America (West Side Story song) America (West Side Story song) “America” is a song from the musical "West Side Story". Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics and Leonard Bernstein composed the music. In the original stage version, Anita – the most important female character after Maria and the girlfriend of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks – praises America while a fellow Puerto Rican immigrant, Rosalia, supports Puerto Rico. This version of the song deprecates the island and highlights the positive qualities of American life ("I’ll drive a Buick through San Juan/If there’s a road you can drive on"). The irony of this supposedly pro-American number,
My Sweetheart is Somewhere in France My Sweetheart is Somewhere in France "My Sweetheart Is Somewhere in France" is a World War I era song first released in 1917. Mary Earl composed the music and wrote the lyrics. Shapiro, Bernstein & Co. Inc. of New York City published the song. Elizabeth Spencer performed a version of the song that was released by the Victor record label. It was written for voice and piano. On the cover is a woman looking down at a soldier writing a letter. Between them are the moon and stars. The song is told from the point of view of a woman