"American Tune" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the third single from his third studio album, There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973), released on Columbia Records. The song, a meditation on the American experience, is based on the melody of the hymn "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded". The song reached number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100. Lyrics In an interview with Tom Moon in 2011, Paul Simon was asked about political references in his songs, and he said: "I don’t write overtly political songs, although 'American Tune' comes pretty close, as it was written just after Nixon was elected." Reception Billboard described it as a "discourse on inner security while being far from home." Cash Box called it a "gorgeous, haunting, highly lyrical track" and said that the "soft vocal performance is heightened by sweet string section." It is ranked number 262 on Rolling Stone'''s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Years after the song's release, the Los Angeles Times wrote "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’s end," and praised the song for its tender, timeless nature, noting it as a "visceral [reminder] of our history." Music The tune is based on the melody of the hymn "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded" (German: "O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden," text by Paul Gerhardt). The common name for this hymn tune is "Passion Chorale." The well-known hymn is itself a reworking of an earlier secular song, "Mein G'müt ist mir verwirret," composed by Hans Leo Hassler. Personnel Paul Simon – vocals, acoustic guitar Bob James – keyboards Bob Cranshaw – bass guitar Grady Tate – drums Del Newman – string arrangement Live performances "American Tune" became a concert favorite, both for Simon and in reunion concerts with Simon's former singing partner, Art Garfunkel. The song appears on several of Simon's solo live albums and on Simon and Garfunkel's post-breakup live albums, most famously The Concert in Central Park. A live version with a string quartet appeared on Simon's 1977 album Greatest Hits, Etc. Simon performed the song live on November 18, 2008, during the airing of The Colbert Report, and on September 11, 2015, to close out the last show of the first week of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. In his surprise