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Who doesn't love songs about America on the 4th of July? Celebrate with these patriotic songs—from pop and rock to hip-hop and country.
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Music sets the tone for a whole lot of what we do. Whether it’s an instrumental tune playing softly in the background while you shop or a beloved ballad on the radio that makes you want to roll down the windows and sing at the top of your lungs, music makes us feel things. Naturally, certain songs lend themselves to holidays and celebrations better than others. At Christmastime, we have Christmas songs like “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” and on Halloween, we have “Thriller.” What is the 4th of July without patriotic songs like “God Bless the USA” playing at a barbecue?
To create your ultimate playlist, start with some tried-and-true patriotic songs about the 4th of July, then pepper in tracks that pay homage to some of the states that make up our country. Follow those up with some summer favorites, and you have yourself a batch of 4th of July songs that make the perfect soundtrack for playing 4th of July games, traveling for the long weekend or taking part in any other patriotic celebration.
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Looking for a good patriotic quote? If so, you’ll find it in Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 hit. It sounds like a super-patriotic song, with its loud chorus in which the Boss practically scream-sings the song’s title. But in actuality, the track has a much deeper meaning. Springsteen wrote the patriotic song about a Vietnam War vet who returns home to find life unlike he left it. In an interview with NPR, the musician explained his decision to sing that part loudly and proudly, despite the despair in the rest of the lyrics. “The pride was in the chorus,” he said. “In my songs, the spiritual part, the hope part, is in the choruses. The blues and your daily realities are in the details of the verses.”
Celebrate the 4th of July by listening to Faith Hill. One of the top-selling country music stars, with nearly 50 million albums sold globally, she features a powerful message in her patriotic song “American Heart.” The song opens with children declaring, “When you have an American heart, you can be who you are.” This leads into a heartfelt tribute to a country that empowers individuals to embrace their true selves.
The musical duo Brooks & Dunn, formed in 1990, created an anthem with “Only in America.” The patriotic song’s lively tune is a delight, but it’s the message of limitless opportunities and the diverse lives within the country that truly resonates.
We couldn’t leave out this patriotic anthem by country legend Dolly Parton. Written in response to the 9/11 attacks, “Color Me America” is Parton’s way of offering comfort and healing through music. The song’s themes of freedom and justice are central to its uplifting message.
If you don’t know who Chuck Berry is, it’s time you learned: He’s the father of rock and roll, after all. The Beatles’ “Back in the USSR” was even inspired by his style. With lyrics like “Well, I’m so glad I’m livin’ in the USA / Yes, I’m so glad I’m livin’ in the USA / Anything you want, we got it right here in the USA,” this patriotic song makes a perfect addition to your 4th of July playlist. It’s must-listen music for a summer road trip or 4th of July vacation.
American songwriter Irving Berlin created timeless music that forms a cornerstone of American popular culture. His contributions to the Great American Songbook earned him numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Grammy, a Tony and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Gerald R. Ford in 1977. With its heartfelt title and lyrics, his World War I anthem, “God Bless America,” epitomizes his deep pride in the country.
George Michael Cohan started his career young, performing as a teenager with his family in a vaudeville act called The Four Cohans. His 1917 song, famously featuring the line “The Yanks are coming,” was designed to inspire young American men to enlist to fight in World War I. It was hugely popular with both the U.S. military and the public, and it earned him a special medal, awarded by Congress in 1940. Today, he’s probably best known for the songs “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy.”
“Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince,” a beloved track from Taylor Swift’s 2019 album Lover, reflected her discontent with the political climate in the United States. The song peaked at No. 49 on the Hot 100. It even served as the opening number on Swift’s Eras Tour, all while inspiring the title of her Netflix documentary, Miss Americana.
