Discover America is the second album by American recording artist Van Dyke Parks, released in May 1972 by Warner Bros. Its sound is a major departure from his debut album, Song Cycle (1967), featuring all cover versions of previously written songs. The album mostly features songs popularized by early Calypso musicians, as well as songs by Allen Toussaint ("Occapella" and "Riverboat"), Little Feat ("Sailin' Shoes"), John Philip Sousa ("Stars and Stripes Forever") and one song of unknown origin ("Be Careful"). The title of the album is derived from the poem "I Am Waiting" by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Background Most of the album's songs were originally written by early Calypso musicians between the 1920s and 1940s, but had fallen into the public domain by the time Discover America was recorded in 1972. As such, nearly all of the songs are listed as "Public domain; arranged & adapted by Van Dyke Parks." Lyrical themes run a wide range of American history, from John Paul Jones, to early 20th-century musicians Bing Crosby and The Mills Brothers, actor Jack Palance, and political figures Franklin Roosevelt and J. Edgar Hoover. Parks would continue his study of Calypso and Caribbean music on his third album, Clang of the Yankee Reaper, released in 1975. Throughout the 1970s, Parks acted as producer on Calypso albums for other artists, including The Esso Trinidad Tripoli Steel Band's Esso in 1971, and The Mighty Sparrow's 1974 album, Hot and Sweet. Songs Discover America has been described as a work of calypso, progressive pop, art rock and Americana. "Jack Palance", is a one-minute clip of The Mighty Sparrow's actual version of the song. Parks did not cover any Mighty Sparrow songs on the album, but would later produce Sparrow's 1974 Warner Bros. release, Hot and Sweet; Parks would later re-release Hot and Sweet on his own record label, Bananastan in 2011. "Introduction" is credited to Samuel Alter, and features an unknown man (likely either Alter or Parks) speaking into a tape recorder about Parnassus, Pennsylvania, Mount Olympus, and Daylight Saving Time. The third track is Parks' cover of "Bing Crosby", written by Roaring Lion. "Steelband Music" prominently features The Esso Trinidad Tripoli Steel Band on vocals and steel drums; "Steelband Music"'s original writer is unknown, and it may be a traditional Calypso song. "The Four Mills Brothers" was written by The Lion (also known as Roaring Lion), and it speaks about the history