Joe Willie On The Shrimpbox: GAC’s Top 20 Patriotic Songs

By David Scarlett, with Sarah Wyland

If you want to hear patriotic songs, whether openly saluting the military or just extolling the virtues of everyday life in America, country music is a great place to start. In recent years we’ve heard heartfelt songs by several artists who may not be household names yet–like ex-soldiers Luke Stricklin (”American by God’s Amazing Grace”) and Keni Thomas’ (”Not Me”). But the tunes that made it on our list of the 20 Greatest Country Patriotic Songs are by some of country’s most influential artists, and these patriotic tunes are among their most enduring. For those counting, we even included an extra song. In no particular order, here they are:

“If You’re Reading This” (2007) co-written and performed by Tim McGraw
When Tim McGraw performed “If You’re Reading This” at the 2007 Academy of Country Music Awards, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. The song is a tribute to fallen soldiers and takes the form of a letter, meant to be read only if the soldier didn’t return home. Co-written with Brad and Brett Warren of the Warren Brothers, the track was inspired by an article the three men read about war casualties. After Tim’s performance at the ACM awards, one hundred relatives of soldiers who died in the line of duty appeared onstage under a banner that read ‘Families of Fallen Heroes.’ An emotional Tim rightly received a standing ovation from his fellow country artists.

“Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue (The Angry American)” (2002) written and performed by Toby Keith
Written just days after the attacks of 9/11, this tune makes no bones about it—Toby was fighting mad. Written partly as a tribute to his war veteran father, the song summed up the feelings of a lot of Americans who wanted a very forceful response to an assault by terrorists on innocent men, women and children. It became a rallying cry for our troops and a thorn in the side of people like Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks who called the song “ignorant” and Peter Jennings of ABC News, who uninvited Toby to be part of a patriotic television special after reading the lyrics of “Courtesy.” While Toby doesn’t describe himself as a very political guy, he is a “very patriotic” guy. “If you believe in it enough, it’s worth fightin’ for,” he’s been quoted as saying. “And if you’re not gonna fight for it, then you deserve to be dictated to, you know—and I’m not willing to do that.”

“God Bless the USA” (1983), written and performed by Lee Greenwood
Often called the “unofficial National Anthem,” in 2003—the 20th anniversary of its release—online voters named this powerful song the “most recognizable patriotic song” in the nation. And, after nearly 25 years, the song Lee wrote to show his appreciation for his country and his willingness to defend it still routinely brings crowds to their feet at the opening strains of the first chorus. While cynics may describe it as jingoistic, there are a good many citizens who, to this day, cannot hear its heartfelt championing of America’s virtues without getting misty.

“Letters from Home” (2004) written by Tony Lane and David Lee and performed by John Michael Montgomery
Inspired by the American military involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, this song is based on the military, but it’s really about family and how important it is for those serving in far-away conflicts to know that loved ones are thinking about them…and how important letters are and always have been in doing that. “I went to Ft. Hood,” recalls John Michael. “And I met a father there who told me, ‘I lost my son.’ And they thanked me for the song. It’s just one of those special songs.”

“Some Gave All” (1992) Co-written and performed by Billy Ray Cyrus
This was the title cut of Billy Ray’s debut album, which eventually sold approximately 14 million copies worldwide. The song is a tribute to the sacrifices of all veterans of war and was recorded after Billy Ray met a Vietnam veteran who later died. Not surprisingly, “Some” has been embraced by veterans’ groups and has also been featured as the plotline in Billy Ray’s former “Doc” TV series. As a truly personal tribute, some rescue workers at “ground zero” in New York later got “Some Gave All” tattoos in memory of their lost friends.

“Bumper of My SUV” (2004) written and recorded by Chely Wright
As Chely tells it, this song was based on an actual event that happened when she was driving down a Nashville street and received an obscene gesture from a fellow motorist because of the United States Marines sticker Chely had on her vehicle. Chely, who describes herself in the song as “not Republican or Democrat,” is a patriot through and through, having visited and performed for troops around the world on numerous occasions.
She comes by her commitment to supporting the troops honestly. As the lyrics say, See, my brother Chris, he’s been in for more than 14 years now/Our dad was in the Navy during Vietnam/Did his duty then he got out/And my grandpa earned his purple heart on the beach of Normandy/That’s why I’ve got a sticker for the U.S. Marines, on the bumper of my SUV.
The song generates standing ovations wherever she plays it. She may never have fired a weapon in combat, but Chely continues to serve her country.