Demi Lovato was a Disney Channel star who rose to fame for her role in the made-for-TV musical Camp Rock and its sequel, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. The Grammy-nominated and award-winning musician, actor and New York Times bestselling author continues to inspire others with her music. In particular, this song was the second single from her fourth studio album, Demi. The album was incredibly popular after its release—it climbed to No. 3 on the Billboard 200. And the patriotic song itself reached No. 80 on the Hot 100 in August 2013.
Are you a Lana Del Rey fan? Her music, known for its cinematic quality and themes of tragic romance, typically references pop culture and Americana from the 1950s to the 1970s. This particular song, from Del Rey’s EP Paradise, became No. 10 on the Billboard 200 in December 2012.
Released in 2015, Rihanna’s patriotic song is perfect for the 4th of July and will be a major hit with the younger crowd. It captures her incredible journey from Barbados to America, where she became a superstar (and self-made billionaire). One standout lyric: “This is the American Dream / Young girl, hustlin’ on the other side of the ocean / You can be anything at all in America, America.”
Paul Simon wrote the patriotic song “America” for Simon & Garfunkel’s fourth studio album, Bookends, which was released in 1968. The folk-rock tune, which follows a young couple as they road-trip across the country, is based on an actual drive Simon took with a former girlfriend. Cameron Crowe’s 2000 flick Almost Famous used the song, as did Bernie Sanders during his 2016 presidential campaign. Whether added to a road trip playlist full of patriotic songs or blared while playing a game of cornhole, it’s one of those beautiful 4th of July songs about the United States and its many opportunities.
If you want to get a 4th of July barbecue started, there may not be a more toe-tapping patriotic song on this list than Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the USA.” In this tune all about how she moved to Los Angeles from Nashville to pursue her career in entertainment and felt like a fish out of water, Cyrus sings about music being the great uniter. No matter where she was in the United States, when her favorite song came on the radio, she felt right at home. The happy track was released in 2009 as part of Cyrus’ album The Time of Our Lives.
Take it from pop to rock with Lenny Kravitz’s cover of The Guess Who’s song “American Woman,” which he recorded for Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me, a funny flick starring Mike Myers. The musician took home the Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance in 1999 for the patriotic song—kind of funny considering he was a little hesitant to record it in the first place. “I was called by the people making Austin Powers, and they … asked me to cover ‘American Woman,’ which I thought was odd, but I accepted, thinking it was an interesting challenge,” said Kravitz in a Reddit AMA. “I did my best to change it as much as possible while still respecting the original.”
To celebrate with patriotic songs is also to salute the men and women who have fought for our freedoms. Toby Keith’s “American Soldier” does just that, telling the story of a fictional U.S. Army serviceman as he prepares for deployment. The country singer says he co-wrote the song after meeting so many troops on USO tours, wanting to give back to them for all the support they’ve shown his career. “American Soldier” was the second single released from Keith’s album Shock’n Y’all, and it even spent four weeks at the top of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
Head back to the 1980s with John Mellencamp’s truly rockin’ “R.O.C.K. in the USA,” from his album Scarecrow, which also featured such hits as “Small Town” and “Lonely Ol’ Night.” Owing in part to his upbringing in Seymour, Indiana, Mellencamp’s music really homed in on Middle America, and music fans ate it up. It’s a fun, upbeat track about people from all over (whether from the big cities or the Heartland) coming together to jam, make music and, quite simply, enjoy life in the United States. In parentheses after the title, Mellencamp also calls it a salute to ’60s rock. Play it while enjoying a festive 4th of July appetizer.
The song “Georgia on My Mind” is most often associated with the late, great Ray Charles, but it was actually written and recorded by Hoagy Carmichael in 1930. However, no one can dispute Charles’ incredible rendition of the song, which was later used as the theme to the hit TV series Designing Women, appropriately set in the state of Georgia. Furthering appreciation for Charles’ version of the classic is the fact that the state made it the official state song in 1979 (though Charles recorded it for his 1960 album, The Genius Hits the Road).
