America 250

America celebrates Independence Day every year, but turning 250 only happens once. Watching this year's World Cup has made the occasion feel even more special. Along with the matches, it has been fun seeing visitors from around the world discovering everyday American life for the first time. Sometimes it takes someone seeing your home with fresh eyes to remind you how many little things you have quietly taken for granted all along. That seems like a pretty good reason to celebrate. This Connection follows a few of the ideas that have shaped the country along the way: liberty, freedom, home, music, and a Saturday night or two. It even begins with the birthday song I have sung to friends and family for years whenever their special day comes around. After all, 250 candles deserve something a little different. I have a feeling some of those visitors are going home with a different picture of America than the one they arrived with. This year's 4th of July seemed like the right time to celebrate that.

America 250

01 Sheriff John - Birthday Cake Polka

02 Jennifer Rocket - Stand Up Baby

03 Elton John - Philadelphia Freedom

04 Grand Funk Railroad - We're An American Band

05 George Thorogood & The Destroyers - American Made

06 Lee Greenwood - God Bless The USA

07 David Bowie - Young Americans

08 Earth, Wind & Fire - Freedom

09 Sister Sledge - All American Girls

10 Alan Jackson - Home

11 Elvis Presley - An American Trilogy

12 Common Ground - This Is America

13 Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama

14 Journey - Liberty

15 Garth Brooks - American Honky-Tonk Bar Association

16 Kim Wilde - Kids In America

17 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - American Girl

18 Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys - Liberty

19 John Denver - Take Me Home, Country Roads

20 Junior Brown - Freedom Machine

21 Beach Boys - Back Home

22 Brad Paisley - American Saturday Night

Americanos

One of my favorite parts of this year's World Cup has been watching visitors from around the world experience everyday America. Not the landmarks or the postcards, but the things most of us stopped noticing years ago. Sometimes it's a restaurant, sometimes it's the size of a grocery store, sometimes it's unlimited drink refills or discovering ranch dressing for the first time, and sometimes it's a place that somehow turned a gas station into a destination all by itself. Seeing those reactions has been a nice reminder that culture isn't just found in museums. A lot of it happens in the ordinary places we pass every day. This pick is really about perspective. Tomorrow's 4th of July seems like the perfect time to celebrate that. I have a feeling some of those visitors are going home with a different picture of America than the one they arrived with.

Americanos

01 Holly Johnson - Americanos

02 Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup - We No Speak Americano

03 10cc - Americana Panorama

04 Lady GaGa - Americano

05 David Bowie - I'm Afraid Of Americans

06 Halsey - New Americana

07 Lou Bega - You Wanna Be Americano

08 Laibach - Americana

09 The Brian Setzer Orchestra - Americano

10 Leningrad Cowboys - Americano

11 Alec R. Costandinos - Americana

12 Eight To The Bar - Young Americans

13 Soup Dragons - Americana Sweetmeat

14 Stanley Clarke - Campo Americano

15 Moe Bandy - Americana

16 Mana - Somos Más Americanos

17 Ray Davies - Americana

America 1

Happy 4th of July! If you are not from the USA, you may not know that we celebrate this day as our Independence Day. So as proud Americans we light things on fire (fireworks), drink beer and BBQ hotdogs, steaks or chicken. I spent a 4th of July in Europe (France) and was surprised to find a bar that celebrated it with us. They had hotdogs and decorated it with American flags. We didn't get fireworks, but they did play a bunch of American music. Not any of these songs, well, maybe John Mellencamp. What's funny to me is that many of these bands on this mixtape pick are not American bands. That's okay, they just had to have America in the title. Either way as you listen to this, BBQ something and eat it.

America 1

01 John Mellencamp - R.O.C.
K. In The U.S.A.

02 Night Ranger - (You Can Still) Rock In America

03 Blow Monkeys - My America

04 Beach Boys - Spirit Of America

05 Stranglers - Big In America

06 Santana - America

07 Kansas - Song For America (Single Edit)

08 Brian Eno & David Byrne - America Is Waiting

09 James Brown - Living In America

10 Yes - America (Single Version)

11 Patrick Juvet - I Love America

12 Iggy Pop - Wild America

13 Village People - America

14 Prince & the Revolution - America

15 Brooks & Dunn - Only In America

16 Nice - America

17 Jackson Browne - For America

18 Supertramp - Breakfast In America

19 U2 - The Hands That Built America (Theme From Gangs Of New York)

20 Jay & The Americans - Only In America

Colors of the USA

This patriotic pick is to celebrate the various songs of freedom and patriotism that black America has given us. So often I hear that one color or another in the USA is or isn't more patriotic. And that's BS. The people of the the United States fly under one flag and it's color is Red White and Blue. It covers all of us no matter the color of our skins. Everyone of these songs is about being American. That means always fighting for our God given rights, standing up for each other and always being for the Constitution. Can you tell I am a proud first generation American citizen? Enjoy these while I get off my soapbox.

Colors of the USA

01 Whitney Houston - The Star Spangled Banner (Live From Super Bowl XXV)

02 Melba Moore - Lift Every Voice And Sing

03 Chuck Berry - Back In The U.S.A.

04 Jon Batiste - Battle Hymn Of The Republic

05 Pharrell Williams - Freedom

06 Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - This Land Is Your Land

07 Janelle Monáe - Americans

08 Ray Charles - America The Beautiful

09 Charles Bradley,Menahan Street Band,the Gospel Queens - God Bless America

10 Ruthie Foster - Oh Susannah

11 Bebe Winans - You're A Grand Old Flag

12 James Brown - Living In America

13 Jon Batiste - Freedom

14 The 2 Live Crew - Banned In The USA

15 Childish Gambino - This Is America

16 Billy Preston - My Country 'Tis Of Thee

17 Marian Anderson - America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee) [Live]

18 Pattie Labelle And The Bluebells - When Johnny Comes Marching Home

19 Shea Diamond - American Pie

20 Teddy Wilson - Yankee Doodle Never Went To Town

21 Gary Clark Jr. - This Land

22 Jimi Hendrix - The Star Spangled Banner

Independence Day

On this Independence Day (4th of July in the USA) this pick is dedicated to the freedom of all Americans. It may not feel like it sometimes and we always have to fight for that freedom from tyranny, but it is real. These songs reflect that sometimes it doesn't feel like freedom, but it is always in the spirit of all Americans. We are currently fighting against tyranny, where authoritarians are trying to get rid of political opponents in illegal ways, but like Dan Bongino says, freedom and independence is like a beach ball. You can try to hold it underwater, but it always wants to pop back up and it will! Enjoy your 4th of July! And if you are American (or not), fight for your right to be Independent! It is a God given right, not to be trifled with by any state or country.

Independence Day 

01 Jon And Vangelis - State Of Independence

02 White Heart - Independence Day

03 Count Five - Declaration Of Independance

04 Spock's Beard - 4th Of July

05 David Byrne - Independence Day

06 Woody Guthrie - This Land Is Your Land

07 Damon - The Battle Hymn (Of The Republic)

08 Boston - Star Spangled Banner-4th of July Reprise

09 U2 - 4th of July

10 Bruce Springsteen - Born In The USA

11 Sweet - 4th Of July

12 Kenny Chesney - Freedom

13 Dave Alvin - Fourth Of July

14 X - 4th Of July

15 Mariah Carey - Fourth Of July

16 Dub Syndicate - Independence

17 Donna Summer - State Of Independence