Misunderstood “patriotic” songs for the Fourth of July, from “Born in the USA” to “American Woman”

As the Fourth of July approaches, so does the wave of patriotic playlists filled with rousing anthems, nostalgic rock ‘n’ roll classics, and all manner of other songs with “America” ​​in the title. But many of the classic songs that casual listeners think are patriotic are anything but: from misunderstood anti-war protests to sing-along classics that hide darker meanings.

Here is a list of songs whose meaning goes deeper than their patriotic or America-centric first impression.

“Born in the USA,” Bruce Springsteen

Springsteen’s famous 1984 single is perhaps the most famous song often mistaken for a patriotic anthem. It has been used by politicians such as Presidents Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump. But if you listen beyond the song’s blaring chorus, the lyrics tell the story of a young American who is sent to fight in Vietnam against his will, only to return to a country that is arguably just as hostile. Starting in the ’90s, Springsteen eschewed the song’s upbeat original melody in his live performances, opting for a darker, more skeletal acoustic version that better reflects the song’s status as a protest song. This version was played in Springsteen’s Broadway shows in 2017 and 2021. − Maeve McDermott

“Fortunate Son,” Creedence Clearwater Revival

If “Born in the USA” is rock’n’roll’s most misunderstood protest song, then Creedence Clearwater Revival’s 1969 “Fortunate Son” is a close second. The song has been similarly treated as a patriotic working-class anthem, but listen past its star-spangled opening lines — “Some people are born to wave the flag / Ooh, they’re red, white and blue” — to hear John Fogerty’s anti-establishment story of how the poor were sent to fight and die in Vietnam while the rich were spared. — McDermott

Pink Houses, John Mellencamp

Back when he was still John Cougar Mellencamp, the thoughtful singer/songwriter was moved to write the first verse of his 1983 staple after driving past a black man sitting outside his house with his cat. “There’s a black man with a black cat/ Lives in a black neighborhood/ Got a highway running through his front yard/ You know he thinks he has it so good.” Mellencamp wrote the song to draw attention to racial and class inequalities. But politicians John Edwards and the late John McCain overlooked the depth of the lyrics during their respective presidential campaigns, preferring to focus on the chorus “Ain’t that America,” which Mellencamp intended as pure sarcasm. – Melissa Ruggieri

“This land is your land”, Woody Guthrie

Woody Guthrie’s timeless classic can be seen as an alternative to the national anthem, but it was not intended as such when the singer and songwriter wrote it in 1940 after becoming annoyed that radio stations were playing Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” ​​on a continuous loop.

In addition to paeans to the redwood forests and the Gulf Stream, Guthrie’s original lyrics also contained pointed social commentary that reflected his left-wing political views. This included this all-too-relevant verse, which the singer reportedly left out of his original recordings because he feared Senator Joseph McCarthy would persecute him as a communist: “There was a big, high wall that tried to stop me / The sign said ‘private property’ / But there was nothing on the back / This country was made for you and me.”

Another unrecorded verse from Guthrie’s original text describes Depression-era America and paints a picture of the country’s economic inequality: “One bright, sunny morning in the shadow of the church tower / At the welfare office I saw my people / As they stood hungry, I stood and wondered / If God had blessed America for me.” − McDermott

“American Life”, Madonna

Madonna is no stranger to controversy, and has come under fire not for her usual titillations (sex, abortion, religion), but for her politics. Written during the presidency of George W. Bush, the song is dedicated to exposing the superficiality of American culture (“I’ve got a lawyer and a manager, an agent and a chef/Three nannies, an assistant and a driver and a jet”) and the limitless consumerism that ultimately leads to dissatisfaction. “I’m just living the American dream and I’ve just realized that nothing is as it seems,” she concludes. − Ruggieri

“Rocking in the Free World”, Neil Young

Both Trump and Bernie Sanders used Young’s 1989 song during their respective presidential campaigns. Perhaps both incendiary candidates found something to agree with in Young’s story of disillusionment in the era of George HW Bush as he rails against wealth inequality, consumerism and the general decline of American society. The refrain “keep on rockin’ in the free world” may be a hurrah catchphrase used at the time of its release to celebrate the collapse of communism, but Young’s words are almost certainly intended tongue-in-cheek, making the song less of a patriotic anthem than it might first seem. − McDermott

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“Independence Day”, Martina McBride

Yes, there are fireworks, but they have nothing to do with celebrating America. McBride’s story of an 8-year-old girl who watches her alcoholic father physically abuse her mother shows a different kind of independence. “Well, she lit up the sky that Fourth of July,” McBride sings, illustrating how the protagonist sets fire to her tormentor’s house to escape. “Let freedom ring/Let the white dove sing/Let all the world know that today is a day of reckoning” is a powerful message about personal strength, not patriotism. − Ruggieri

“American Woman,” The Guess Who

Once you listen to the song, “American Woman” sounds like an ode to the seductive qualities of our nation’s female sex. That certainly wasn’t what Canadian rockers Guess Who intended in 1970. Guitarist Randy Bachman called the song an “anti-war protest song” whose title woman portrayed a warmongering Uncle Sam in the Vietnam War era. Guess Who singer Burton Cummings disputed Bachman’s interpretation of the song in a separate interview, claiming the song was less about politics than about its main character’s “dangerous” reputation. “When I said ‘American woman, stay away from me,’ I actually meant ‘Canadian woman, I like you better,'” he said. Whichever interpretation you agree with, the song is not meant to be complimentary. − McDermott

“American Pie” by Don McLean

The nearly nine-minute song rattles off so many cultural references – Buddy Holly, the Vietnam War, Charles Manson – that it’s difficult to reduce the 1970s opus to a central point. But the wordy sing-alongs so often overlook the weariness woven into the lyrics: “Bye, bye, Miss American Pie … these good old boys were drinking whiskey in rye singing ‘this will be the day that I die.'” Between this refrain and the frequent return to “the day the music died,” McLean illuminates a palpable disillusionment. − Ruggieri

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fourth of July songs: These aren’t as patriotic as you think