Tag: Katy Perry

The Fourth of July in Song

american flag There are a number of popular songs that reference the Fourth of July and Independence Day. There are songs that take a historical approach to focus on the drafters and signers of the Declaration of Independence as in the play and movie 1776. And there are popular songs about America like the version of “America the Beautiful” by Ray Charles or the song we discussed on Chimesfreedom last year, Paul Simon’s “American Tune.” But there are also a number of songs that refer to the modern version of the holiday without singing about Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, or purple mountains majesty.

Shooter Jennings: “Fourth of July”

Shooter Jennings, son of the great Waylon Jennings, recorded an excellent song about the holiday in “Fourth of July” off his debut album, Put the O Back in Country (2005). Although the song does not mention the Declaration of Independence or our Founding Fathers, it evokes the Fourth of July that is more familiar to Americans today of having a nice holiday.

Unlike many of the other Fourth of July patriotic songs, Shooter Jennings’s song is completely about the holiday. And it is a fun song. (Unfortunately, the official video is no longer available on YouTube so below is a fan video with the lyrics. A live version is here.)

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“The Great Compromise”

John Prine invokes patriotic imagery as he remembers “a girl who was almost a lady” born on the Fourth of July in his wonderful “The Great Compromise.” The song appeared on Prine’s album Diamonds In The Rough (1971).

The girl in “The Great Compromise,” however, really represents the United States.  Prine’s song about disillusionment with the country during the Vietnam War is one of the great songs about our country. [Thanks to Lucia Ferrara for reminding me about the Prine song.]

Other Singing References to the Fourth

Many other singers and songwriters have planted references to the holiday in their songs.  For example, there are songs by James Taylor (“On the Fourth of July”), U2 (the instrumental “4th of July”), Elliott Smith (“Independence Day”), X (“4th of July”), Ariel Abshire (“Fourth of July”), and Aimee Mann (“4th of July”).

Tom Waits mentions the holiday in “This One From the Heart.” So does Chicago in “Saturday in the Park” but the band was not completely sure about the day:  “Saturday in the park/ I think it was the Fourth of July.”

And Lucinda Williams sang about a “Metal Firecracker,” although the song title referred to a tour bus. PopMatters has a good list of July Fourth songs, and check out the comments below for some more additions.

What is your favorite Fourth of July song? Let us know in the comments. And have a happy and safe Fourth of July.

 

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    This Week in Pop Culture Roundup (Post-Thanksgiving 2011 Edition)

    kermit the frog plush toy

    If you have been too busy pepper spraying shoppers trying to grab that toy you want, here are some of the pop culture stories from the week that you might have missed.

    ——— Music ———

    No Depression featured an interesting story about a recent encounter with Garth Hudson of The Band.

    No Depression also featured a nice review of Glen Campbell on his final tour.

    Chimesfreedom     sends our best wishes to The Bee Gees’ Robin Gibb, who is fighting liver cancer.

    The Rolling Stones are releasing an expanded reissue of Some Girls, including a song with John Fogerty.

    “Does this mean I can play whatever I want?” — Ozzy Osbourne on getting his own music channel on SiriusXM Radio.

    “What I do is more like a poke in the ribs than a kick in the face.” – Weird Al Yankovic in Chicago Tribune profile.

    Influential jazz drummer and bandleader Paul Motian passed away last week. RIP.

    “Cracklin’ Rosie, get on board!” Neil Diamond will tour this summer to support a greatest hits CD.

    If you are a fan of The Swell Season, check out this interview with Marketa Irglova about The Swell Season, the new documentary on the band, and her new solo CD.

    WhatCulture! has a review of William Shatner’s new CD, Seeking Major Tom. Below is Shatner’s version of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” with his face in the sky of this crazy official video.

    ——— Movies ———-

    “He’s an older Bruce Wayne; he’s not in a great state.” — Christopher Nolan revealing some information on the upcoming The Dark Night Rises, which begins eight years after the last Batman film. William Shatner Calling Major Tom

    Slate listed its top five bad movie songs.

    Scarlett Johansson will direct a film adaptation of a Truman Capote novella, Summer Crossing.

    A new Woody Allen documentary prompted several stories. One article on the film quoted director Robert Weide on Woody Allen: “He doesn’t think of himself as a great artist.’’ Meanwhile, Salon ranked Woody Allen’s 10 Greatest Films. Personally, I think it is a crime that the list does not include Crimes and Misdemeanors.

    Kermit the Frog went to the White House on Tuesday. Also, this past week saw country music day at the White House, which included Kris Kristofferson and Lyle Lovett.

    The Artist, a new silent film, opened this week to rave reviews.

    An international Laurel and Hardy appreciation society meets every week in California near the Hal Roach Studios.

    “The Muppets are sweet and subversive.” — Los Angeles Times review. In another Muppets-related story, Slate discussed “Mahna Mahna” and how music from an Italian soft-core film became the Muppets’ catchiest song.

    ——— Television ———

    Elizabeth Shue will become a regular on “CSI” starting in February, replacing Marg Helgenberger.

    CBS signed up Survivor for two more seasons with Jeff Probst as host and executive producer.

    Katy Perry will host Saturday Night Live on Dec. 10.

    ——— Other News ———

    Two former death row inmates whose convictions were each overturned after years on death row were married last week.

    Finally, the UC Davis Pepper Spray Cop is now a funny Internet meme. Follow this link if you wish to skip the article and go straight to some very funny photos of the Pepper Spray Cop in unique situations, showing the strength of using humor to fight the powers.


    What was your favorite pop culture story this week? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Top Songs of 2010 With Alternate Lyrics

    Cee Lo GreenIn case you missed the biggest hits of 2010, this guy (posted as okaysamurai on YouTube) has put together a medley of some of the biggest hits of the year in a video called “Extraneous Lyrics.” The catch is that he changed the lyrics while still getting to the essence of the songs. My favorite is his cover of Cee Lo Green’s “Procreate With Yourself.”

    An astute commenter noted that the songs in the video are: (1) “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz; (2) “Love The Way You Lie” by Eminem and Rihanna; (3) “F*** You” by Cee Lo Green; (4) “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga; (5) “Tik Tok” by Ke$ha; (6) “Baby” by Justin Beiber; (7) “California Gurls” by Katy Perry; and (8) “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry.

    Which is your favorite? Leave a comment.

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