America - Ventura Highway (Live in Chicago)

Description

[singhsarah]

If happiness was a song, this would be it..

[ktgodwin]

Why aren't these guys in the rock and roll hall of fame??? This song STILL moves me and I'm 60.

[Robin-xtyo]

America still sounds great 40 years later.

[wild_child]

This song reminds me of a freedom that's not often seen anymore.

[carolrodriguez]

One of the greatest songs ever made! I can spend hours listening without getting bored!! Iconic music!! Lovely and lively!!

[giovannimoz]

No need to make America great again, they’re still great!😂

[Dss]

ahh the soundtracks of my youth. I was 21 when this song was released. Even then it had that quality of nostalgia. Made people feel nostalgic for years that they had not yet experienced. This is music that transcends time - this is art. Its reverberations remain the same through time. I was 21 -now I am almost 70. Those 48 years have gone by so quickly and thanks to this music - the soundtracks of my youth - I get to feel young again for a few minutes.

[ginawyatt]

hearing the opening guitar chords to this song still brings a smile. And I'm back on Pacific Coast Highway & it's a perfect sunny beach day with good music like this & good friends. Life's a beach, ! Thank you America for singing those feelings so perfectly.

[josiegreenthumb]

One of those songs that just makes everything feel okay ⛅️

[ThePinchanze]

Saw these guys on the cliffs of the Mississippi River with the moon rising behind them as they played this sight I'll never forget

[cyprescrow]

These guys truly wrote some amazing songs.

[wrenchnweld]

I'm from Ventura, California and it just doesn't get any better! the song is spot on and always will be!

[MariaOliviaLennon]

Honestly, their voices sound amazing as they harmonize. Kudos America! <3

[hasselett]

Ventura Highway is one of my absolute favorite songs. The history that goes along with it really makes each listen a trip down memory lane. I was 20 years old when I first heard it, right when I'd just enrolled at a folk high school to study stage & film acting back in 2010. I studied and lived there for year, and only went back home to my folks on the weekends. The school was situated on a hill a few miles outside of my hometown, almost out on the countryside, with a beautiful view overlooking the water. Across from the water were hundreds of tiny, green hills, and dense forestation that seemed to stretch for miles. I remember vividly how awestruck I was by the location's transcendent beauty when I arrived on my first day, and how I immediately felt like this was the beginning of a new chapter in my life. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was my own man. Suddenly, I had all this responsibility over my own life, a sensation I hadn't felt prior. I was truly in a happy place, a botherless place, a place where I could work with my true passion in life (acting). I was in a constant state of euphoria, and I remember thinking to myself that I'd never feel this way ever again, and that each day was a gift given to me on a silver platter. A few weeks before I began my studies, my Dad had gifted me a couple of headphones for my birthday. I'd just downloaded Spotify a couple days prior, and each day, I spent some time sifting through various playlists to find tracks that I liked. When I first stumbled across Ventura Highway, I was sitting by myself in my dorm, next to the window on a sunny, dewy evening. It couldn't have been earlier than 11pm, but the sun hardly ever goes down in the summers where I come from. Only the day before, I'd just had sex with a classmate of mine, and I felt like I was on top of the world. My mind wandered with ideas of a future with this lady, and of course, getting lucky with a woman as pretty as her only boosted my confidence and state of joy. When this song started streaming through my headphones, I was immediately transported to another dimension. The acoustic guitar, beautifully interspersed by the lead vocals, created a type of solace for me, a place where I felt safe, warm and embraced by life's true beauty. I vividly remember how I started crying right at the first chorus, initially only a few droplets, which soon transitioned into me completely bawling my eyes out. But those tears were all tears of joy. It wasn't as if I hadn't cried of joy before, but this time, the tears were gushing down my face from pure ecstacy. It was epiphanic.

That year came and went, and to this day, I can safely say that it was the best year of my life by far. Getting to share my life with the people I met, people who shared my interest in acting, in a location that would make most postcard distributors lick their lips, was an experience unlike any other. Whenever I listen to Ventura Highway, I'm taken back to those days, my glory days, the days I hold the dearest. Back when I was just a kid filled with wonder, so oblivious of life's troubles and tribulations. Back when all my family were healthy and I could still pay a visit to every one of them. Back when I had all my friends right next to me. Back when I had all the time in the world. Sometimes, I think back to those days, and I get nostalgic. The nostalgia sometimes translates into saudade, and I often cry a little. Then, I think about all the good things I have, and I can still conjure a smile once the pain has laid to rest. I'm still young and hopefully have most of my life to look forward to. But time is our worst enemy, the only enemy we can't ever beat, and those days I had all those years ago will never come back. All I can do is try to live in the present and create a better tomorrow for myself and for those I hold dear. I suppose that's advice anyone can take with them on this crazy journey.

All the best to anyone who read this comment. Be blessed and stay safe.

Love, John.

[jamieminsky]

Beautiful!! The free wind is still blowing through my hair at almost 65… we r all kids in our hears and souls…

[josephcurran]

Reminds me of driving with my dad as a little boy. Always a great memory of some happy times to grow up. Miss you Dad.

[johnbarone]

Timeless beautiful music, they are very underrated, great band, one of the best in my opinion.

[mike-gohs]

Brings tears in my eyes... listened it 45 years ago and still listening...

[pjhj]

I'm from Canada. My wife and I went to California and found ourselves driving on the Ventura Highway. I told her there is a song about the highway, turned on the radio and it was playing. Freaked me out. True story.

[greatone]

This song never gets old the feelings of freedom and adventure are always new. "waiting for the early train, sorry boy, I 've been hit by a purple rain".