Critics' Picks

Best Immigration Song

Finally, Seattle can claim a theme song for immigrants. Not Neil Diamond's. His reflective take, America (1980), is so upbeat, it's as if the Statue of Liberty has become a cheerleader for all the tired, poor, huddled, homeless, and tempest-tossed: "Everywhere around the world/They're coming to America/Every time that flag's unfurled/They're coming to America. Got a dream to take them there . . . " Not the Pogues' Thousands Are Sailing (1998), though it considers the gamut of immigrants' emotions: "Did the old songs taunt or cheer you/And did they still make you cry?/Did you count the months and years/Or did your teardrops quickly dry?" The song perfectly suited for Seattle—Led Zeppelin's "The Immigrant Song"—was written in 1970 . . . as a joke! "We come from the land of the ice and snow/From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow/The hammer of the gods/Will drive our ships to new lands/To fight the horde, singing and crying/Valhalla, I am coming!" A joke? Tell that to the Scandinavians. —Joanne Garrett