The best Veterans Day songs

This spoken-word song, the title-track on Cash’s 47th album, is a heartfelt nod to the patriotism that persisted during the Watergate scandal. Cash is an American legend and his message here packs a hefty punch.

It may be a staple at sports events all over the country, but it’s arguable that no musician since Hendrix has injected such raw iconoclasm into the National Anthem.

Mellencamp sings honestly about racial inequality in America, a patriotic gesture that asks America to live up to its promise of liberty and justice for all. File this under ‘Veterans Day songs to make you think’.

Brown’s 1985 comeback track (from Rocky IV, no less) packs funk and pride into a slick, groovy jam about a vast and gorgeous country full of our bad selves. Woo—get up now!

In 1969, this seething country song struck a chord with the nation’s good ol’ boys, providing a counterpoint to the idealism of the Summer of Love.

This angst-laden number – a cover of a new wave classic by British singer Kim Wilde – was memorably featured in the film Clueless. Tough and spunky, it’s sure to resonate with the sulky, sneering kids of America for a long time yet.

Don’t be fooled by this song’s bombastic and anthemic sound: here, The Boss is actually lamenting the poor treatment afforded to Vietnam War veterans. It’s a stellar piece of heartfelt social commentary that remains stirring today.

Despite many attempts at clarification, McLean refuses to explain what the lyrics to this iconic 1971 song actually mean. You might say such explanation-seekers are driving their Chevys to the levy and finding it dry. Madonna’s shimmering 2000 cover version, produced by electro wiz William Orbit, is definitely worth revisiting. 

Diamond’s sweet crooning gets to the core of what America is at its best: a shiny refuge for the huddled masses that yearn to be free. It’s a quietly affecting listen.

This punk track attempts to jibe the narrator’s patriotism with America’s conflicted history: As the song goes, ‘You’ve got to know the truth, before you say that you’ve got pride.’

As this beautifully wistful song describes, there’s nothing more American than searching for the country’s soul on the open road. It’s an essential addition to any road trip playlist.

If you like American music (baby), then you should bump this gentle acoustic ode to a quintessentially American dilemma: not having a date for prom.

In 1944, this folk classic foretold the fall of the Axis powers at the hands of ‘the great destroyer / made of fire, flesh, and steel.’ (That’s us.)

In America, the promise of possibility intoxicates most of us, notably here, one American girl described by Tom Petty. It’s a song that only seems to grow more resonant with each passing year. 

Maybe Miley Cyrus didn’t write this song but then, what’s more American than paying someone else to do it for you? There’s no doubt, though, that she’s the one driving this timeless ditty about carefree teenage Americana.

Part of being American is enjoying freedom of speech—that includes the liberty to loudly disapprove of its government, a right that Say Anything frontman Max Bemis exercises in this obscure but truly rocking lambasting of the then-president.

This inspirational ballad deals with the difficulty of coming of age in America and ways in which we can overcome that struggle. The fact it features three bona fide American icons only adds to its gravitas.

If this song’s iconic guitar riff doesn’t make you feel patriotic, it’s likely that nothing will – whether you hail from Alabama or any one of the other 49 states.

As this sweet ditty instructs, ‘be young, be dope, be proud—like an American.’ Del Rey is a fascinatingly ambiguous figure in pop culture, but few write about small-town American life with as much panache and affection.

One of Dylan’s finest moments, this iconic song exists at the exact point where pop music meets poetry. More than 50 years later, his queries about freedom and justice are as relevant as ever.