With the U.S. Women's National Team's big semifinal win today in the World Cup and Fourth of July on Thursday, it's a patriotic week for us Americans.
Lord knows I'm not some MAGA-hat toting psycho, but it turns out you can be a flaming liberal and still love your country. You certainly don't need tanks to celebrate Independence Day, but a good playlist can never hurt. So here are my top ten picks for songs you can mix into a Fourth of July playlist. I'm limiting it to one song per artist, and I'm just going to order it reverse alphabetically by last letter of the artist. There's an honorable mention section after my top ten, in case you want to go ape shit for America on your playlist.
1. "The Star-Spangled Banner" (live) by Jimi Hendrix
As a former member of the 101st Airborne performing as the last act at the defining live music event of the '60s, Hendrix's version of the national anthem at Woodstock is legendary, blending patriotism with psychedelia and artilleristic sound effects.
2. "Surfin' USA" by The Beach Boys
Nothing says idyllic summer in America more than The Beach Boys. I learned all about America's great surfing beaches because of this song. I still haven't ever been surfing. That's a life goal -- almost literally, as I've wanted to go surfing for nearly 90% of my life.
3. "American Girl" by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Aren't we all raised on promises? Like the subject of this song, unfortunately we all learn that those promises are not actually promises, unless the promise was that one day you'll be on a balcony hearing the cars out on 441, contemplating jumping. If so, that's a horrible promise.
4. "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute to 60's Rock)" by John Cougar Mellencamp
There were several Mellencamp options (see the others in the Honorable Mention), I'm going with "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." because it's the most uptempo. And it's a fantastic little rock song about '60s rock, although the typo in the title does irk me.
5. "This is America" by Childish Gambino
Donald Glover's morbidly accurate vision of modern America (and accompanying freaky video) is an instant classic.
6. "American Woman" by The Guess Who
The only non-American artist on the list, The Guess Who were one of the first great rock bands to come out of Canada. "American Woman" is their defining classic, with Burton Cummings's gravely, impassioned vocals setting the table and warning us all of the perils of an American woman.
7. "Living in America" by James Brown
The Godfather of Soul added one of the more memorable moments in one of the ultimate American patriotic movies of the '80s -- Rocky IV. Does it get more American than a song sung by James Brown dressed in American garb while Apollo Creed enters the ring, only to get beaten to death by a Soviet cyborg, who is then later beaten by Creed's best friend? No. The answer is no.
Yes, unlike various Republican politicians over the last 35 years, I am aware that this is not a song necessarily celebrating America -- but actually pointing out how poorly Vietnam vets were treated upon their return to the States. But as a child of the '80s, this was one of the biggest songs of my childhood, and The Boss is a national treasure.
9. "America" by Simon & Garfunkel
This is a classic tale of traveling across the country, brought to you in perfect two-party harmony.
10. "God Bless the U.S.A." by Lee Greenwood
Sure, it's cheesy, but God bless the U.S.A. -- were there actually something called God.
11. "America" by Neil Diamond
Sure, the 1980 remake of The Jazz Singer starring Neil Diamond was a flop, but the soundtrack did all right. "America" was the highlight. It's a bombastic, optimistic ode to America's rich history of immigration -- the kind of song Stephen Miller must really hate.
Honorable Mention: "All American Man" by KISS; "America" by Motörhead; "America" by Razorlight; "America's Sweetheart" by Elle King; "American Badass" by Kid Rock; "American Boys" by Halestorm; "American Fool" by John Cougar Mellencamp; "American Gigolo" by Weezer; "American Girls" by Counting Crows; "American Heartbeat" by Survivor; "American Horse" by The Cult; "American Idiot" by Green Day; "American Nightmare" by The Misfits; "American Pie" by Don McLean; "The American Scream" by Alkaline Trio; "American Slang" by The Gaslight Anthem; "Back in the USA" by Chuck Berry; "Geek USA" by Smashing Pumpkins; "Hello America" by Def Leppard; "I'm So Bored With the U.S.A." by The Clash; "In America" by Britny Fox; "Independence Day" by Bruce Springsteen; "Justice and Independence '85" by John Cougar Mellencamp; "L'America" by The Doors; "Last Great American Whale" by Lou Reed; "Liberty" by Steve Vai; "Little America" by R.E.M.; "Living in the USA" by Steve Miller Band; "Miss America" by Styx; "New America" by Bad Religion; "Party in the U.S.A." by Miley Cyrus; "Pink Houses" by John Cougar Mellencamp; "Real American" by Rick Derringer; "Rockin' in the U.S.A." by KISS; "Somewhere in America" by Survivor; "Son of an American" by The So So Glos; "Spirit of America" by The Beach Boys; "Surf Wax America" by Weezer; "Theme From Greatest American Hero" by Joey Scarbury; "We No Speak Americano" by Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup; "Which Way to America" by Living Colour; "(You Can Still) Rock in America" by Night Ranger; "Young Americans" by David Bowie
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment