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I prefer my Fourth of July celebrations to focus on the American Revolution. I enjoy studying what the Founders got right and what they got wrong. I love the summer picnics, and I tolerate the goofy flag t-shirts and star-spangled sunglasses.
But what I really enjoy is the music.
Over the years, I’ve begun to develop a carefully curated patriotic playlist. I don’t share the full list with people because my relationship with each song is personal and sometimes complicated. It includes the obligatory Bruce Springsteen. Last year I added Childish Gambino. Shooter Jennings makes an appearance for reasons that have nothing to do with American independence. Simon & Garfunkel show up as a nod to the great American road trip.
You won't hear any Lee Greenwood on my playlists. I served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Gulf War (stationed in Hawaii and the Philippines), and let's just say I've heard that song enough. What you will hear is folk historian Sparky Rucker’s “Glory Hallelujah,” which presents the evolution of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," sung today in churches, at protest marches, and at political rallies.
When President Donald Trump took the stage for the Mount Rushmore Fourth of July fireworks this year, he quoted lyrics from the “Battle Hymn.” The president was talking about why we shouldn’t let American citizens tear down Confederate statues. Or maybe he’s was talking about tearing down Mount Rushmore? President Andrew Jackson’s name came up lot during the speech as well, which is worth noting.
President Trump: “We will never let them rip America’s heroes from our monuments or from our hearts. By tearing down Washington and Jefferson, these radicals would tear down the very heritage for which men gave their lives to win the Civil War, they would erase the memory that inspired those soldiers to go to their deaths, singing these words of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, ‘As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, while God is marching on.’”
NPR aired a fantastic summary of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" as part of a project on American Anthems in 2018. It explores the history of the music, the lyrics, and its uses during everything from Civil Rights marches to white supremacist rallies.
If President Donald Trump quoted the fifth verse to call for the preservation of Mount Rushmore (or Confederate statues, it was often unclear which), the U.S. Air Force Band used the song to close the show. And they offered a modern twist, with a jazzy, if somewhat awkward, saxophone solo along with updated lyrics:
“In the beauty of the lilies, Christ was born across the sea, with a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me. As he died to make men holy, let us live to make men free, while God is marching on."
Do we die to make men free or do we live to make men free? The United Methodist Church struggled with the word “die” in the late 1980s as they worked to update their hymnal. Music and patriotism and faith are complicated bedfellows. Are you drawn to Pete Seeger to stir your American heart? Or do you celebrate American Independence by cranking up the country?
Toby Keith's "Red, White, and Blue" played as part of a musical montage during the fireworks display. My daughter, now 19, had never heard the “Angry American,” and when she did she immediately vowed she would never use my military service as an excuse to write such a substandard song.
Which reminds me of how much I’m looking forward to adding the music of a new generation to my playlist. Gen Z music will likely be heavily influenced by another tribute to the Founding Fathers and their “great unfinished symphony” that made a little history of its own this weekend. The ground-breaking musical "Hamilton" is now streaming on Disney+, which surely must qualify as a "pandemic plus."
