So, my husband of 20 years has finally applied for his U.S. citizenship. It might be that he’s afraid our current president will find some way to deport him or it might be that he’s tired of paying to renew his green card every 10 years, but I’m happy just the same.
I plan to make up a play list of songs for his swearing-in after party. So far I have the obvious - Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to be an American,” The Guess Who’s “American Woman,” Neil Diamond’s “America,” etc. I’ll go as far back as Tony Bennett and “I left my Heart in San Francisco” and anything USA related.
Suggest to me your USA/America/50-states play list!
Kansas “Song for America”
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers “American Girl”
Triumph “American Girls”
Kim Wilde “Kids in America”
Paul Simon “America” (also Yes did a 10-minute cover version)
Queensryche “I’m American”
John Cougar Mellencamp “Pink Houses” (“Ain’t that America for you and me…”)
U2 “Bullet the Blue Sky” (“Outside it’s America…”)
I’d want it on the list, but only because I’m a Flyers fan. Some song like that should be on the list as well as America the Beautiful and that one that starts with “Jose, can you see…”
John Cougar Mellencamp “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.”
Night Ranger “(You Can Still) Rock in America”
The Nice “America (from West Side Story)”
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young “American Dream”
Green Day “American Idiot”
Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band “American Storm”
Supertramp “Breakfast in America”
Toby Keith “Drunk Americans”
Charlie Daniels Band “In America” (not really pro-American)
James Brown “Living in America”
Styx “Miss America”
Saxon “Sailing to America”
David Bowie “Young Americans”
Smashing Pumpkins “Geek U.S.A.”
The Beach Boys “Surfin’ U.S.A.”
If you want some older stuff, for a little bit of a retrospective, here’s a Frank Sinatra song that the Andrews Sisters did a well-known recording of: “You’re A Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith.”
Hey, you’re a lucky fellow, Mr. Smith to be able to live as you do,
And to have that swell Miss Liberty gal carrying the torch for you.
You’re a lucky fellow. Mr. Smith, do you know how highly you rate?
You should thank your lucky stars up above-- you should thank all 48.
And you really got a family tree,
With Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Lee,
You’re lucky to have ancestors like that,
You were born with a feather in your hat.
You’re a very very wealthy gent,
I don’t care if you haven’t cent.
You can still have things your own way,
On each election day.
If some poor suckers could choose,
They’d like to be in your shoes!
And your good fortunes along with;
You’re a lucky fellow Mr. Smith!
