I've always thought that the best things about America can usually be found embodied in our national music. In fact, as Peter Drier and Richard Flacks observed in a 2002 Nation article, “Most Americans are unaware that much of our patriotic culture–including many of the leading icons and symbols of American identity–was created by artists and writers of decidedly left-wing and even socialist sympathies.” That includes, most decidedly, our music. “A look at the songs sung at post-9/11 patriotic tribute events and that appear on the various patriotic compilation albums, or the clips incorporated into film shorts celebrating the 'American spirit,' reveals that the preponderance of these originated in the forgotten tradition of left-wing patriotism.” So, in honor of July 4th, here's my top twelve list of America's most patriotic songs (in random order), with accompanying videos. It's a highly subjective list which could go on and on, so please use the comments field below to cite your own favorites and we can have a happy argument about it. added by: TimALoftis
