Bloglander

There are a lot of overwrought "patriotic" songs masquerading as inspirational, but the ol' U.S. of A. has also moved many artists to actually come up with some killer tunes. We've collected a few of our favorites here, and we'd love to hear what songs you feel capture the spirit of the country. Let us know in the comments below. 

In the meantime, dig in to some sonic goodness slathered in the stars and stripes to help you get ready for the Fourth of July festivities. 

Let's start with arguably the best version of the national anthem from semi-recent memory, courtesy of Whitney: 

The Godfather of Soul? Yup, he dug living in America, and appearing in camp classic Rocky IV, where this song comes from: 

Ah, it was such an innocent time when Miley Cyrus delivered a patriotic pop nugget before twerking on MTV and making bizarro collaborations with Flaming Lips: 

The ladies in First Aid Kit aren't even American, but the Swedish duo does a mean job covering Simon & Garfunkel's "America:"

Does it get more American than Willie Nelson? Check out his bandana in this video for "City of New Orleans" and you'll know the answer: 

Speaking of classic America, how about the U.S. Marine Band busting out John Philip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever"?

You might have heard the Grateful Dead are playing their last three shows starting tonight in Chicago. "Truckin'" is certainly an evocative American jam: 

And speaking of evocative, Jimi Hendrix's version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" has proved unforgettable: 

Let us know your go-to tunes when you're all "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!"