Various songs make me feel more American, make me reflect on what it means to be an American, or make me think about the promise of America and the people who don’t have a chance at the promise whether they’re inside our borders or outside.
My starter kit (by no means complete) reflects the music I listened to growing up, a love of old musicals, a period of my life that involved line dancing in a Boise C/W bar with Lydia Justice Edwards (the state treasurer), a few songs I found poking around the Internet trying to find a specific title or artist, and contributions from friends on Facebook.
- America the Beautiful by Ray Charles
- Little Pink Houses by John Mellencamp
- Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen
- Allentown by Billy Joel
- God Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood
- We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel
- American Pie by Don McLean
- Goodnight Saigon by Billy Joel
- Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue by Toby Keith
- This Land Is your Land by Woody Guthrie
- Oh What a Beautiful Morning (Hugh Jackman version, which will make you forget all about Wolverine)
- Country Roads by John Denver
- New York, New York by Frank Sinatra
- Only in America by Brooks & Dunn
- My Way by Frank Sinatra
- This Is My Country sung by Cyril Neville (not the one you're thinking of)
- This Is My Country (this is the one you're thinking of; this version is sung by an unnamed group with beautiful harmonies)
- Home by Michael Buble
- Like a Rock by Bob Seger
If you listen to these straight through you'll hear a complex and tangled mixture of patriotism, celebration, and criticism. I know that.
It reflects how I feel: Angry that we send good men and women to die when there might have been another way. Proud of my father, the World War II bomber pilot, and my husband the Marine Corps officer. Saddened that we still stand divided, rather than united, in many ways. Glad that we are still the land of opportunity and dreams.
Proud to be an American.
It reflects how I feel: Angry that we send good men and women to die when there might have been another way. Proud of my father, the World War II bomber pilot, and my husband the Marine Corps officer. Saddened that we still stand divided, rather than united, in many ways. Glad that we are still the land of opportunity and dreams.
Proud to be an American.
Your Turn
What songs would you add to the list?
What songs would you add to the list?
