TOP 10
10
Kenny Chesney, “American Kids”
Details: A nostalgic tribute to the complexity and simplicity of growing up in rural America, “American Kids” topped the Billboard Country Airplay chart in 2014.
9
Shea Diamond, “American Pie”
Details: This original song — not a cover of the Don McLean classic of the same title — was a highlight of the singer-songwriter and transgender rights activist’s 2018 EP Seen It All.
8
James Brown, “Living in America”
Details: This song reached No. 4 on the Hot 100 in March 1986, Brown’s biggest chart hit since “I Got You (I Feel Good)” more than 20 years earlier. It was included on the Rocky IV soundtrack and also on Brown’s 53rd studio album, Gravity. The song earned him a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.
7
The Beach Boys, “Surfin’ U.S.A.”
Details: One of the Beach Boys’ best-known hits, “Surfin’ U.S.A.” It reached No. 3 on the Hot 100 in 1963. The single also provided the title for the (non-surfer) California band’s second album.
6
Simon & Garfunkel, “America”
Details: This melancholy ballad was part of the duo’s fourth studio album, Bookends, their first to top the Billboard 200 and their first to receive a Grammy nomination for album of the year. The song was eventually released as a single in 1972, coinciding with the release of Simon & Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits. It reached No. 97 in November 1972, just after Richard Nixon’s re-election. Coincidence? You decide.
5
Estelle feat. Kanye West, “American Boy”
Details: This ultra-catchy classic featuring Kanye West, which peaked at No. 9 on the Hot 100 in September 2008, is easily Estelle’s biggest hit. It received a Grammy nomination for song of the year.
4
Miley Cyrus, “Party In The U.S.A.”
Details: This pop classic spent three weeks at No. 2 on the Hot 100 in August and September 2009, becoming Cyrus’ biggest chart hit to that point. He appeared on Cyrus’ EP The Time of Our Lives, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
3
Childish Gambino, “This Is America”
Details: Childish Gambino’s shocking “This Is America” song and video was one of the most talked-about cultural moments of 2018. On the project, musician and actor Donald Glover held a mirror up to the country’s rampant police brutality, gun violence, racism and class warfare, earning his first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. “This Is America” earned four Grammy Awards, including record and song of the year.
2
Kate Smith, “God Bless America”
Details: The most patriotic of pop songs, “God Bless America” dates back to 1918 when the great songwriter Irving Berlin first sketched out some lyrics about being thankful for the United States. It wasn’t until 1938 that he finished it and sent it to Kate Smith, who made it an overnight sensation by performing it on her radio show.
1
Bruce Springsteen “Born in the U.S.A.”
Details: This often misunderstood classic was the third single from The Boss’s album of the same name. It was his seventh studio album; her second to top the Billboard 200 and her first to receive a Grammy nomination for album of the year. The song reached No. 9 on the Hot 100 in January 1985 and received a Grammy nomination for record of the year.
