Tracklist

1 Hudson Highlands
By Paul Guzzone and Paul Rolnick
1:18
2 American Music
By Paul Guzzone
1:06
3 Old Man and The Sea
By Paul Guzzone
0:57
4 You Take The Money
By Paul Guzzone and Paul Rolnick
1:23

American Music

Time flies! It’s been one year since I released Extra Innings. These days, an indie artist needs to “feed the beast” as they say. So here I am again with an EP of 4 songs old and new.

My co-writer, Paul Rolnick kicked my butt to finish a song we started in 2025 called Hudson Highlands. He wrote a fun lyric about growing up in Newburgh, NY which is about 45 minute north of where I live now. I grew up in NYC. I didn’t experience the beautiful Hudson Valley until I was 50 years old! I think you’ll love the groove and the big sing along at the end. It jump-starts the record.

Next, is the title cut American Music is a song I wrote back in 2001. I’ve been singing it live for a few years now. Whenever I’ve play it, people ask where they can hear it. It’s a rollicking, driving song. When you get behind the wheel, turn it up!

Old Man and The Sea is a song I wrote on the island of Culebra. It was inspired by a guy we met there named Gordon Crossman who was a gregarious Irishman from Road Island. He wintered there with his wife Rose who is Greek. Each year they celebrated St. Patrick’s Day at the guest house where we all stayed. Somehow he managed to find a corned beef. The beer flowed and songs were sung. Rose might even dance the syrtaki, a Greek folk dance. They both loved the ocean. Gordon said he always wanted to build a little sailboat so he could travel “down island” as they say and visit special places like a bar called the Soggy Dollar Saloon off Tortola. Sure enough, one year we arrived to find him on a little beach launching his creation. This one’s for him.

You Take The Money has a rock-a-billy feel that Paul Rolnick helped me finish. It’s a good Texas 2-step BIG FUN. I decided to close out the collection. Enjoy!

AMERICAN MUSIC Credits

Produced by Paul Guzzone*

Studios: Triple Z Music, Zevely Records, Bennett Studios.

Mastering: Butch Jones

Cover Photo: Sergei Sushchik (via Unsplash)

*Hudson Highlands & American Music co-produced and co-written with Paul Rolnick

Hudson Highlands – accordion and baritone sax: Joe Mennonna; electric guitar, & vocals Paul Rolnick

American Music – drums: Frank Vilardi; electric guitar; Ira Siegel, piano, accordion; Doug Petty; fiddle Bob Mastro; additional vocal Bernie Shanahan.

