appearance at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival, Simon introduced Rhiannon Giddens to sing the song, with lyrics adjusted to include the lines, "We didn't come here on the Mayflower / We came on a ship in a blood red moon". Giddens backed the song with banjo, while Simon accompanied on guitar. Cover versions The song has been covered by many artists, notably Rhiannon Giddens, Willie Nelson, Eva Cassidy, Ann Wilson, Shawn Colvin, Allen Toussaint, Gretchen Peters, Indigo Girls, Starland Vocal Band, Dave Matthews, Trey Anastasio, Keane, Glen Phillips, Jerry Douglas, Kurt Elling, Curtis Stigers, Darrell Scott, Storyhill, and Stacey Kent. Mandy Patinkin also covers the song in Yiddish on his 1998 album Mamaloshen. In 2017, Elvis Costello released a non-album single version under the pseudonym "The Imposter". In 2020, Dave Matthews performed "American Tune" for Jimmy Kimmel Live! during the COVID-19 pandemic. Simon's own unfinished demo recording, with incomplete lyrics, was released as a bonus track on the 2004 CD reissue of There Goes Rhymin' Simon. Use and references in popular culture The song has been featured in the television series The Wonder Years, and used as the opening and closing song to Ken Burns' documentary The Statue of Liberty''. 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's swearing-in as president. In late October 2008, the progressive advocacy group Progressive Future produced a 60-second television ad featuring "American Tune" in support of Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign. The "what's gone wrong" line underscored a photo of President George W. Bush and Obama's opponent John McCain standing close together. Charts References External links Full lyrics from the Paul Simon website Performance of Serenade for Strings by A Far Cry from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in MP3 format 1973 singles Columbia Records singles Paul Simon songs Simon & Garfunkel songs Songs about the United States Songs written by Paul Simon Arrangements of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach 1972 songs