Happy Birthday to the country that gave us the Great American Songbook, Baseball, and Frank Sinatra! To get you in the patriotic spirit here are 5 songs to help you celebrate July 4th weekend:
1. You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith
This song, about how fortunate one is to be from the U.S.A., was first introduced by The Andrew Sisters in the 1941 Abbott and Costello film Buck Privates. It was written by the songwriting team of Raye and Prince, who wrote many musical numbers for The Andrew Sisters and Abbott and Costello at Universal. The same year Don Raye co-wrote the song, he was inspired to join the cause and enlisted in the U.S. Army.
2. America The Beautiful
It’s a song that celebrates America from coast to coast because we only had 44 states when the song was published in 1895. Samuel A. Ward set music to Katharine Lee Bates's poem that honored the country's diverse territory and the pilgrims, patriots, and heroes who made it's freedom possible.
3. You Never Had It So Good
In 1964 Frank Sinatra released a patriotic album called America, I hear You Singing.Most of the songs had been made popular by Sinatra and other artists, but "You Never Had It So Good" was a new song written just for this album. It is rumored to be inspired by the British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan's campaign.
4. Battle Hymn Of The Republic
The oldest song on the list was written by a female poet, Julia Ward Howe, in 1861. Howe was active in anti-slavery efforts and a strong supporter of the Union. Her song became the battle cry of the Union and a popular church hymn. This performance by Whitney Houston shows that it’s cultural significance is timeless.
5. God Bless America
No 4th of July list would be complete without a performance by the Great American Songbook's biggest patriot, Irving Berlin. He wrote "God Bless American" in 1918 during his time in the service, but it remained in his music trunk for two decades. In 1938, as Europe was being plagued by totalitarianism, Berlin knew it was time to set it free. Here he is singing on the Ed Sullivan show:
What’s your favorite patriotic song? Let us know in the comments section below.