Don McLean’s “American Pie” dates back to 1971, and the patriotic song has enjoyed a great deal of longevity. Heck, even Madonna put her own spin on it in 2000. Here’s some pop culture trivia for you: McLean, who both wrote and performed the song, was reticent to reveal the meaning behind the lyrics, except to acknowledge that the line “the day the music died” was about the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens. The Library of Congress added the song to the National Recording Registry in 2017 to acknowledge its cultural, historical and artistic relevance.
Even if you’ve never stepped foot in the state of Alabama, it’s hard not to bob your head to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” a patriotic song (and loving ode) dedicated to the state, released in 1974. Interestingly enough, none of the members of Lynyrd Skynyrd were from Alabama or even lived there at any point in their lives. Of the three band members who composed the tune, two were from Florida, and the other hailed from California. Three members of the band died in a plane crash just three years after “Sweet Home Alabama” became a hit.
Particularly on the 4th of July, Neil Diamond’s “America” is the jam. In 1980, the song was featured in The Jazz Singer, which starred Diamond (his first acting role), as well as Laurence Olivier and Lucie Arnaz. In the musical drama, Diamond plays a young man who dreams of being a pop singer but doesn’t want to disappoint his family. Lyrics like, “On the boats and on the planes / They’re coming to America / Never looking back again / They’re coming to America” share the optimism and opportunity present in the United States. Diamond’s enthusiasm when performing the song live only adds to its patriotic feel.
In 2009, Brad Paisley released the album American Saturday Night and with it a title track that is perfect for your 4th of July music needs. The patriotic song focuses on the melting pot that is the United States and how all the things we’ve borrowed from other cultures make this country unique in itself. “It was tricky to try to cover every country without it being a stretch,” said Ashley Gorley, a co-writer of the song, in an interview with The Boot. “We worked on the song all the way up to when it was recorded. It’s a hard thing to get a song with cleverness.” Some of the lyrics could make great 4th of July captions for your holiday pics.
When you’re in need of a 4th of July quote or really want to have all the feels about what it means to be an American, you add Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” to your patriotic songs playlist and turn the volume up. Greenwood included it on his country album You’ve Got a Good Love Comin’ in 1984, and that same year, it was played at the Republican National Convention. “When I wrote ‘God Bless the USA’ in 1983, it was a personal passion,” he told CMT. “I wanted to make sure this song had some kind of importance along with all the other songs I was writing and singing.”
It’s the song that put ’80s pop star Kim Wilde on the music map, but despite singing about the “Kids in America,” Wilde is actually from England, as is the songwriter who penned the tune. Still, it’s all about how the next generation is preparing to take over, and that feels pretty darn American to us. The track appeared on Wilde’s self-titled debut album in 1981 and found instant success. It would gain renewed interest when “Kids in America” appeared on the soundtrack to Clueless in 1995—a ’90s classic. You won’t regret adding “Kids” to your list of 4th of July songs.
“American Girl” appeared on the self-titled debut album from Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers in 1976, but its popularity didn’t really hit until years later, when it appeared in the film Fast Times at Ridgemont High in 1982. The band re-released the single in the early ’90s, when music aficionados really picked up on its danceable beat. Fans wanted to know the backstory of the “American girl” Petty wrote and sang about, but the musician never offered much clarity on the lyrics. “I was living in an apartment where I was right by the freeway. And the cars would go by,” he said in an interview. “And I remember thinking that that sounded like the ocean to me. That was my ocean, my Malibu, where I heard the waves crash, but it was just the cars going by. I think that must have inspired the lyric.”
Co-written and performed by the legendary John Denver, “Take Me Home, Country Roads” is the ultimate tribute to the state of West Virginia. In fact, it even became one of four (yes, four!) state anthems in 2014. It’s no wonder why: The patriotic song describes the state so beautifully, and Denver’s vocals on the track convey his personal love for the area. Released in 1971, the song tells you just about everything you need to know about West Virginia in its opening lyrics: “Almost heaven, West Virginia / Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River / Life is old there, older than the trees / Younger than the mountains, growin’ like a breeze.”
