\u2019t merely translate\u2014he reshaped the text into a deeply personal, emotional meditation on Christ\u2019s suffering.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This German version became the standard form sung in Protestant churches.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>English Translations<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Multiple English versions appeared over the centuries:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>John Gambold (1752):<\/strong> \u201cO Head so full of bruises.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>James Waddel Alexander (1830):<\/strong> \u201cO sacred head, now wounded\u201d \u2014 the version most widely sung today.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Robert Bridges (1899):<\/strong> Another influential translation, often used in Anglican contexts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The Melody: From Love Song to Passion Chorale<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The tune was originally a <strong>secular love song<\/strong> by <strong>Hans Leo Hassler<\/strong> (early 1600s).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Johann Sebastian <strong>Bach<\/strong> later harmonized it and used it repeatedly in his <strong>St. Matthew Passion<\/strong>, giving the melody its now-iconic sacred character.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The Hymn\u2019s Enduring Role<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Today, the hymn is one of the most recognized Passion hymns in Christianity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is especially associated with <strong>Lent<\/strong>, <strong>Holy Week<\/strong>, and <strong>Good Friday<\/strong>, where its themes of suffering, devotion, and gratitude resonate deeply.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Its longevity comes from the fusion of:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Medieval monastic devotion<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reformation-era emotional depth<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bach\u2019s musical genius<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Victorian English poetic sensibility<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n<script>\nvar zbPregResult = '0';\n<\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here&#8217;s a video to accompany my cover of Paul Simon&#8217;s song. There is an intro hymn &#8220;O Sacred Head, Now Wounded&#8221; piece that inspired the song. See the bottom of this writeup for intro on the Hymm, &#8220;American Tune&#8221; is a song by the American singer-songwriter&nbsp;Paul Simon. It was the third&nbsp;single&nbsp;from his third studio album,&nbsp;There [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baselines.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baselines.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baselines.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baselines.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baselines.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7508"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/baselines.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7508\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7512,"href":"https:\/\/baselines.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7508\/revisions\/7512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baselines.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baselines.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baselines.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}