The Fourth of July in the United States is a time for fireworks, cook-outs, and, probably for millions, a day of work. Not everybody gets to have the day off just for fun. Heck, not everybody loves fireworks.
But let's assume you do and are having a get-together, and you need some ideas for a playlist to go along with the happenings. You're in luck. We have three options below.
Why go with the usual standings, such as the extremely boring "God Bless the USA," for instance? You might accidentally hear that just driving around. Instead, why not have some songs that will add some fun?
3 songs to add to your Fourth of July playlist
"America" - Simon & Garfunkel
This song is far more complex than the lilting melody implies. The narrator begins with him and his romantic partner setting off on a journey to discover the spiritual essence of America, not in a religious search, but in the American dream sense. Do they find it? Not really.
By the end of the track, the narrator tells his sleeping girlfriend that he is emotionally empty but he doesn't understand why. Paul Simon speaks as much for 1960s culture in the lyrics as he does himself. That's why the song works so well.
The song is also based on a real-life situation where Simon and his girlfriend at the time went on a five-day trip through the United States. The autobiographical words might take on even more meaning knowing that.
"Surfin' U.S.A." - Beach Boys
Pure fun, especially if you like to go to the beach and have a party, or visit your local drive-in. This is what living life without having to think too much about the stress of things can bring. Plus, if everybody had an ocean like Californi-a, we'd all be surfin', right?
The song itself steals the melody of Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen" and turns it into a classic surf rock song. The drums propel the song forward and set the tone for how surf rock should sound moving forward. The vocals are light but steady.
Again, though, the point is to have fun listening to this track, and it is impossible not to have. Brian Wilson also probably had a lot of fun coming up with a way to name top surf spots and put them with the music.
"R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A" - John Mellencamp
Not all of Mellencamp's rock Americana is positive in how it views the United States, of course. He has more cynical songs such as "Rain on the Scarecrow" and "Pink Houses," but this one is more an ode to the rock of the late 1950s and early 1960s than anything else.
It's also about America in the sense that the musicians are trying their best to make their art while ascending to the American dream. They can create their own way, and make their own mark, through music.