“THE HEART OF AMERICA’S ART” OFFICIAL LYRICS
SPOKEN WORD INTRO
This is for
All those Kansas Citians—
That "Show-Me-State" nobility, y'all
—Who were "raised royal"
In "chiefs' kingdom"
Westside all day...
O Kansas City!
O Kansas City!
VERSE I
Raised, born and bred
In a town where I knew that I’d move ahead
Peace, solace, serenity
Ain’t nothin’ in the world like this city
“Going to Kansas City
Kansas City here I come”
That’s what’s opined
Where music was defined
Jazz and Blues on 18th and Vine
Dreams shine like the sun
In a place second to none
I’m from…
CHORUS
Kansas City
flashin’ so bright
It’s that feeling you get
In the “Power & Light”
All the way to the Plaza Clubs
We the “Heart of America”
The world’s hub
World’s best
From the “Port of the West”
Down to Raytown
KC will be world-renowned
VERSE II
Fountains on the Boulevard
Ward Parkway landscapes America’s Heart
Winding through’s the Missouri River
The spirit of the “River Market” glistens silver
The air of Crown Center's noble
And the words of Hallmark are heard to be global
Much more than meets the eye—
Towers of the city reach over the skies
Despite where I go
This is always home
Y'all know…
[Chorus]
BRIDGE
If you from KC wave your hands in the air
Wave ‘em like you ain’t got no care
‘Cause no place else can compare
(to us)
Overland Park, Lee's Summit, KCK too
We gon’ do what it do
KC this song is for you
(So) From America’s Heart
Never broken apart
(from…)
[Chorus]
"The Heart of America's Art" is the sixteenth and final promotional (and twenty-third overall) original single by Céran. The former song in the two-track single which constitutes the A-Side—"The Heart of America's Art—was written, composed, arranged, orchestrated, sung, and produced by Céran [Carlton Dubois McClain], with an interpolation of the classical piece "Phantasiestücke, Op. 12, Aufschwung" by Romantic-era German composer Robert Schumann. And the final of the two tracks—"Phases of Life"—which constitutes the B-Side of the single, was also composed, arranged, orchestrated, and produced exclusively by Céran. The two-track single's former song, "The Heart of America's Art," was initially self-released as a free download on March 28, 2019, exclusively on ReverbNation, which coincided with the 166th commemoration of Céran's birthplace and hometown of Kansas City being incorporated by the state of Missouri on March 28, 1853.
Recording sessions for the single took place in Céran's home studio in his native Kansas City, Missouri, in January 2019. Regarding the single's commercial performance, streams for "The Heart of America's Art" exclusively accrued for Céran domestically in the United States. In regard to the title, “The Heart of America's Art” has this quintuple (V) entendre, because, in a possessive sense, Céran feels that he represents Kansas City, and his music is the “art” of this city that he represents (whose nickname is "The Heart of America") (I). On the other hand, out of all of the “art of/in America,” his music is the heart of that, the core, the centerpiece of it all (II). Moreover, in the sense of "The Heart of America's Art" standing as a sentence with a verbal contraction, not only can "art" in fact be found at "America's Heart" (III), but "The Heart of America" is also a "work of art" (IV), and it is indeed "art" that stands firmly as the defining characteristic of America (V). Therefore, Céran's composition is thus “The Heart of America's Art.”
Moreover, this composition was inspired by “Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down” by New York City's own Alicia Keys, and one might hear some similarities between the two tracks through subtle undertones given throughout Céran's composition. Similar to Keys, Céran endeavored to compose an ode to his birthplace and hometown, specifically and, on a personal level, of Kansas City in the great state of Missouri. Furthermore, Céran himself has ties to Greater New York, as his paternal grandmother passed away in the New York metropolitan area (specifically Iselin, New Jersey). Moreover, Céran is the second cousin once removed of GRAMMY-nominated R&B/hip-hop singer-songwriter, Sonyaé Elise, who also hails from Greater New York (specifically Newark/Montclair, New Jersey) and who is herself also the great-granddaughter of the sister of Céran's paternal grandmother and who won the inaugural and only season of the 2011 Bravo American reality television competition, "Platinum Hit."
In addition, Céran's prestigious high school alma mater, The Pembroke Hill School (which is ranked as the best high school in the Kansas City metropolitan area and among the Top 5 in the state of Missouri per "Niche"), is also the alma mater of fellow Kansas City, Missouri-native, John Kander, who, alongside Fred Ebb, composed the iconic number, "Theme from New York, New York," which is annually recited in New York City's Times Square district during the New Year's Eve festivities, and this celebrated version is performed by the eternal Frank Sinatra, who also hails from New Jersey in Greater New York (similar to Céran's second cousin once removed, Sonyaé Elise, where Sonyaé's great-grandaunt (Céran's late paternal grandmother) also passed away).
Finally, the state of New Jersey's lone Big Four professional major league sports team (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL) that specifically identifies with the state of New Jersey (that is, the New Jersey Devils of the NHL) was founded in Céran's birthplace and hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, as the Kansas City Scouts. Therefore, it was more than appropriate for Céran to compose an answer song for his native Kansas City, Missouri, to Alicia Keys' native New York City, New York, for all of these connective reasonings stated.
Additionally, the two-track single's latter piece, “Phases of Life,” is an original piano solo composed and arranged by Céran. Heavily inspired by the pianistic work of famed Shaker Heights, Ohio-born composer Jim Brickman of Greater Cleveland (particularly "Angel Eyes"), Céran’s original composition was created at the age of 15 in June of 2007. There are four parts of the composition, each representing the four seasons (or, “phases of life”): Autumn (0:00-0:41), Winter (0:42-1:27), Summer (1:28-2:16), and Spring (2:17-3:05). “Phases of Life” is only one out of a slew of original piano solos that Céran had composed and arranged in his youth and adolescence. As he moved into young adulthood, Céran began to take on his aforestated moniker, and transitioned into strictly focusing on Pop and R&B vocal compositions with instrumentation serving exclusively as accompaniment. With his decade-plus-old classical piano background serving as the impetus, Céran's original piano solo, “Phases of Life,” was composed in the key of D major, is recommended to be performed at a tempo of "allegro maestoso," and spans a length of three minutes and five seconds.
In addition, genres featured on this single include, but are not limited to, Classical, Contemporary Piano Pop, Kansas City jazz, Pop, R&B, Neoclassical, Piano Solo, and Soul. In conclusion, the aforementioned original classical piano solo, “Phases of Life,” serves as the B-Side to the A-Side of the neoclassical Pop/R&B leadoff track, “The Heart of America’s Art.”
Genres: Classical, Contemporary Piano Pop, Kansas City jazz, Pop, R&B, Neoclassical, Piano Solo, Soul
Total time: 8:15
credits
released March 28, 2019
The song that constitutes the A-Side of the single—"The Heart of America's Art—was written, composed, arranged, orchestrated, sung, and produced by Céran [Carlton Dubois McClain], with an interpolation of the classical piece "Phantasiestücke, Op. 12, Aufschwung" by Romantic-era German composer Robert Schumann. And the final of the two tracks—"Phases of Life"—which constitutes the B-Side of the single, was also composed, arranged, orchestrated, and produced exclusively by Céran [Carlton Dubois McClain].
Kansas City, Missouri-native, Carlton Dubois McClain, who performs musically under the mononym, Céran, is an award-winning,
critically-acclaimed, and global-selling Pop/R&B singer-songwriter, pianist, guitarist, keyboardist, composer, arranger, orchestrator, record producer, and recording artist.
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