The Americans - The more things change the more they stay the same

Cover of the Gordon Sinclair song "The Americans (A Canadian's Opinion).

"The Americans" is a famous commentary by the late Canadian broadcaster Gordon Sinclair. Originally written for a regular broadcast on CFRB radio in Toronto on June 5, 1973, it became a media and public phenomenon. It was replayed several times a day by some United Statesradio stations and released as a hit audio recording in several forms. Ronald Reagan credited it for giving comfort to the United States in difficult times, and it was widely rediscovered and re-disseminated as the United States faced new crises in the 2000s.

On June 5, Sinclair discussed some stories from the day's news. Widespread heavy tornado damage afflicted the U.S. Midwest. The Mississippi River was in flood stage. The American Red Cross faced an imminent threat of insolvency. And the United States dollar reached very low levels, something Sinclair, an inveterate market watcher, was keenly aware of.

"The Americans" was not, as widely reported later, an angry response to countries that were criticizing the American failure in the Vietnam War. Instead, Sinclair's commentary stated that when many countries faced economic crises or natural disasters, Americans were among the most generous people in the world at offering assistance, but when America faced a crisis, it often faced that crisis alone.

The editorial became a phenomenon on American radio after CKLW Radio news director and news anchor Byron MacGregor read Sinclair's commentary on the air. After CKLW (a 50,000 watt Windsor/Detroit powerhouse radio station) received many requests for it, a record was released by Westbound Records of MacGregor's recording, with "America the Beautiful" being played by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. By January 1974, The Americans record became one of the fastest-selling records in United States, reaching sales of 2 million within a month of its release. The single eventually sold three and a half million copies in the United States, and hit #1 in Cash Box, as well as #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. All proceeds from the record were donated by MacGregor himself to the American Red Cross. (This version reached #42 in Canada.)...   WIKIPEDIA