You Take The Money- fiddle: Bob Mastro; vocals Paul Rolnick

All other instruments, programming and lead vocals by Paul Guzzone

Available From

Release Date

April 30, 2025

Available Lyrics

Hudson Highlands + -
I’VE CLIMBED THE PYRAMIDS OF GIZA GOT DRUNK IN OLD SAN JUAN WASHED UP ON A BEACH IN MALIBU WENT CLUBBING IN TAIWAN I PLAYED GUITAR A STAGE IN ADELAIDE SANG IN A DUBLIN PUB WROTE A SONG IN A TEXAS HOTEL ROOM GOT THE HOOK IN A BOSTON CLUB IT’S A BIG, BEAUTIFUL PLANET WITH PLENTY OF SITES TO SEE PLACES TO GO, PEOPLE TO MEET ADVENTURE, I GUARANTEE Chorus: WHEREVER I MAY WANDER NO MATTER WHERE I ROAM THE HUDSON HIGHLANDS WILL BE MY HOME SWEET HOME THE HUDSON HIGHLANDS WILL ALWAYS… BE MY HOME I PLAYED HIDE AND SEEK WITH JENNIE DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE JENNY PUT A PENNY ON THE TRAIN TRACK AND WE WATCHED THE TRAIN PASS BY GOT STOPPED AND SEARCHED BY THE POLICE BUT THEY COULD NOT FIND THE HASH I CHEWED ON IT LIKE BUBBLEGUM SO, THEY NEVER FOUND MY STASH IT’S A BIG BEAUTIFUL PLANET SO MANY SONGS TO SING BUT IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU COME FROM IT JUST DON’T MEAN A THING Chorus: WHEREVER I MAY WANDER NO MATTER WHERE I ROAM THE HUDSON HIGHLANDS WILL BE MY HOME SWEET HOME THE HUDSON HIGHLANDS WILL ALWAYS… BE MY HOME, HAH!
American Music + -
I like a fiddle and a squeeze-box when they play a Cajun waltz And I like the sound of a gospel choir when the preacher calls I like BB King, when he sings, and tickles the neck of Lucille Give me Loretta, Hank or Willie ‘cause they know how to make it real I hear it comin’ down from the mountains, I hear it comin’ up from the street I hear it comin’ from those computer kids up in their bedrooms makin’ beats ‘Cause everybody’s got a story and they tell it their own way Some will criticize or analyze but I just want to play it Chorus: I love American Music, American songs Electric guitar ridin’ on a back-beat clear and strong I never get bored with those four little chords Through an amp turned up on ten It feels so good we could play all night Then it’s back on the bus, ‘cause tomorrow we’ll do it again I met a waitress in a diner, she used to love jukebox forty-fives Sometimes they made her want to sing along, sometimes they made her cry There was salesman drivin’ on a back road when a song came on the radio Yeah, it took him right back to high school when his band won the talent show Chorus: It’s all American Music, American songs Electric guitar ridin’ on a back-beat free and strong And I never get bored with those four little chords Through an amp tuned up on ten Feels so good we could play all night Then it’s back on the bus, ‘cause tomorrow we’ll do it again Bridge: From the concert stage to the local bar In the sound of one voice And ten thousand guitars yeah Chorus: I love American Music, American songs Electric guitar ridin’ on a back-beat clear and strong I never get bored with those four little chords Through an amp turned up on ten It feels so good we could play all night Then it’s back on the bus, ‘cause tomorrow we’ll do it again. I love American Music, American songs American music, We sing it all night long (3X's)
Old Man and The Sea + -
Old Man and the Sea by Paul Guzzone (© 2009 Triple Z Music, BMI) She stood on the dock and watched him As he tied up for the evening His back was strong, but his hands were not As steady as they used to be After all these years together She smiled as she caught herself thinking There is nothing quite as stubborn as An old man and the sea He worked in the shipyards most of his life Building giants of chrome and steel So, the passengers would never feel The waves beneath their feet Once, in a while he’d think about What lay beyond the harbor And all the secrets ever shared by An old man and the sea Chorus: So, he swore he’d build a boat With his own hands before he died A boat that would carry him Across to the other side He gathered nails and canvas and wood He gathered his calm and courage Against the odds and the good advice Of his friends and his family Six new moons passed across the sky Stirring up the constellations Marking time as tide turned on The old man and the sea Chorus: So, he swore he’d build a boat With his own hands before he died A boat that would carry him Across to the other side He stood on the dock, stared across the bay The time had come for leavin’ He prayed for a breeze to fill his sail And quietly set him free When he closed his eyes he imagined he’d be Sailin’ straight for heaven As the wind came up, the sun rose on The old man and the sea
You Take The Money + -
You Take the Money Honey I leave the house in the morning, and don’t even get a kiss When I get home, you ignore me, how did it come to this? I’m not a guy who say’s “I do” and then just walks away We don’t talk, and if we did, I don’t know what we’d say I guess we’ve both had enough So, let’s just say what if You take the money honey... I’ll take the fifth You take the money honey... I’ll take the fifth A cold one and a chaser’ll do it Another round might get me through it I hope you have a good life And I’ll get over this You take the money honey... I’ll take the fifth I’ve taken the long way home a few too many times Hangin’ out with my barstool buddies, helps my troubled mind You want champagne and caviar but I drive a pickup truck You keep on spending what we don’t have while I’m down on lady luck Seems to me our love is broken And I don’t see a fix So, you take the money honey... I’ll take the fifth CHORUS We both said we wanted to live the good life But I don’t know what’s good about All those things you can’t live without, yeah You take the money honey... I’ll take the fifth A cold one and a chaser’ll do it Another round might get me through it I hope you have a good life And I’ll get over this You take the money honey... I’ll take the fifth Arrivederci la dolce vita…I’ll take the fifth

Share