The Immigrant - Neil Sedaka (1975) 5/11/22

In 2022, today's "Great Song of the '70s" can easily be taken out of context, so let me put Neil Sedaka's "The Immigrant" into the historical context of 1975, when Neil and his lyricist, Phil Cody wrote the song.

First of all, immigration was a hot button issue in the '70s as well, BUT, what Neil--and especially Phil--initially set out to do was honor their parents.

Phil's parents emigrated from Sicily. His father's dream was to be a professional opera singer, and his dream came true when he was hired by New York's Metropolitan Opera.

Neil's parents emigrated from Europe and were a mix of Lebanese, Turkish, Polish and Russian. They moved to America for a better life, and his father worked hard as a New York City cab driver.

This, of course, happened a generation BEFORE immigration became a major issue.

While putting the song together, John Lennon was having some visa problems, which led Neil to ALSO dedicate "The Immigrant" to John, in addition to his and Phil's parents.

Neil admits that made the song somewhat controversial in 1975, and it's certainly more controversial today, but in context--it was (and still is) a "Great Song" about an entire generation who came to America with a dream. In short: a tribute AND a history lesson.

All of that aside, the melody and arrangement are quite lovely, with Neil in fine voice.

"The Immigrant" went to #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart, and (interestingly) #3 on Canada's matching chart. It was a "Great Song of 1975."