What’s Your Favorite Patriotic Song?

For the Fourth of July, musicians tell us about songs that exemplify this country

Craig Rosen,

AARP

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En español

Published June 26, 2023

a record player with red and white stripes and white stars on blue representing patriotic music for the fourth of july

Illustration by Loris Lora

Making a playlist for Independence Day? You can soundtrack the holiday with some help from some well-known musicians. We asked six — not all of them from the United States — to pick one song they feel speaks to the American experience. Here are their selections:

John Oates, 75

“This Land Is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie

“As a young guitarist, way before I met Daryl Hall, I was very much into folk, blues and traditional American music. Musically, this song is simple and straightforward. Lyrically is where it really shines — very down-to-earth, very real and very direct. He was able to encapsulate and capture the spirit of the country, especially during the 1930s and ’40s.”

Oates recently released a series of solo singles, including “Why Can’t We Live Together.”

Belinda Carlisle, 64

“American Girl” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

“Since 1994, I’ve lived in eight different countries. You can take the girl out of America, but you can’t take America out of the girl. That’s why this song always resonated with me and still does. 'American Girl' came out in 1977. That was when I was living in Hollywood hanging out in the punk scene. He was considered cool by the punks, even though he was kind of teetering on the edge of Americana and new wave.”

The Go-Go’s lead singer’s new EP, Kismet, is out now.

Engelbert Humperdinck, 87

“Over the Rainbow” by Judy Garland

“I have a double album from 1965 of Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli, Live at the London Palladium. When Judy sang ‘Over the Rainbow,’ she was met with thunderous applause and joyous cheering before and after. When you hear the orchestra, especially the strings in the beginning, it truly takes you to another place. She was an American treasure singing about a place where the dreams that we dare to dream really do come true. The audience and Judy lift this brilliant and timeless song up into the clouds, where bluebirds fly, to Kansas and beyond.”

Humperdinck’s new album, All About Love, is out now.

Angélique Kidjo, 62

“Living in America” by James Brown

As soon as the song starts, its beat, its energy throws me on the streets of New York. You just can’t resist the slapping bass, and you have to stand up and dance. Everything seems possible! It’s the feeling I got the first time I came to the U.S. It also expresses the magnitude of the country. You can travel for days; you can’t get to the end of it. So many cities, so many cultures. This is America at its best. The chords of the chorus are lifting our spirit up.”

Kidjo was awarded the 2023 Polar Music Prize.

Mike Peters, 64

“An American Trilogy” by Elvis Presley

“Technically it’s a medley of three songs ('Dixie,' 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic' and 'All My Trials'), but it’s titled as one. It encapsulates everything I think of in terms of America. There’s a song from the North, and there’s a song from the South mixed in it. It makes me think of the promise of America and a place where dreams and aspirations can come true. And when Elvis gets to the final notes, it makes you feel anything is possible.”

Peters is a member of the Welsh rock band the Alarm. The group’s new album, Forwards, is out now.

Bobby Rush, 89

“Long Distance Call” by Muddy Waters

“It’s about a girl that he loved and she promised to love him, but he’s always calling her; she never calls him. Then he realizes that it’s one-sided. In a lot of men’s and women’s lives, very seldom do you get a 50-50 love. In America, it’s never 50-50, especially when you’re talking about Black and white history. Why don’t we meet each other halfway? That’s what’s wrong with the world.”

Rush is a Blues Hall of Fame singer-guitarist. His new single, “One Monkey Can Stop a Show,” is out now.

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