Of thee I sing

I did not see the self-fluffery at the Lincoln Memorial yesterday and I don’t care about it. But NPR asked people for their personal anthems this week, so I’m going to give you a few of mine. These are songs I believe are representative of the United States, both good and bad.

You decide for yourself which is which.

  

Two songs related to the Woodstock happening, which took place 50 years ago (next month). This one, by Country Joe and the Fish, comes to my mind much more often than I’d really like. That’s because it’s still so relevant. All of it.

And here’s Eva Cassidy singing Joni Mitchell’s account of the festival.

I just love everything Sweet Honey in the Rock does. Here they are singing “We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder”, a recording made for Ken Burns’ game-changing series, The Civil War.

I ask you, where would we be without The Village People? Or the “YMCA”?

It was apparently a Thing at weddings in Kentucky in the 90s.

People usually think of Billie Holiday when they hear “Strange Fruit”, but for me, it’s Nina Simone.

This is a somewhat different take on “We Shall Overcome”. I can remember driving to a record shop in Vienna about 25 years ago to buy Dr. Loco’s Rockin’ Jalapeño Band’s CD when I heard one of the cuts on the radio. This is stellar, but you have to ignore the visuals.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about CSN&Y’s “Find the Cost of Freedom”. Not so much an anthem as a sad fact. I heard them do this at a concert back in the last century and it’s stuck with me ever since.

But finally—Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land”. I saw Arlo and Pete at the Greek Theatre back in the 80s; this isn’t that performance, but it brings back memories.

Crank up the volume and let these songs speak to you about America.