“Only in America” (2001) written by Kix Brooks, Don Cook, and Ronnie Rogers, performed by Brooks & Dunn
This song was written before 9/11 and, like “American Child” by Phil Vassar, it is all about celebrating the freedom and opportunity to be found in America where anything is possible…from becoming president to going to prison. But after the attacks in September 2001, things changed. “In times like these, songs take on special meaning,” declared Kix a couple weeks after the attacks. “Songs like these really hit home right now. Everybody is looking for a flag to wave.”

“American Child” (2002) by Phil Vassar and Craig Wiseman, performed by Phil Vassar
The video for this song sums it up very nicely as Phil looks at his own young daughter with immense gratitude that she, too, was born an American child. This very well-crafted tune is patriotic in a way that honors the sacifice of a grandfather killed in combat while also gently counting the blessings provided to Phil, his own child and millions of others in a country where dreams can grow wild born inside an American child. Very powerful and moving.

“The Fightin’ Side of Me” (1970) written and performed by Merle Haggard
While Merle doesn’t mince words when he says he feels that people in positions of leadership are making mistakes, he makes it clear in this tune from the Vietnam era that he doesn’t mind people standing up for things they believe in, but running down the country is a different thing entirely. There were then, and still are today, plenty of folks who think Merle got it right when he said a lot of people fought and died to give us the American way of life. We can disagree about specifics without trashing the country. Amen, Merle.

“America” (1984) written by Sammy Johns and performed by Waylon Jennings
This was a song Waylon carried with him for years and rediscovered after the 1984 Olympics inspired him to write a patriotic song and he found himself dissatisfied with his attempts. After another listen, he knew “America” captured what he’d been trying to say. “It wasn’t just flag waving,” wrote Waylon in his autobiography. “It was talking about the ideals we had fought for and the blunders committed in their name and the honor that lay behind our national character.” Unlike some patriotic songs, this one admits that America isn’t perfect, but professes a tender love for what’s right about the country, what’s unique in all of history and what’s worth preserving.

“In America” (1980 and re-released in 2001) written by Charlie Daniels, John Thomas Crain Jr., Joel Di Gregorio, Fred Laroy Edwards, Charles Fred Hayward, and James Marshall and recorded by Charlie Daniels
Never one to tiptoe around a subject he’s passionate about, Charlie proclaims his love of America to anyone within shouting distance. In this foot-stomping up-tempo number, he admits that every now and then Americans will criticize each other, but when it comes to being attacked by someone from elsewhere, Americans will rally together.
“Once you get past the superficial part of the people of this country,” he proclaims, “we all have one thing in common. We are Americans and damn proud of it, and when you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us. God Bless America.” With the song’s re-release following the 9/11 attacks, a whole new generation of listeners heard and embraced Charlie’s sentiments.

“Arlington” (2005) written by Jeremy Spillman and Dave Turnbull and recorded by Trace Adkins
This is a hugely powerful song in the voice of a fallen soldier being returned to his parents and to his final resting place, Arlington National Cemetery, a place he had visited as a child with his father to see his grandfather’s grave.
The song was hugely popular and was steadily combing the charts when Trace got word that some military families had some issues with it. So, without a moment’s hesitation, Trace had his record label stop promoting the song because—in spite of the many people who loved the tune—the last thing he wanted to do was cause a military family any discomfort.

“Ragged Old Flag” (1974) written and performed by Johnny Cash
This is simply a beautifully eloquent tribute to the ideals that are America and the flag that represents them. Johnny carefully crafted the lyrics in such a way that a ragged flag on a courthouse square is battered, torn and scarred from the battles she’s been in, but still flying high. And as an old man on a park bench details the flag’s imperfections to a stranger, he re-discovers his own pride in America and sums it up like this: “And she’s getting thread bare, and she’s wearing thin, but she’s in good shape, for the shape she’s in. ‘Cause she’s been through the fire before and I believe she can take a whole lot more.”

“They Also Serve” (2005) written by Jerry Holthouse and Tony Seibert and recorded by John Conlee
This song looks at the often-ignored side of a soldier’s service to his or her country—the loved ones left behind to keep the home fires burning. Inspired by scenes of the soldiers shipping off to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, the song struck an especially poignant chord with John, whose own son was getting ready to join the conflict not long after the song was recorded. It’s been hugely uplifting to family members who’ve heard the song and realize that the sacrifices they’re making and the service they’re providing by doing without their military loved ones are appreciated. And they absolutely should be.

“Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” (2002) written and recorded by Alan Jackson
While not a patriotic song in the traditional sense, this song, written by Alan shortly after the 9/11 attacks, may in fact be the ultimate patriotic song. It addresses and validates all the emotions, thoughts and concerns that Americans felt after that horrific day. Whether he’s asking, “Did you dust off that bible at home or go out and buy you a gun,” Alan reveals how well he knows the rest of us by examining the effects on our national psyche the day so many were brutally taken from us. He ends each chorus as he ends the song, with the reminder that the greatest gift God gave us is love. It’s nothing short of a masterpiece, and Alan brought honor to the entire country music industry through writing it and offering it to people who might otherwise never have listened to country music—people who needed healing.

“Have You Forgotten” (2003) written by Wynn Varble and Darryl Worley and recorded by Darryl Worley
It’s hard to find a more passionate supporter of our military than Darryl. And after a USO tour of Afghanistan over the 2002 Christmas holidays, he knew he had to do something to fight for our service men and women the way he saw them fighting for us. So he and buddy Wynn Varble, who, like Darryl, thought a lot of Americans were settling back into a pre-war mindset, decided to write a song to remind all of us why we’re fighting.
The first performances of the song were on the Grand Ole Opry stage. “At the first Friday night show, they started applauding in the middle of the song,” recalls Darryl. “It startled me so much that I forgot a line. Every performance of it that weekend got ridiculous ovations. On the televised Grand Ole Opry show on Saturday night, people actually stood up at the beginning of the song and remained standing throughout the whole performance. They cheered and cheered and cheered. I’d never seen anything like it.
“By Monday morning, the label was getting phone calls from all over the country,” he continues. “Everyone was trying to get the song. So we put together a meeting as quick as we could. We set up a recording date right then. And it’s been like a whirlwind ever since.” The song was a career record that wound up spending six weeks at No. 1.

“I Just Came Back From A War” (2006) written by Wynn Varble and Darryl Worley and performed by Darryl Worley
In much the same way “Have You Forgotten” was inspired by events Darryl experienced while on a tour supporting our troops, “I Just Came Back from a War” was inspired by more conversations with troops…and by one specific event.
“I was talkin’ to this kid and he was telling me a very intense story,” explains Darryl. “Something had happened to him when he got home [from the war]. He got into a little trouble. It was obviously a product of what he’d been through. And this line just came to me, ‘Hey man, you know what? Cut me a little slack. I just came back from a war.’ And I just wrote that line down real fast. And I remember getting chills.

“In God We Still Trust” (2005) written by Kim Nash, Bill Nash and Rob LeClair and recorded by Diamond Rio
The reception to this song was curious, to say the least. It’s not overtly patriotic in a pro military or pro war sense, but it’s absolutely patriotic in its call to preserve America’s spiritual heritage and tradition. From the first performance, and at numerous shows thereafter (possibly even to this day), audiences rose to their feet and began cheering before Diamond Rio reached the first chorus. Yet the tune received precious little radio airplay. It’s obvious by the audience response that a lot of people embraced the song’s message—that a large and vital portion of America’s essential cultural fabric is being systematically eroded with the removal of any references to God. As might be expected, the song has its critics. But, there’s no denying that many thousands of country fans see things the way Diamond Rio does.
“Where the Stars and the Stripes and the Eagle Fly” (2001) written by Aaron Tippin, Casey Beathard and Kenny Beard and recorded byAaron Tippin
This tune was written about two-and-a-half years before the 9/11 attacks. But after that terrible day, Aaron knew it was time to finally record it and get the single out. And, lest anyone question his motives, Aaron made sure that proceeds from the song went to the American Red Cross. The song, like others of the period, lauds America’s virtues—freedom, hard work and the “lady in the harbor.” It was the kind of message a lot of fans wanted to hear from a man who has embodied patriotism throughout his career. “This song is an opportunity to speak to people,” said Aaron at the time. “And I hope it will help our country heal.”

“The Eagle” (1991) written by Hank Cochran, Red Lane and Mack Vickery and performed by Waylon Jennings
The eagle is a perfect metaphor for America—strong and willing to be peaceful, unless its feathers are ruffled. Then, the eye and talons that have been kept sharp through a period of calm may be pressed into service to deal with whatever threats may be on the horizon…or knocking on our door. Waylon delivers it masterfully and, coming near the time of the first Gulf War, it met with a receptive audience among country music fans.

“American Soldier” (2003) written by Toby Keith and Chuck Cannon and performed by Toby Keith
This song shows a side of Toby’s patriotism that a lot of people might have been surprised to see after having experienced the in-your-face righteous indignation he showcased in “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” in 2002. But “American Soldier” is simply the story of a family man who’s just trying to “Be a father, raise a daughter and a son, Be a lover to their mother, everything to everyone.” And, along with that, he straps on his boots and serves his country, knowing he’s got what it takes to do his duty, no matter what the price. This quiet strength is comforting in a way that an angrier song can’t be—even though they can both have their place at one time or another. But, as Toby states so simply, the bottom line with both tunes is that, because of American soldiers, we can sleep in peace tonight.