Oh sure, we could pull up John Philip Souza, Aaron Copland, or Bernstein.  But as good as they might be, their music wouldn’t be the soundtrack to our Fourth of July.  And what’s the point of an instrumental version from U2?  We can think of a million (and one) songs that subtly evoke our Independence Day and its history.

But for explicit musical reference, we always turn to two of our favorite songs on the 4th.

First is X’s fine cover of Dave Alvin’s song, Fourth of July. We have been X men (and women) since we first bought their 7″ vinyl, Adult Books, in a prior lifetime (when “Slash” magazine ruled the California punk scene).   X always had drilling deliveries and literate lyrics, but the gift was in the beautiful meshing of Exene’s high-edgy-monotone vocals with John Doe’s more melodic intonations.  The world hasn’t heard anything like it since, and it won’t again.

X–Fourth of July

“She’s waitin’ for me
When I get home from work
Oh, but things ain’t just the same
She turns out the light
And cries in the dark
Won’t answer when I call her name

On the stairs I smoke a
Cigarette alone
Mexican kids are shootin’
Fireworks below
Hey baby, it’s the Fourth of July
Hey baby, it’s the Fourth of July

She gives me her cheek
When I want her lips
But I don’t have the strength to go
On the lost side of town
In a dark apartment
We gave up trying so long ago

On the stairs I smoke a
Cigarette alone
Mexican kids are shootin’
Fireworks below
Hey baby, it’s the Fourth of July
Hey baby, it’s the Fourth of July

What ever happened
I apologize
So dry your tears and baby
Walk outside, it’s the Fourth of July

On the stairs I smoke a
Cigarette alone
Mexican kids are shootin’
Fireworks below
Hey baby, it’s the Fourth of July
Hey baby, baby take a walk outside”

Our other favorite 4th of July song is by Aimee Mann.  Ms. Mann has stood the test of time, both in the band Til Tuesday and solo, and has been one of America’s best female songwriters.  Having intermittently abhorred fireworks (so shoot me!) and the resulting throngs, certain lyrics (“what a waste of gunpowder and sky”) from this song have always resonated with us.

Check it out.

Aimee Mann–4th of July

“Today’s the 4th of July
Another June has gone by
And when they light up our town I just think:
What a waste of gunpowder and sky

I’m certain that I am alone
In harboring thoughts of our home
It’s one of my faults
That I can’t quell my past
I ought to have gotten it gone

Oh, baby, I wonder
If when you are older someday
You’ll wake up and say
My God, I should have told her!
What would it take?
But now I am here, and
The world’s gotten colder
And she’s got the river
Down which I sold her…

So that’s today’s memory lane
With all the pathos and pain
Another chapter in a book
Where the chapters are endless
And they’re always the same
A verse, then a verse
And refrain

Oh, baby, I wonder
If when you are older someday
You’ll wake up and say
My God, I should have told her!
What would it take?
But now I am here, and
The world’s gotten colder
And she’s got the river
Down which I sold her…

Yeah, she’s got the river
Down which I sold her… “