Each year on July 4, Americans from all over the country and around the world gather to celebrate the spirit of freedom and the ideas that have defined the United States of America as a nation.
Music is a strong medium for kindling the the flames of patriotism and evoking a sense of American pride and solidarity as fireworks light up the sky and grills sizzle with joy.
Patriotic songs have become a vital part of the American fabric, from rousing anthems that tell the country's history to tunes that pay respect to the perseverance of its people. No matter the style or the music genre, these songs are imprinted in every citizen that truly recognizes the importance of celebrating our Independence Day.
At VOZ (Also born on 4th of July) we gathered 10 songs that you can listen to to celebrate today. Here’s the full list:
"American Pie" - Don McLean
This song peaked at number one on the Billboard charts in 1972 and has since been covered by musicians such as Garth Brooks, Madonna, and Jon Bon Jovi.
McLean wrote this song with an autobiographical tone, and portrayed a reflection of what was going on in the United States during the 1960s, including the assassinations of the Kennedys, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Vietnam War. According to the singer, it all began in February 1959, with the devastating aircraft accident that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and JD "the Big Bopper" Richardson. He also included some young age experiences. In a documentary called “The day the music died” he extensively tells the story of this amazing song.
"Born Free" - Kid Rock
Born Free is the main single and title tune from Kid Rock's eighth studio album produced by Rick Rubin, one of the most important producers of our time. According to the extinct MTV News, the singer said this song was about, "how lucky each and every one of us are, no matter where you're from, to be born in a country that's free." The song was also used by Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign in 2012.
"God Bless The U.S.A." - Lee Greenwood
Yes, this is the song you hear every time that former president and now primary candidate Donald Trump takes a stage or gets off it. Powerful lyrics that praise the military, the American pride and of course, freedom.
Greenwood released this song in 1983 after many struggles to get it on air. He explains the whole journey with a lot of interesting details in an interview with Tennessean. Here’s a direct quote from this interview:
When it got on the radio, the audience heard it, it became the song for the National Guard of Tennessee, and then the military, and then with President Reagan and his ‘84 campaign, which I was part of, and then moved forward to Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf War – not in that order – and the (September 11) attack on America. Each time, more Americans found “God Bless the U.S.A” to be a song of spirit and unity. It didn’t happen overnight.
"Just a dream" - Carrie Underwood
This song tells the story of a young wife coping with the death of her soldier husband. This was the first song Underwood chose for Carnival Ride, according to an interview with Sirius radio's New Country program.
In November 2008, it became Underwood's sixth country number one. It was the fourth single from Carnival Ride to reach the top spot.
"Living in the promised land" - Willie Nelson
Many people have said this song is about immigrants coming to the United States and the spirit of love and empathy that this Country can offer. Nelson recorded it on his album The Promiseland in 1986. The song quickly landed at number one on the charts because of its powerful and beautiful lyrics.
"America the beautiful" - Elvis Presley
Katharine Lee Bates, a Wellesley College English professor, composed the lyrics of "America the Beautiful" as a poem, which was originally published in 1895. The name "America" was rarely used in connection to the United States at the time.
In 1926, the lyric "America the Beautiful" was mixed with the melody of a hymn created by Samuel Ward called "Materna" for a National Federation of melody Clubs contest. Until Kate Smith sang Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" in 1938, it was the most popular "America" song.
National Anthem (Star spangled banner) - Chris Stapleton at Superbowl
Stapleton impressed many when he delivered his National Anthem performance at the latest Super Bowl edition, on February 13th, 2023. The presentation was praised by numerous artists and personalities and even got some tears from the Philadelphia Eagles’ coach Nick Sirianni.
Sammy Hagar, former singer from the band Van Halen among other projects, went on Instagram to say it was the best National Anthem performance since the ones from other singers such as Aretha Franklin or Whitney Houston.
Red, white and blue - Lynyrd Skynyrd
This song was composed immediately after the September 11th attacks by the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. It was composed in support of the troops who had been deployed to Afghanistan at the time during the War on Terror.
"America is my home" - James Brown
James Brown was known, among many other things, for being proudly and loudly conservative. He supported presidents such as Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon and was widely criticised by the left for it.
In the song "America is My Home," the lyrics stated that the United States: "is still the best country / And that's without a doubt." At the time, he challenged critics to name another country where a poor man from a humble background might wind up as a wealthy star shaking hands with the president.
"Only in America" - Brooks & Dunn
Brooks created the patriotic "Only in America" with authors Don Cook (Barbara Mandrell) and Ronnie Rogers (Alabama) only a few months before the terrorist attacks on New York City in 2001. With the opening lyric "Sun comin' up over New York City," it became an unofficial song of recovery for the city and the whole country.
Can you think of any other patriotic songs to play loud on Independence Day? Pump up that volume! Happy
4th of July!
