Seven Patriotic Songs to Unify the Country on Election Day

US Flag Backlit. Found on Wikimedia Commons. Author Jnn13.

Today is Election Day in the United States. It is also the culmination of a brutal two-year race for the presidency.

At times it has been hard to see the finish line with all the hate and bickering going on. This has been one of the most polarizing races in U.S. history with the country being split nearly down the middle as to who is the best candidate to lead our country for the next four years.

With so much hate going on, it is easy to lose sight of what makes America great. It’s time to unite as a country and Vinyl Bay 777 feels that music is the perfect way to bring us together.

There are many patriotic songs out there that we usually only bring out for the Fourth of July. But now is just as good as any other time to listen to musicians expound on why this country is so great. Here are seven non-partisan patriotic songs that will give you a sense of nationalism on this Election Day.

1.       Neil Diamond, “America”: This song was written for the remake of ‘The Jazz Singer’ in 1980. The song details how great it is to come to America and find the freedom to “live the American dream.”

2.       Woodie Guthrie, “This Land Is Your Land”: A traditional folk song, it is simple and effective. The song’s message is that this country is all of ours. Its beauty and splendor is not to be taken for granted.

3.       John Mellencamp, “Our Country”: John Mellencamp has written several rock songs from the perspective of heartland America. “Our Country” in particular has this all-inclusive vibe in its lyrics. Just like “This Land Is Your Land,” “Our Country” makes it a point to say that there is room for everyone here, regardless of opinion as long as you are good to your fellow man (or woman).

4.       Elton John, “Philadelphia Freedom”: “Philadelphia Freedom” was not originally written as a patriotic song, but over the years has been interpreted to be about freedom in the United States. Philadelphia is historically the place where freedom was granted with the signing of the Declaration of Independence and anyone who lives in this country just wants freedom to “shine a light” on them.

5.       Jimi Hendrix, “Star Spangled Banner”: One of Hendrix’s most iconic guitar riffs, he doesn’t even need words to convey his point with this rendition of our national anthem. Just hearing those first few chords makes you stand up with pride for our country.

6.       Weezer, “I Love the USA”: I wanted to include a new song on this list amongst the tried and true favorites. This song was written by Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo earlier this year for NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter, which landed on July 4. According to the annotated lyrics on Genius though, Rivers wrote the song while on tour overseas and was “thinking a lot about America.” The lyrics are a bit all over the place, but are still patriotic none the less. A new video aimed more at politics was released last month starring Patton Oswalt.

7.       James Brown, “Living in America”: This song is a complete celebration of where the country has been and where it is now. Its main focus is the railroads, which can take you anywhere quickly and easily, and let you discover your own America. As he says in the song, “you may not be looking for the promise land / but you might find it anyway.”

As the 2016 election season comes to a close, it is important to remember that we are one country and must stay united to accomplish anything. These songs help us recognize that. Whether they talk about the “American dream” or prosperity or unity, music is a uniting force for nationalism and patriotism.

Find music from these patriotic musicians and more in-store at Vinyl Bay 777 and online at vinylbay777.com. We have thousands of new and used titles on vinyl, CD and cassette to choose from, so there is something for everyone!