David Lee Roth - Yankee Rose

David Lee Roth was released from Van Halen in 1986, and to celebrate, he wrote a song about wanting to have sex with America. The entire country. At the same time. And that's exactly what he did. Whatever you think, we really nailed it when we created Diamond Dave.

Night Ranger - You Can Still Rock In America

Because it's on the same album as the undeniably amazing power ballad Sister Christian, this one always gets overlooked, but good ol' Ranger perfectly captured the plastic-fantastic mall-crawling faux-fun of mainstream 80's America on this one. Night Ranger was never cool, and this song isn't either, but not everyone was cool back then. The squares, too, required a rock anthem. That's it.

Don Mclean - American Pie

An eight minute epic that begins with the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly and ends with the entire history of rock’n’roll, Mclean’s masterful ode to America’s greatest contribution to culture is so good nobody can ever turn it off until it’s over. Seriously, there are people sitting in their driveways right now letting dinner get cold, waiting for the ‘Did you write the book of love?’ part.

Grand Funk - We’re An American Band

1973 was probably the greatest year in rock’n’roll history and this was pretty much the greatest hit of 1973 so, I mean, you do the math. The beauty of this song is that it doesn’t matter who or where you are when you hear it, it just draws you in. You’re part of it. For its duration, we’re all an American band, man. they songs will always remain in American Latest songs.

John Cougar Mellencamp - Pink Houses

This dude hasn’t been working class since 1980 at least, but Mellencamp understands small-town America better than just about anybody, and this enduring gem from his breakout ‘83 album Uh-Huh remains an inspiration for any Americans optimistic enough to think things’ll get better someday. It could happen.

Tom Petty - American Girl

Hardly jingoistic, American Girl is a rambunctious little ditty about a mid 70’s girl with wanderlust. Hell, it might even be a tragedy (“God it’s so painful when something that’s so close is still so far out of reach”), but Tom Petty’s plaintive power-pop has always struck a deep rootsy chord with US audiences, and this one just feels like home.

Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA

We all know it’s actually a protest song. You don’t have to keep telling us that. We still like it. Born in the USA endures because it is entirely emblematic of the country it’s singing about: conflicted, wounded, weary, worried and ragged, but still standing. Our modern national anthem, basically.

Lyrnyrd Skynyrd - Freebird

There is a fairly reasonable argument that “real” America can’t be found in our crowded, bustling cities on the coasts, that the authentic, true-blue, soaring eagle America is boiling away down south. And if you wanna know what that sounds like, it sounds like fucking Freebird. People request it at every gig regardless of the band on stage for a reason. It’s magnificent. And this bird you cannot change.