Independence Day, Vol. 3

Happy 4th of July! Summer's biggest holiday is today, and with it comes a new round of music from my most eccentric playlist to date. We've got patriotic anthems, songs from the Americana genre, songs about American cities, and more - you can view the full playlist on Apple Music @audioaesthetics.

Hard Workin' Man by Brooks & Dunn ft. Brothers Osborne (written by R. Dunn)

Featured on their 2019 album Reboot, this classic Brooks & Dunn tune gets a modern makeover with additional vocals and instrumentation from The Brothers Osborne and turns into even more of a banger if possible. Whether you're a country music fan or not, America is full of hard working men and women that can relate to some or all of this song.

I'm a hard workin' man, I wear a steel hard hat/I can ride, rope, hammer and paint, do things with my hands that most men can’t/I can't get ahead no matter how hard I try/I’m gettin' really good at barely gettin' by/Got everything I own by the sweat of my brow/From my four-wheel drive to my cowboy boots/I owe it all to my blue collar roots/I feel like I'm workin' overtime on a runaway train/I’ve got to bust loose from this ball and chain/I’m a hard, hard workin man/I got it all on the line for a peace of the promised land/I’m burnin' my candle at both ends/‘Bout the only way to keep the fire goin’ is to outrun the wind

American Girls (Club Mix) by DJ Dan (composer unknown)

Featured on DJ Dan's 2013 album Disko-Funk Odyssey (Remixes), there isn't a whole lot to this song besides six minutes of a pretty pumping house/electronica beat. It's alright for what it is, and seeing as it's titled after American girls, one of which I am, it just made sense for it to be here.

Philadelphia Freedom by Elton John (written by B. Taupin, E. John)

Featured on Sir Elton's 1975 album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, this song for sure made the list thanks to its namesake, the largest city in Pennsylvania and one of the most recognizable cities in the country. This is a classic Elton John bop and a great listen for sure.

I used to be a rolling stone you know/If the cause was right, I'd leave/To find the answer on the road/I used to be a heart beat for someone/But the times have changed/The less I say, the more my work gets done/'Cause I live and breathe this Philadelphia freedom/From the day that I was born, I've waved the flag/Philadelphia freedom took me knee high to a man, yeah/Gave me peace of mind my daddy never had/Oh, Philadelphia freedom, shine on me, I love you/Shine a light through the eyes of the ones left behind/Shine the light, shine the light/Shine the light won't you shine the light/Philadelphia freedom, I love you/Yes I do

Boondocks by Little Big Town (written by J. Westbrook, K. Fairchild, K. Roads, P. Sweet, W. Kirkpatrick)

Featured on their 2005 album The Road to Here, Little Big Town's breakout hit is an ode to the hometown and how it always remains a part of you no matter where you go. This song is still an absolute banger all these years later, and the band's incredibly tight four-part harmonies never cease to amaze.

I feel no shame, I’m proud of where I came from/I was born and raised in the boondocks/One thing I know, no matter where I go/I keep my heart and soul in the boondocks/And I can feel that muddy water running through my veins/And I can hear that lullaby of a midnight train/It sings to me and it sounds familiar

Covered Wagon by Miranda Lambert (written by D. O'Keefe)

Featured on Lambert's 2016 double album The Weight of These Wings, this is a really fun song featured on Part 1 (The Nerve) about breaking away from the grind of the city to explore the open road. It's a great road trip song and an absolute bop.

Get the lead out, Momma/Pack up everything we own/The smog's about to get me/And I've got a mind to roam/In my covered wagon/Honey, down the road we go/On down the road we go/On down the road we go

It's Quiet Uptown by Renée Elise Goldsberry, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Phillipa Soo, & Cast (written by L. Miranda)

Featured in Act 2 of Lin-Manuel Miranda's hit Broadway musical Hamilton, this is one of the most simultaneously beautiful and heartbreaking songs in the whole show. As we watch Alexander and Eliza deal with the aftermath of horrific family trauma narrated by Angelica, it's a moment that no parent ever wants to have to experience, yet it ends with the smallest glimmer of hope and healing.

There are moments that the words don't reach, there is suffering too terrible to name/You hold your child as tight as you can and push away the unimaginable/The moments when you're in so deep, it feels easier to just swim down/The Hamiltons move uptown and learn to live with the unimaginable/I spend hours in the garden, I walk alone to the store/And it's quiet uptown, I never liked the quiet before/I take the children to church on Sunday, a sign of the cross at the door/And I pray, that never used to happen before/If you see him in the street, walking by himself, talking to himself, have pity/Philip, you would like it uptown, it's quiet uptown/He is working through the unimaginable/His hair has gone grey, he passes every day, they say he walks the length of the city/You knock me out, I fall apart/Can you imagine

Satisfied by Sia ft. Miguel & Queen Latifah (written by L. Miranda)

Featured on the 2016 album The Hamilton Mixtape, Sia's rendition of my favorite song from the show is really excellent. With Miguel lending his voice to Hamilton's part and Queen Latifah absolutely rocking the rap verse, this is absolutely a musical cover worthy of being listened to.

A toast to the groom, to the groom, to the groom, to the groom/To the bride, to the bride, to the bride, to the bride/From your sister, Angelica, Angelica, Angelica/Who is always by your side, by your side, by your side/To your union and the hope that you provide, you provide, you provide/May you always, always/Be satisfied, rewind, rewind, rrewind/I remember that night, I just might/I remember that night, I just might/I remember that night, I remember that/I remember that night, I just might regret that night for the rest of my days/I remember those soldier boys tripping over themselves to win our praise/I remember that dreamlike candlelight, like a dream that you can't quite place/But Alexander, I'll never forget the first time I saw your face/I have never been the same/Intelligent eyes in a hunger-pang frame/And when you said "Hi,“ I forgot my dang name/Set my heart aflame, ev'ry part aflame, this is not a game

I hope everyone has had a fun, safe holiday weekend and that you found some good music to partake in as you celebrated. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!