| "State of Independence" | |
|---|---|
 1984 reissue cover | |
| Single by Jon & Vangelis | |
| from the album The Friends of Mr Cairo | |
| B-side | "Beside" |
| Released | 31 July 1981[1] |
| Recorded | 1981 |
| Genre | Electronic, pop |
| Label | Polydor |
| Composer(s) | Vangelis |
| Lyricist(s) | Jon Anderson |
| Producer(s) | Vangelis |
| Music video | |
| "State Of Independence" on YouTube | |
"State of Independence" is a song written by Jon Anderson and Vangelis.
Originally recorded in Paris by Jon and Vangelis for their 1981 album The Friends of Mr Cairo, the lyrics were improvised for the music which was conceived as spiritual and uplifting in a Byzantine style. Anderson described his state of flow:
The rhythm started and I began clapping my hands and I got into this really "up" sort of feeling ... I was singing all different kinds of things, which kept coming and hitting me, singing strange ideas that I wouldn't have even thought of. ... that went on for maybe 20 minutes. ... It was a joyful experience ... it's called the 'State of Independence' because to be independent is to be totally free and to be totally immersed in something around you and that's really what the song became.
— Jon Anderson, Vangelis: The Unknown Man (1994), page 59
The track was released as a single but did not chart. It subsequently became better known when Donna Summer released a cover version a year later in 1982. That became a top 20 UK hit single (and repeated the same feat 14 years later when issued as a remixed version in 1996) and a number one hit in the Netherlands. In 1992, a third version of the song — retitled "Spiritual High (State of Independence)" — was recorded and released as a single by Moodswings, with vocals by the Pretenders lead singer Chrissie Hynde.
- ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 28.