Songs For the Country
This Independence Day, take a stroll through the annals of America via music.
This week’s Friday Mixtape takes a look at more than just the music trends and genres that have permeated our country’s culture; it also provides a history lesson of sorts for the nearly 250 years the United States has existed.
From the folksy, march hymn “The Battle of New Orleans” by Johnny Horton to the surf pop of The Beach Boys and a patriotic, country music standard—courtesy of Toby Keith’s “Made in America”—several different stories are told. The abolishment of slavery is discussed in “Day of Liberty” by Carolina Chocolate Drops, the civil rights movement gets a soulful treatment in Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come.” and Dion sings about the assassinations of some important figures.
But it’s not all serious, songs simply about loving life in the U.S. are here too, delineated using soul, 80s rock and anthem pop.
Happy Fourth of July!
This article appears in Jun 26 – Jul 3, 2014.
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