Barbecues, fireworks and parades are as synonymous with the 4th of July, as Country music is to Patriotic songs. Over the years many Country Music releases have embodied the spirit of Independence, either as a protest or a tribute, with many becoming hits on the Country charts.
While celebrating with family and friends at picnics, barbecues and gatherings this July 4th, we can’t think of anything better than some Patriotic Country songs to help celebrate the birth date of America’s Independence. Here is a list of some of the best Country songs that you will want to add to your playlist.
“It’s America” – Rodney Atkins
The uptempo song was released in 2008 and was the title track from Rodney Atkins’ third studio album and became his fifth #1. The lyrics illustrate American images before saying that he is proud to live in the United States. The first verse describes his stopping at a lemonade stand and considering the stand a “picture-perfect postcard”, while in the second verse, he describes watching a news story about people voluntary gathering to rebuild their community after a tornado.
“Only In America” – Brooks & Dunn
It was released in June 2001 as the second single from the album Steers & Stripes. Kix Brooks, one-half of the duo, co-wrote the song with Don Cook and Ronnie Rogers. “Only in America” was also the second of three consecutive Number One hits from that album. The song was recorded and released less than three months prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks, but Brooks feels that the song got grouped in with other, similarly patriotic songs which were released in response to the attacks. The song was also featured in the beginning of the Oliver Stone film World Trade Center. The song has been used extensively in campaigns for both political parties.
“Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)” – Toby Keith
The song was written in late 2001, and was inspired by Toby Keith’s father’s death in March 2001, as well as the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States later that year. It was released in May 2002 as the lead single from the album, Unleashed. At first, Keith refused to record the song and only sang it live at his concerts for military personnel. The reaction, however, was so strong that the Commandant of the Marine Corps James L. Jones told Keith it was his duty as an American citizen to record the song. “It’s your job as an entertainer to lift the morale of the troops,” Jones said to Keith. “If you want to serve, that is what you can do.”
“America ” – Waylon Jennings
It was released in September 1984 as the first single from his compilation album Waylon’s Greatest Hits, Vol. 2. The song reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. The music video was directed by David Hogan and premiered in September 1984 on CMT (Country Music Television). It features scenes from all across the United States, as well as shots of Waylon Jennings singing the song outside of a convenience store at a gas station with the American flag on it.
“American Spirit” – Thomas Rhett
The song, which came along with a handful of other new releases on the deluxe edition of Tangled Up, pays tribute to the unspoken customs and traditions that America holds true. From Friday night football games, to the easy life driving down dirt roads in pick-up trucks, each verse embodies the beating heart of the country. “‘American Spirit’ is one of my favorite songs to sit down and play on an acoustic guitar,” Rhett said. “So, I knew I wanted to make a video for it…just to share with our fans. I knew I wanted it to be simple and something that would pull on the heartstrings and I think it’s the perfect blend of that.”
“Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagles Fly” – Aaron Tippin
Co-written and recorded by American country music singer Aaron Tippin, the song reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. In addition to this, ‘Fly’ also peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Tippin’s first and, to date, only entry into the Top 20. The song was released in the wake of the September 11 attacks. All proceeds from the single went to the Red Cross and its relief efforts for the families of the September 11 attacks. According to then label president, Randy Goodman, the single raised approximately $250,000.
“Made in America” – Toby Keith
Keith wrote the song with frequent collaborator Bobby Pinson and actor/singer Scott Reeves. Keith told Billboard magazine that they wrote the song in early 2010 and he almost left it off the album because of the number of other patriotic songs he has recorded. Pinson told Taste of Country that he and Reeves started talking about buying American-made merchandise to support the country. After writing part of the song, they thought it sounded like something Keith would record, so Pinson took what he had finished to Keith, who helped him complete the song. The song is an uptempo, in which an older farmer (Keith’s own father, according to the song), a retired United States Marine, and his schoolteacher wife, who will only buy American products, are disgusted by the influx of foreign goods, from cars to cotton.
“God Bless the U.S.A.” – Lee Greenwood
“God Bless the U.S.A.” gained prominence during the 1988 United States presidential election campaign, when Greenwood performed the song at the 1988 Republican National Convention and at rallies for the Republican nominee, George H.W. Bush. The song was also featured in television advertisements for Bush. The song became popular again during the Gulf War in 1990 and 1991. As a result of its newfound popularity, Greenwood re-recorded the track for his 1992 album American Patriot. The popularity of the song rose again after the September 11, 2001 attacks and during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and the song was re-released as a single, re-entering the country music charts at No. 16 and peaking at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart in 2001.
“Ragged Old Flag” – Johnny Cash
Ragged Old Flag” was written in 1974 while Cash was in Binghamton, New York. The political turbulence at the time was high, as President Richard Nixon was forced to resign during the Watergate scandal. Cash had publicly supported Nixon’s candidacy, but he had started to question the wisdom of Nixon-era policies concerning the Vietnam War. He wrote “Ragged Old Flag” to “reaffirm faith in the country and the goodness of the American people.
“American Child” – Phil Vassar
The song is a personal saga of one American man’s rise from “Nowhere, Virginia” to a life in the spotlight and satisfaction as a father. “Nowhere, Virginia” is a reference to his hometown of Lynchburg, Virginia. The song co-written and recorded by Phil Vassar, was released in April 2002 as the lead-off single and title track from the album of the same name. It peaked at number 5 on the Hot Country Songs chart, and number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was written by Vassar and Craig Wiseman.