The Last Bass Outpost

Main Forums => The Outpost Cafe => Topic started by: westen44 on July 03, 2019, 11:18:26 AM

Title: 50 Rock Songs About the U.S.
Post by: westen44 on July 03, 2019, 11:18:26 AM: https://ultimateclassicrock.com/songs-about-america-usa/
Title: Re: 50 Rock Songs About the U.S.
Post by: Pilgrim on July 03, 2019, 12:26:43 PM: Interesting list. I'll come back to it and spend more time listening...
Title: Re: 50 Rock Songs About the U.S.
Post by: Dave W on July 03, 2019, 08:41:14 PM: Steppenwolf's "Monster" ought to be at the top of the protest songs.

At the time, Guess Who's "American Woman" was considered a protest song, no matter what Cummings says now.

I hardly think Hendrix's Star Spangled Banner was a song of protest, and along with Ray Charles' America the Beautiful, doesn't qualify as a rock song.
Title: Re: 50 Rock Songs About the U.S.
Post by: westen44 on July 03, 2019, 09:59:47 PM: Anyone who thinks Hendrix's 'Star Spangled Banner" was a protest song or song of rage is pretty much missing the point. What he felt like protesting against more than anything was that he wasn't being given a chance to spend as much time in the studio as he wanted to. Besides that, he had already performed the "Star Spangled Banner" many times before Woodstock, usually followed by "Purple Haze" as the final number. The atmosphere was always one of celebrating music more than anything else. Not that there were never other things going on from time to time, of course, life being what it is.

I don't look at Green Day's "American Idiot" as a rock song, either. If I were going to include a Green Day song about America, I would have included "Last of the American Girls" instead. Not that it's really a rock song, either, though.
Title: Re: 50 Rock Songs About the U.S.
Post by: Dave W on July 05, 2019, 01:56:44 PM: Green Day, what a bunch of poseurs. Believed their own hype.

I'll listen to Kim Wilde and my mind will be cleansed of Green Day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_GH6M7cUq4
Title: Re: 50 Rock Songs About the U.S.
Post by: westen44 on July 05, 2019, 02:56:54 PM: Kim Wilde or Nena either one could make me be cleansed of Green Day. And the song wouldn't have to be about America or even be in English.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIlXu_GjEfU
Title: Re: 50 Rock Songs About the U.S.
Post by: Dave W on July 07, 2019, 12:16:07 AM: What a pleasant surprise!
Title: Re: 50 Rock Songs About the U.S.
Post by: westen44 on July 07, 2019, 01:17:07 AM: I just saw something about Kim Wilde. She said that while her brother was in the next room writing "Kids in America" she got so annoyed at it she wanted to smash his equipment. Having no idea, of course, that what he was writing would change her life. :)
Title: Re: 50 Rock Songs About the U.S.
Post by: uwe on August 08, 2019, 09:46:58 AM: My favorite "America"-song. Because it works both ways, it's tongue in cheek ironic, but retains serious chest-beating machismo and pride.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LOol4HLc5c

And this is the other one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZM7F7e28QM

Actually the first song I heard from the Dolls, I was immediately hooked.
Title: Re: 50 Rock Songs About the U.S.
Post by: slinkp on August 08, 2019, 01:37:24 PM: I have to say, Springsteen's "Born in the USA" has aged surprisingly well.

But how could the list makers have left this one off??
https://youtu.be/WoTyqBum8PI
Title: Re: 50 Rock Songs About the U.S.
Post by: uwe on August 08, 2019, 01:53:44 PM: Zis one probably got diskwalified for ze Tshörmenn äkzent:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZc8tBtIDhI
Title: Re: 50 Rock Songs About the U.S.
Post by: Dave W on August 08, 2019, 02:48:41 PM: About 25 years ago, some columnist suggested that the national anthem be replaced with Doo Wah Diddy, saying it was the essential all-American boy-gets-girl song.

The original recording was girl-gets-boy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob7XDxPtS8Q
Title: Re: 50 Rock Songs About the U.S.
Post by: westen44 on August 08, 2019, 03:39:39 PM: All joking aside, I'd love to have Do-Wah-Diddy-Diddy as the actual national anthem. Any version of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR5yhKQo3dc
Title: Re: 50 Rock Songs About the U.S.
Post by: slinkp on August 08, 2019, 03:59:00 PM: Not eligible because not "rock" but whatever ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYOjWnS4cMY
Title: Re: 50 Rock Songs About the U.S.
Post by: westen44 on August 08, 2019, 04:58:07 PM: i see my original Kim Wilde and Nena video that I posted on post #5 is no longer available, so here is another one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUKuuotR1J8
Title: Re: 50 Rock Songs About the U.S.
Post by: uwe on August 09, 2019, 08:43:15 AM: Quote from: Dave W on August 08, 2019, 02:48:41 PM
About 25 years ago, some columnist suggested that the national anthem be replaced with Doo Wah Diddy, saying it was the essential all-American boy-gets-girl song.

The original recording was girl-gets-boy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob7XDxPtS8Q

Never heard this original version - beats everything that came out later.
Title: Re: 50 Rock Songs About the U.S.
Post by: uwe on August 09, 2019, 08:47:55 AM: Can't believe that this wasn't in the original list:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KgNaRQ_J-c

Heck of a guitar solo too. Talk about an angry guitar.
Title: Re: 50 Rock Songs About the U.S.
Post by: 4stringer77 on August 09, 2019, 10:08:18 AM: This one isn't rock but there is a little slap bass. Eat your heart out Larry Graham!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxq8n9fcXqI
Title: Re: 50 Rock Songs About the U.S.
Post by: uwe on August 09, 2019, 10:37:24 AM: I find it hard to draw exacting boundaries between rock, pop, folk and country. It's also pointless.

I always loved this "America Song" (admittedly, I thought it was a John Denver song, I wasn't aware about the argument who wrote it), it gives me goose bumps (in a good way) to this day, it's not chest-beatingly patriotic, but says something about the undisputable beauty of America as a geographic country.

BTW, in my ears this is more folk than country. Its vibe is even Paul Simonish to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SfPyg-mGhU
Title: Re: 50 Rock Songs About the U.S.
Post by: westen44 on August 09, 2019, 10:41:49 AM: Folk to the core. Not country.
Title: Re: 50 Rock Songs About the U.S.
Post by: 4stringer77 on August 09, 2019, 12:35:13 PM: The overalls almost make it country. A cowboy hat would have put him over the top.
Title: Re: 50 Rock Songs About the U.S.
Post by: Dave W on August 09, 2019, 02:08:01 PM: I'm not aware of any controversy about who wrote City of New Orleans. Steve Goodman, all the way. He considered himself a folk artist.