A dissenter’s Fourth of July playlist

The Fourth of July usually means a playlist of marshal tunes and the standard patriotic fare. It’s a mixed bag — some of it, like Johnny Cash’s “Ragged Old Song” or Irving Berlin’s catalogue, is quite amazing, some a bit maudlin.

But what of the other side of the coin? Hence, a playlist for dissenters. It is just a brief list. What else might we add?

• “Born in the USA,” Bruce Springsteen
• “This Land is Your Land,” Woodie Guthrie
• “America,” Simon & Garfunkle
• “Ashes of American Flags,” Wilco
• “Star-Spangled Banner,” Jimi Hendrix
• “Power and the Glory,” Pete Seeger or Phil Ochs
• “Democracy,” Leonard Cohen
• “Pithecanthropus Erectus,” Charles Mingus
• “Freedom Day,” Abbey Lincoln & Max Roach
• “Mississippi Goddamn,” Nina Simone

Add your choice in the comments.

Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet