It's the Fourth of July!
Since I was a teenager, holidays have had a soundtrack. Sometimes the songs are obvious (U2s New Years Day the most so), sometimes events referred to in lyrics (again with the U2 and Pride on MLK day). When I met Weather Boy, my music collection doubled. He was inspired to make an actual holiday soundtrack starting with Cracker's Happy Birthday to Me, but it never got finished. I don't think there is a better Independence Day song for me than X's 4th of July. I think it's a cover, but one of those covers that is better than the original. It rocks. It's not about "America is great!" but that even in some pretty sad circumstances, there's still some hope. That's the anthem for me.*
So dry your tears and baby walk outside, it's the 4th of July!
*(Not that I'm depressed, hopeless, or wanting out of my life. I just get sick of all the America the Beautifuls out there.)
2 comments:
And a much more realistic anthem it is. But I guess we have to sing about "bombs bursting in air" in order to reassure ourselves that war is the answer. Sometimes it is, but most often it isn't.
While the characters in the song are at odds with each other, they find something to bring them together ("Mexican kids are shooting fireworks below...") Great lyrics by Dave Alvin, but definitely handled better by X.
I'm pretty fond of the 4th of July myself. :)
We ended up having TWO Patriotic songs at the wedding, huh? I'm not sure how that happened. We asked the deejay to say something about the troops. Nothing religious, nothing political. Just something to honor them and their families during this awful awful time for them. But the deejay didn't say anything. Her playing the National Anthem was ok.. it's the country's song, after all. But the playing of a second one after that was a bit much.
We considered, very briefly, having her play "The Angry American" but decided against it at the last minute. ;)
It WAS, however, VERY cool to celebrate our marriage with fireworks and I look forward to us having that every year. :)
The end.
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