Woody Guthrie’s iconic folk song “This Land Is Your Land” pays loving homage to the entire country and is one of those timeless “oldie but goodie” patriotic songs. With lyrics like “This land is your land, and this land is my land / From California to the New York Island / From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters / This land was made for you and me,” it’s a beautiful reminder that the United States isn’t for one particular group but for everyone who makes it a wonderful place to live. Recorded in 1944 by Guthrie, it has been covered many times by other recording artists, including Peter, Paul and Mary. It’s the perfect song to play while DIYing these 4th of July crafts.
Not since Frank Sinatra’s “(Theme from) New York, New York” has a song paid such tribute to the Big Apple as Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind,” performed with Alicia Keys. As Keys croons the lyrics, “In New York / Concrete jungle where dreams are made of / There’s nothin’ you can’t do / Now you’re in New York / These streets will make you feel brand new / Big lights will inspire you,” how can you not want to take a trip to the Empire State? The song was released in 2009 and topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Tupac Shakur’s “California Love” is a party starter, for sure, particularly for those on the West Coast and any hip-hop lovers. So when you want to add a little bit of “left coast” celebration to your 4th of July party, this is the track to include. The hip-hop classic was recorded and released in 1995, championing Shakur’s love for his home state of California. The rapper died in 1996 but was nominated for a posthumous Grammy award for this song in 1997 in the Best Rap Performance category.
Interestingly, “Ragged Old Flag” by Johnny Cash was the only single released from the album of the same name. The spoken word “song” is an ode to remaining patriotic during the Watergate scandal of the Nixon administration. Cash never shied away from being political, but this may be the most obvious lyrically. Elsewhere on the album is the song “Don’t Go Near the Water,” addressing environmental issues, which might be surprising for the time (the album was released in 1974).
Whether you’re a country music fan or not, Kenny Rogers touched so many lives as a pop culture icon throughout the ’80s and, quite frankly, until the end of his life. in 2020 His song “Homeland” was released in 2001 from his album There You Go Again. The patriotic song dives deep into the heart of America, where Rogers felt so welcome for many decades, and really praises the beauty and nature of the country. The lyrics might even bring a patriotic tear to your eye: “You can hold back the rain, bring on the wind / Knock us right down, we’ll get up again / We’ve dug in deep, made our stand / This is our homeland.”
This is a toe-tapper if ever there was one. Released in 1985 as part of the Rocky IV soundtrack, James Brown’s anthem earned him the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. It takes listeners on a joyful trip to different cities across the nation.
In the American Idol winner’s 2007 tune, a red-blooded American dad is waiting for his wife to have a baby. He wants a son just like him, to fish and play football with. You can probably guess from the title of the song how that turns out for him. But spoiler alert: He instantly adores his little girl. (There’s a second verse about her teenage years, so you’re not completely spoiled!)
It’s not exactly one of the most patriotic songs on the list, but it is a celebration of your uniqueness even when you might not feel it. Perry’s 2010 bop captures the literal explosive beauty of one of the most time-honored 4th of July traditions: “Baby, you’re a firework / Come on, let your colors burst!” Bonus points if you play this one while watching a fireworks show.
The talented Massachusetts-based folk quartet Darlingside will grace your playlist of patriotic songs with this coming-of-age tune. Get ready for gorgeous harmonies, impressive banjo, guitar, violin interplay and a journey through wide-open rural American spaces.
Who knew a song without any lyrics could make you feel patriotic? The official National March of the United States (yes, that’s a thing) was written in 1896 by John Philip Sousa. Though its instrumental version might be the most common, there are, in fact, lyrics, also written by Sousa. This patriotic song is for the end of the night when you’re ready to watch some fireworks and/or relive your childhood listening to Independence Day symphonies.
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