And we're back with America's ultimate summer holiday - Independence Day! We've got a pretty eclectic mix for 2024 that I'm excited to share with ya'll, as always. The full playlist can be viewed on Apple Music @audioaesthetics.
American Baby by Dave Matthews Band (written by B. Tinsley, C. Beauford, D. Matthews, L. Moore, M. Batson, S. Lessard)
Featured on DMB's 2005 album Stand Up, this song's all about Americans not losing their culture in the midst of political and social turmoil, a topic that's still very relevant today. I don't listen to a lot of Dave Matthews, but this song's pretty good with a catchy melody and good lyrics.
If these walls came crumbling down/Fell so hard to make us lose our faith/From what's left, you'd figure it out/Still make lemonade taste like a sunny day/Stay beautiful, baby/I hope you stay American, baby/American baby
The Nicest Kids in Town by Film Cast of Hairspray (written by M. Shaiman, S. Wittman)
Featured in the 2007 film adaptation of Hairspray, this song (along with the rest of the film) offers a snapshot of a crazy time in America: the early 1960s and the middle of the Civil Rights Movement. Set in Baltimore, Maryland and performed in the film by James Marsden, Brittany Snow, Zac Efron, and the ensemble, this fun, energetic, bubbly theme to a local TV show not so subtly shows the charged atmosphere of the city at this point in time.
Oh, every afternoon when the clock strikes four/A crazy bunch of kids crash through that door, yeah/Go and throw off their coats and leave the squares behind/And then they shake it, shake it, shake it like they're losing their mind/You'll never see them frown, 'cause they're the nicest kids in town
Where the Wild Things Are by Luke Combs (written by D. Turnbull, R. Montana)
Featured on Combs's 2023 album Gettin' Old, this song tells the story of a younger brother watching his older brother try to find his way in California. I love this song for its lyrical storytelling, and Combs does a great job narrating and really helping paint this picture of a young man chasing his version of the American Dream.
My big brother rode an Indian Scout, it was black like his jacket/American Spirit hangin' outta his mouth just like our daddy/He kicked started that bike one night and broke Mama's heart/He pointed that headlight west, out where the wild things are/He'd call me up every couple of weeks from South California/Talk about the desert and the Joshua Tree and his pretty girl stories/And how he bought an Airstream trailer and a J-45 guitar/Said, "Little brother, you'd love it out here, out where the wild things are”/Oh, it's hearts on fire and crazy dreams/Oh, the nights ignite like gasoline/And light up those streets that never sleep when the sky goes dark/Out where the wild things are
Greyhound Bound for Nowhere by Miranda Lambert (written by M. Lambert, R. Lambert)
Featured on Lambert's 2005 album Kerosene, this heartbreak ballad talks about a real American institution: the Greyhound bus. The narrator may not know exactly where she's headed, but a ticket on the largest intercity bus service in North America will definitely get her somewhere.
Rain on the window makes me lonely/And time keeps on passing so slowly/The old man sitting next to me is falling asleep/On a Greyhound bound for nowhere/The sun's going down on my misery/Another day gone by with broken dreams/That telephone I hear ringing, I keep wishing it was you/On a Greyhound bound for nowhere/That ring that you were wearing don't mean everything/And the way that you stood staring as you watched me roll away/She loves you and you need me and there's some things we can't share/I’m on a Greyhound bound for nowhere
The Election of 1800 by Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton (written by L. Miranda)
Featured in Act II of the Broadway musical Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda shows us his interpretation of the real life U.S. Presidential Race between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. With solos from Daveed Diggs, Okierete Onaodowan, Leslie Odom Jr, and Miranda himself, this is one of my favorite songs from Hamilton and a hugely pivotal moment in the final bit of the show.
Every action has its equal opposite reaction/John Adams shat the bed, I love the guy, but he's in traction/Poor Alexander Hamilton, he is missing in action/So now I'm facing Aaron Burr with his own faction/He's very attractive in the North, New Yorkers like his chances/He's not very forthcoming on any particular stances/Ask him a question, it glances off, he obfuscates, he dances/And they say I'm a Francophile, at least they know I know where France is!/Thomas, that's the problem; see, they see Burr as a less extreme you/You need to change course, a key endorsement might redeem you/Who did you have in mind, don't laugh/Who is it, you used to work on the same staff, what/It might be nice, it might be nice/To get Hamilton on your side/It might be nice, it might be nice/To get Hamilton on your side
Summer Young by Rascal Flatts (written by G. Levox, N. Thrasher, W. Mobley)
Featured on Rascal Flatts's 2010 album Nothing Like This, this song is a stereotypical country music summertime anthem, but it honestly works. There's nothing like a three-part Rascal Flatts harmony, and the song is an excellent edition to any summery playlist.
You looked a little cold to me, so I gave you that army green/Jacket that was in my trunk/It didn't fit, you didn't care, a little chill was in the air/And you were just warming up/You smiled/And we sang/I wanna thank the band, whoever they were for playing our song/And all the stars up there for getting in line and shining down on/That boardwalk you and I strolled down, light's dancing on the water from the merry-go-round/We made a lot of memories, ain't no doubt, but there's only one summer young
Fairly Local by twenty one pilots (written by T. Joseph)
Featured on TOP's 2015 album Blurryface, this song's title is reminiscent of what so many Americans have been yearning for for years now: a feeling of locality. Some people love the big city, some people love living way out in the middle of rural nowhere, but others love the feeling of a small town or suburb and a strong sense of a local community (not the vibe of the song, but again, I make the rules).
I'm fairly local, I've been around/I’ve seen the streets you're walking down/I’m fairly local, good people now/Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh/I’m evil to the core, what I shouldn't do, I will/They say I'm emotional, what I want to save, I'll kill/Is that who I truly am, I truly don't have a chance/Tomorrow I'll keep a beat aand repeat yesterday's dance/Yo, this song will never be on the radio/Even if my clique were to pick and the people were to vote, it's the few, the proud, and the emotional/Yo, you, bulletproof, in black like a funeral/The world around us is burning but we're so cold, it's the few, the proud, and the emotional
If you're celebrating this week, I hope you hve a fun, safe holiday. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!
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