Top 25 American Songs

With Independance Day upon us, we wanted to take the time to salute America in song.  While we could have eailsy dove into the world of sappy country and found a boatload of overly sentimental patriotic slush, or dipped into the world of punk for biting anti-American sentiment, we chose to hold our criteria to simply being a great song and having some form of 'America' in the title.  What we came up with was a list so tight that not even James Brown's "Living In America" sould shimmy its way in.  We're shocked too.

Behold, our alphabetical list of the Top 25 American Songs.

Alkaline Trio: The American Scream
The Chicago punk outfit delivers a stark look at soldiers returning from war. The kicked up pace and eerily melodic hook is the sugar to help the medicine in the song's message go down a bit easier.





Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup: We No Speak Americano
The international mega-hit slams its way into your head with burping horns and a thunderous stomping dance beat, taking little breaks to give you short breathers with quaint vocals in between the invigorating madness. It is the kind of song you hear once, then cannot get out of your head for weeks on end.



The Beach Boys: Surfin' USA
From the shaggy strut of the guitar to their trademark gooey melodies, this is one of The Beach Boys' biggest hits for good reason.





David Bowie: Young Americans
Ripe with soulful backing singers and a bellowing saxophone, Bowie struts and moans his way through the jangling backing brilliantly. If those rich backing vocals sound too good to be true, keep in mind that Luther Vandross sang backup on the album.



Ray Charles: America The Beautiful
Being a patriotic song is not part of the criteria for this list, but it does not proclude Ray Charles' stirring rendition of the classic tune from landing here either. Many have recorded great versions of the song, but very few can hold a candle to the gruff, soulful version Charles put together.



Neil Diamond: America
The gravely voiced Diamond delivers a gem here about the history of immigration to the US. The chest-thumping vocals, loosely strung bass groove and twinkling keys come together for an unforgettable listen.





Dispatch: Broken American
The on-again-off-again jam band trio, Dispatch were on again offered up a great reminder of their power on their 2011 EP. The tangy banjo poking around a rubbery bass line serve up Chad Stokes' homesick vocals wonderfully.





The Gaslight Anthem: American Slang
The raspy, emotional vocals of Brian Fallon and the classic rock n roll guitars slathered through work wonders with the romantic sensibilities of Fallon's narrative lyrics.





Green Day: American Idiot
The title track for the rock luminary's comeback album is about a fierce a punch in the gut that pop-punk gets. Full of Billie Joe Armstrong's trademark snear and punchy riffs, the track is a challenge to break free of the malaise of coasting through life and accepting what others tell you.



The Guess Who: American Woman
Yes, Lenny Kravitz nearly killed the song for an entire generation with a bland cover, but the original holds up well. The acoustic blues introduction and emotional vocals serve as a great introduction that could stand up as its own song, before bleeding into the loosely flung riff and passionate vocal yowl-fest you remember it for.



Jay & The Americans: Only In America
Blue-eyed soul, a swaying samba rhythm, and shooting horns mold into a wonderfully wistful sense of hope on this uplifting love song, as the narrator expels the virtues of American opportunities before adding 'only in America' would his girl have fallen for someone as lowly as him.



Jimmy Eat World: Bleed American
They may have changed the name after re-titling the album of the same name, in the wake of the September 11 attacks, but we fell in love with it before the name changing. The swirling assault of guitars, purposive beats, and Jim Adkins' frantic vocals add up to one of the best tracks in the band's impressive catalog.


Don McLean: Apple Pie
One of the most popular songs in the seventies was this Don McLean folk rocker about 'The Day The Music Died', when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper died in a plane crash. Full of jangling piano, shaggy acoustic guitar, and a shout-along hook, this is considered a classic for good reason.



Manic Street Preachers: Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayit'sworldwouldfallapart
Richey Edwards' theatrical snarl delivers impassioned jabs at US dominance in the world with wild-eyed conviction, "Compton, Harlem, a pimp f*cked a priest / The white man has just found a new moral savior". Mix in the marching beat and deliriously entangled guitars and you have yourself a powder-keg punk track.

moe.: Captain America
Buffalo jam band, moe. layer in drippy organ, dj scratches, and a healthy dose of sweeping guitar here, but it is the laid-back charm of the vocals that really grab your attention.





The Mountain Goats: See America Right
The percussive folk and blues fusion of the band works brilliantly with the nearly spoken fire in John Darnielle's vocals, as a couple looks to cross the country to re-unite via Greyhound bus. The punchy music and fiery vocals serve as a tractor-beam pulling you into the song head-first.



Oddisee: American Greed
DC MC, Oddisee's track is the newest on the list, off his People Hear What They See released in June, but the freshness of the track does nothing to diminish how hard it hits. The biting commentary on the country's need for oil is smart, but the fluttering synth-dipped backing, heavy beat, and his razor-sharp flow are just as impressive.



Tom Petty: American Girl
The achy strain in Petty's pleading vocals, steady beat, and slithering guitar add up to one of the best pop-rock songs of the rocker's career. Petty's rambling winner is perfection personified.





The Pogues: The Body Of An American
Irish folk legends, The Pogues ride Shane Macgowan's snarled-lip vocals, a tin-whistle, and banjo for all their worth on this haunting, yet bouncy, tale of reminiscing on the lore of a man at his funeral.





Portugal. The Man: So American
The more expansive, orchestra-laced vibe of Portugal. The Man's major label debut works wonders with John Baldwin Gourley's searing vocals. The gorgeously drizzled strings and gooey guitar float gorgeously behind the song's shaggy acoustic base for a dreamy listen.



Sam Roberts: An American Draft Dodger In Thunder Bay
Canadian rocker, Sam Roberts' tale of a Vietnam draft dodger seeking solace north is a punchy winner, with bouncy riffs, a rich narrative, and an excellent shout-along hook as the main character looks to settle down.

 

 

Simon & Garfunkel: America
The folk legends chose to roll with melody and narrative rather than rhyming. You will not miss the lack of rhymes as the effortless harmonies of the pair roll through a couple's journey to discover the meaning of America.

 

 

The Sounds: Living In America
Swedish synth rockers, The Sounds thrive off the energy in, front woman, Maja Ivarsson's vocals and this track is no different. The electrified backing of towering synth and fully-leaded power-chords finds Ivarsson roaring over them with ease as the song rides off into the anthemic hook.

 

Bruce Springsteen: Born In The USA
Perhaps one of the most misunderstood tracks in rock history, The Boss wrote the song in tribute to the difficulties faced by Vietnam veterans returning from war. Too many, including President Ronald Regan comically attempting to parlay the mega-hit's "hope" for his campaign, simply hear the raw-throated powerhouse hook and mistake it for a patriotic anthem.

Wilco: Ashes Of American Flags
The fragile, broken melody of Jeff Tweedy's vocals fit the hazy, fuzzed-out wash of sound the band creates here like a glove. The low-key desire to start new, with the unnerving fear of it, is simply brilliant.