America, Where are you Now?
One of the most challenging things I have done writing this column, is trying to find true patriotic songs about America.
Sure, I could go in my pile of country records and find fifty of them without even trying but looking for great songs about America in Rock and Roll, not so easy.
What American artists are particularly good at is protest songs. Songs ripping one thing or another. Which is fine, music is a form of artist expression and generally the artists that write these songs have felt some sort of oppression or they have opposition to something that impacts them or their audience.
I am not against protest songs. I am not against songs of revolution. I am not against songs crying for change. As a matter of fact some of the greatest rock and roll songs are about change.
Still, I want to write about songs that extoll the virtues of this country and I am not talking about “God Bless The USA” by Lee Greenwood. Ugh. I get it but I can’t stand it.
If you are going to play a patriotic song that has been beaten to death, play Ray Charles’ “America, The beautiful. I can sit and listen to Ray Charles anytime day or night so go ahead, play it.
If you are really going to dig into this America thing you have to start with “Born in The USA” by Bruce Springsteen. Never a big fan of the song and I think it’s more of a raw, honest appraisal of this country than some flag waving, apple pie and Chevrolet type song.
I know a lot of people can say that Linda Rondstadt is not Rock and Roll. Too poppy, too middle of the road, etc. I say nonsense, during the late 60’s and early 70’s she was hanging out in laurel Canyon with the rest of the LA sound and had she wanted to, could have been just as Rock and Roll as Ann and Nancy Wilson. Her “Back In The USA” is, to me, the perfect Fourth of July song. Fun, snappy, quick and happy. Daughter of Mexican immigrants, Rondstadt loved every bit of this country and wanted everyone to know it.
Maybe one of the five worst songs ever done by a decent group, “Where an American Band” by Grand Funk lyrically is as patriotic as anything any Rock and Roll band has ever done. The song just sucks and for a band that played “Mean Mistreater” for 20 minutes with a 10 minute guitar solo and a 6 minute drum solo, this song is an abomination.
“Living in the USA”by The Steve Miller Band is a classic American song. Miller was a great guitarist and songwriter and had little success until he went the pop route. This song was written and recorded before all that happened. I love the ending, it’s some stock car race either in California or at Raceway Park in Englishtown NJ.
You look at a catalog of songs like Lynyrd Skynyrd’s probably half the songs are about America, good and bad, mostly good. The one that stands out though is “Red, White and Blue”. Written right after 9/11, you can feel the anger and hurt in every word. I don’t think this is one of Skynyrd’s best songs but it was deeply felt and powerful and that is what a great Patriotic song should sound like.
“America” by Simon and Garfunkel is more of a love song than anything else. However, it is up to the listener to decide if it a love song to America or the girl the writer is traveling with.
Speaking of “America”, the David Bowie version on the Tribute to Heroes soundtrack is as moving a cover as you will ever hear. He plays on stage at Madison Square Garden with just a Casio keyboard and himself, mesmerizing everyone there. He is the only adopted American on this list, sorry Neil Young."
“Rock in The USA” by John Mellncamp is more of an ode to Rock and Roll in the 50’s and 60’s but the undertone is that these were all American artists and he is proud to be in their company. Mellencamp has a lot of detractors for sure but he really is the epitome of Midwestern American Rock and Rollers.
“American Girl” by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers is another quintessential American song. Not so much a patriotic song as an ode to regular American girls, their hopes and dreams.
Now to the darker side.
In my opinion, great protest songs are written with a pain in the hearts of the writers. I believe that the songwriters on this list do love this country but want to see this country do better.
Crosby, Stills and Nash (maybe Young, maybe not) wrote dozens of protest songs but none was more powerful than “Ohio”. This was a tragedy of incredible proportions and this song helped open the yes to it. Four Kent State students were shot dead by Ohio national Guardsmen. A quiet protest against the Vietnam war turned deadly and the course of the 60’s changed forever. This song encapsulated it perfectly and remains one of the best protest songs of all time.
Another group that was no stranger to protest songs was Creedence Clearwater Revival. “Fortunate Son” was a typical straight forward song about how the elites in this country bypassed the draft and watched as their classmates were killed in Vietnam. Musically, you listen and enjoy by lyrically, you look into the trouble we were in in the 60’s.
“Run Through The Jungle” is a deeper more textured song by CCR which does not use metaphors to tell it’s story. This was probably considered the soundtrack of Vietnam.
“Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud” by James Brown epitomized the cultural segregation in the 50’s and 60’s. Brown wanted all men to stand up and be proud of their race and carry that torch forward for future generations. Even without the political sentiment, this is a great song and Brown had dozens of them.
While this is not a typical song “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” by Gil Scot Heron was probably the most profound record recorded in the 70’s. Heron was a poet and songwriter and this is more poetry than anything else. Basically, it was about the shallowness of TV in the 70’s. The lack of black representation on any network at the time got heron going and that didn’t change for almost a decade.
There are actually thousand to chose from but this weekend is a celebration so I just put a few songs up there.
My last song is really not a protest song, it’s a song about healing humanity and moving forward. Marvin Gaye’s classic “What’s Going On” is a masterpiece on so many levels it’s hard to narrow it down. He sings about loving one another while still acknowledging the brutality of the time. I know there is zero mention of America in this song but knowing the background and what precipitated the writing of this song it is apparent it was all about America.