Country music is known for its patriotism. Love of the United States of America is deeply embedded in the genre. Still, there are several songs that, quite literally, changed America for the better. We picked four of our favorites.
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1. "American Soldier" by Toby Keith
Toby Keith was known for his support of the troops almost as much as he was known as a country music superstar. Keith performed 18 USO tours, supporting those who serve in the military overseas. So it stands to reason that one of Keith's biggest hits honored those in the Armed Forces. "American Soldier" was released in 2003, in response to the troops who were serving in the military following the September 11, 2001 attack.
"This is a tremendous honor to the troops," Keith said at the time (via American Songwriter). "We get so desensitized seeing them on the news every night that we forget that under the helmets is a mind, under the camouflage is a heart. They put it all on the line for us, man. The song was a tribute, but it also said to my critics, 'Now get up and say something about this ignorant redneck now.'"
2. "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood
It's hard to believe that Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" is more than 40 years old. Greenwood first released the song in 1984, unaware that he would still be performing the song more than four decades later.
"I wanted to write it my whole life," Greenwood tells The Boot of the story behind the song. "When I got to that point, we were doing 300 days a year on the road, and we were on our fourth or fifth album on MCA. I called my producer, and I said, 'I have a need to do this.' I've always wanted to write a song about America, and I said, 'We just need to be more united.'"
3. "Only in America" by Brooks & Dunn
It's hard not to be in a good mood after listening to Brooks & Dunn's "Only in America." The song, released in 2001 from their Steers & Stripes record, was written by Kix Brooks, along with Don Cook and Ronnie Rogers. Perhaps surprisingly, the song was already a hit before the tragic September 11 attacks.
"It starts going up the charts," Brooks recalls (via American Songwriter). "It was about somewhere in the Top 10 ... when 9/11 happened. And our country woke up to a morning that we had never seen before, and our true patriotic heart started pounding. ... To see our country just rally in a way where people are just hugging policemen, and anyone in the service is all of a sudden is respected for what they were and their commitment to our country. And that song all of a sudden took on a life of its own."
4. "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" by Alan Jackson
Few songs tugged on an entire nation's heartstrings like Alan Jackson's "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)." Written solely by Jackson and released in November of 2001, the song is a direct response to the shared American grief after September 11.
"I woke up one morning around 4:00 a.m. a few weeks afterward, and had that chorus going through my head." Jackson recalls to Yahoo News. "The song came out of nowhere in the middle of the night -- just a gift. And I got up and scribbled it down and put the melody down so I wouldn't forget it, and then the next day I started piecing all those verses together that were the thoughts I'd had or visuals I'd had.
"It was a Sunday," he continues. "I remember because, when I started writing it, my wife and girls had gone off to Sunday school, and I finished it that day. Like I said, that song was just a gift. I've never felt I could take credit for writing it. Looking back, I guess I just didn't want to forget how I felt on that day and how I knew other people felt."
