I wanted to get this one on the record before the Trusk Administration fuckwads ban it. Don’t laugh – Clear Channel, now iHeart Radio, banned its stations from playing it after the 9/11 attacks, so it’s already on notice.
That might not be necessary anymore. The song was released as a single from the soundtrack to Diamond’s star turn in the 1980 film “The Jazz Singer,” reaching No. 8 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It’s worth noting that though Ronald Reagan was elected later that year, he didn’t make immigration, illegal or otherwise, a campaign issue. Even in the ’80s, people were still proud that we were a nation of immigrants.
On the other hand, Reagan’s reactionary policies toward Central America sowed the seeds of repression that fueled much of the Spanish-speaking immigration that has followed. The American public now fears immigration so much it installed a fascist government over it. We now lift our guns beside the Golden Door.
