"Death of the American Dream" by Booda Brand, 2018
"Kathy, I'm lost", I said, though I knew she was sleeping,
I'm empty and aching and I don't know why,
Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike,
They've all come to look for America."
~ America, Simon & Garfunkel, 1968
America, Simon & Garfunkel, Live Concert in Central Park, 1981 [Source: Vevo / YouTube]
"America” tells the story of the narrator’s search for an idea of America that seems to have disappeared.
The narrator spends four days hitchhiking from Saginaw to join Kathy in Pittsburgh, where together they board a Greyhound bus to continue the journey. For the trip, they purchase cigarettes and Mrs. Wagner's Pies. The narrator begins with a lighthearted and optimistic outlook, "Let us be lovers, we'll marry our fortunes together”. This optimism fades over the course of the song. To pass time, he and Kathy play games and try to guess the backgrounds of their fellow passengers. Over the course of their journey, they smoke all their cigarettes. Kathy reads a magazine before falling asleep, leaving the narrator awake to reflect on the meaning of the journey alone. The narrator is able to speak his true emotions to Kathy, knowing that she is sleeping and cannot hear or answer. "I'm empty and aching and I don't know why" captures the longing and angst of the 1960s in nine simple words. The narrator then stares out the window “Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike". Many other empty, aching, and lost souls are on the highway, each on their own journey alone even if someone is traveling with them.
Pete Fornatale [1945 - 2012 | Disc Jokey | Pioneer of FM rock] interpreted the song’s final verse, "They've all come to look for America", as a "metaphor to remind us all of the lost souls wandering the highways and byways of mid-sixties America, struggling to navigate the rapids of despair and hope, optimism and disillusionment.”
Influenced by the “The Death of Marat” (1793) by Jacque Louis David, "Death of the American Dream" by Booda Brand's Billy Ma, reflects the iconic Uncle Sam as a personification of the U.S. and the moral good it once stood for. The beacon of freedom and democracy is crumbling.
The lyrics, “They’ve all come to look for America”, continues to personify America's struggle to navigate social and political change.
The journey continues.

See It On Your Wall
About Billy Ma (aka Bood Brand)
Billy Ma is a painter, sculptor, designer and illustrator.
He was born in Taiwan but raised in Canada.
Having never lived in Asia as an adult, Billy took a chance with his now wife and moved to Singapore for a new life adventure. He lived in the Lion City for over a decade before relocating to Vietnam in 2018.
2009 saw Billy growing restless with his job as an art director in innovation and so he began to flex his artistic skills via digital illustrations during his spare time.
With the popularity of the first images on social media and enquiries from interested buyers, Booda Brand - the limited-edition print company - was conceived.
This thriving little art company now sells all over the world and has been exhibited across Asia.
Drawing from contemporary themes, Billy seamlessly and naturally combines eastern and western aesthetics into his artwork. Many influences come from spirituality, socio-political issues and a sardonic sense of humour.
Billy now stands by a set of principles to guide Booda Brand artwork:
- The art must be beautifully crafted. Too often we see artists who can barely draw a stick figure.
- The art must have an inspirational idea and / or soul. Do we need another variation on a portrait of Marilyn Monroe?
- The printing and the materials must be museum quality. Our inks are guaranteed not to fade for at least 50 years and images are printed on archival paper.
- The artwork should be accessible while limiting the editions to as low as possible.
- We make art for people in the hope that it can make a difference and somehow give back – something of utmost importance to Booda Brand.
To find out more about Billy Ma’s limited edition prints, email us at blair@addictedgallery.com or elena@addictedgallery.com for further information.

Artist: Billy Ma (aka Bood Brand)