Songs about America run the gamut from celebrations to acerbic criticism and everything in between. Maybe the best example of exercising your First Amendment rights is singing about the U.S.A.
To determine the most popular songs about America, 24/7 Tempo reviewed song performance data from the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Songs that contain “America,” “American,” or “U.S.A.” in their titles were ranked based on an inverse scoring system wherein a week at No. 1 is worth 100 points, a week at No. 2 is worth 99 points, and so on, up to a week at No. 100 worth one point. Chart data is current through Sept. 23, 2023.
Country stars tend to pen paeans to America, especially in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. These include Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless The USA,” Justin Moore’s “Small Town USA,” and “Only in America,” by Brooks & Dunn (one of the most popular musical duos of all time.)
Rock ‘n’ roll and rap have picked up the protest gauntlet from folk singers like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Joan Baez and have written about the failure of the American promise. While Paul Simon (“American Tune”) and Bruce Springsteen (“Born in the USA”) sang about an American Dream eluding Americans, songs from the Guess Who and Lenny Kravitz (“American Woman”) and Childish Gambino (“This Is America”) presented a more searing vision of an America betraying its ideals. (Here’s a list of 50 protest songs that made the Billboard Hot 100.)
The artists with most songs on our list could not be more different in terms of their attitude about America. Country singer Toby Keith’s four songs on the list – “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American),” “American Ride,” “Made in America,” and “American Soldier” – espoused the culture and fortitude of the nation. Rock icon David Bowie brought his quirky and questioning perspective about America with songs like “I’m Afraid of Americans,” “Young Americans,” and “This Is Not America.”
50. David Bowie, “I’m Afraid of Americans”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 66 (for 3 weeks)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 16 weeks
> Debut date: Nov. 22, 1997
49. Connie Francis, “God Bless America”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 36 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 11 weeks
> Debut date: Nov. 16, 1959
48. Night Ranger, “(You Can Still) Rock in America”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 51 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 12 weeks
> Debut date: Dec. 3, 1983
47. Paul Simon, “American Tune”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 35 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 10 weeks
> Debut date: Dec. 1, 1973
46. Jake Owen, “American Country Love Song”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 55 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 17 weeks
> Debut date: March 26, 2016
45. Madonna, “American Pie”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 29 (for 2 weeks)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 9 weeks
> Debut date: Feb. 19, 2000
44. Phil Vassar, “American Child”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 48 (for 2 weeks)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 15 weeks
> Debut date: Aug. 24, 2002
43. Green Day, “American Idiot”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 61 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 20 weeks
> Debut date: Aug. 21, 2004
42. Lee Greenwood, “God Bless the USA”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 16 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 17 weeks
> Debut date: Sept. 29, 2001
41. David Bowie, “Young Americans”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 28 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 11 weeks
> Debut date: March 15, 1975
40. Jay & The Americans, “Only in America”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 25 (for 2 weeks)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 11 weeks
> Debut date: Aug. 17, 1963
39. Jackson Browne, “For America”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 30 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 12 weeks
> Debut date: March 1, 1986
38. Matthew Wilder, “The Kid’s American”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 33 (for 2 weeks)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 13 weeks
> Debut date: Feb. 18, 1984
37. David Bowie/Pat Metheny Group, “This Is Not America”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 32 (for 2 weeks)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 12 weeks
> Debut date: Feb. 2, 1985
36. Tommy Facenda, “High School U.S.A.”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 28 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 13 weeks
> Debut date: Oct. 19, 1959
35. Rodney Atkins, “It’s America”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 44 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 20 weeks
> Debut date: March 7, 2009
34. Cashman & West, “American City Suite”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 27 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 11 weeks
> Debut date: Sept. 23, 1972
33. Mickey Newbury, “An American Trilogy”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 26 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 11 weeks
> Debut date: Nov. 6, 1971
32. The Nu Tornados, “Philadelphia U.S.A.”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 26 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 12 weeks
> Debut date: Nov. 17, 1958
31. Justin Moore, “Small Town USA”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 44 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 20 weeks
> Debut date: June 20, 2009
30. Lenny Kravitz, “American Woman”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 49 (for 5 weeks)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 21 weeks
> Debut date: July 17, 1999
29. Survivor, “American Heartbeat”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 17 (for 2 weeks)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 16 weeks
> Debut date: Sept. 25, 1982
28. Luke Featuring The 2 Live Crew, “Banned in the U.S.A.”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 20 (for 2 weeks)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 16 weeks
> Debut date: July 21, 1990
27. Electric Light Orchestra, “Calling America”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 18 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 15 weeks
> Debut date: Feb. 1, 1986
26. Toby Keith, “American Ride”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 35 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 16 weeks
> Debut date: Aug. 15, 2009
25. Toby Keith, “Made in America”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 40 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 20 weeks
> Debut date: June 25, 2011
24. Linda Ronstadt, “Back in The U.S.A.”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 16 (for 2 weeks)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 13 weeks
> Debut date: Aug. 19, 1978
23. Leif Garrett, “Surfin’ USA”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 20 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 15 weeks
> Debut date: Aug. 27, 1977
22. The Pointer Sisters, “American Music”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 16 (for 3 weeks)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 14 weeks
> Debut date: June 26, 1982
21. Byron MacGregor, “Americans”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 4 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 12 weeks
> Debut date: Jan. 5, 1974
20. Bob Seger, “American Storm”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 13 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 14 weeks
> Debut date: March 15, 1986
19. The Charlie Daniels Band, “in America”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 11 (for 2 weeks)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 15 weeks
> Debut date: May 31, 1980
18. Kim Wilde, “Kids in America”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 25 (for 4 weeks)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 18 weeks
> Debut date: May 22, 1982
17. Toby Keith, “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 25 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 20 weeks
> Debut date: June 8, 2002
16. Carrie Underwood, “All-American Girl”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 27 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 20 weeks
> Debut date: Jan. 19, 2008
15. Donna Fargo, “The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 11 (for 2 weeks)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 16 weeks
> Debut date: May 27, 1972
14. Childish Gambino, “This Is America”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 1 (for 2 weeks)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 17 weeks
> Debut date: May 19, 2018
13. Brooks & Dunn, “Only in America”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 33 (for 3 weeks)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 20 weeks
> Debut date: July 21, 2001
12. Toby Keith, “American Soldier”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 28 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 20 weeks
> Debut date: Dec. 27, 2003
11. The Dirt Band, “An American Dream”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 13 (for 2 weeks)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 19 weeks
> Debut date: Dec. 8, 1979
10. Bruce Springsteen, “Born in the USA”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 9 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 17 weeks
> Debut date: Nov. 10, 1984
9. Kenny Chesney, “American Kids”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 23 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 20 weeks
> Debut date: July 5, 2014
8. John Mellencamp, “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute to 60’s Rock)”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 2 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 17 weeks
> Debut date: Feb. 1, 1986
7. Neil Diamond, “America”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 8 (for 3 weeks)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 17 weeks
> Debut date: April 25, 1981
6. James Brown, “Living in America”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 4 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 19 weeks
> Debut date: Dec. 7, 1985
5. Grand Funk, “We’re an American Band”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 1 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 17 weeks
> Debut date: July 28, 1973
4. The Guess Who, “American Woman/No Sugar Tonight”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 1 (for 3 weeks)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 15 weeks
> Debut date: March 21, 1970
3. Don McLean, “American Pie (Parts I & II)”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 1 (for 4 weeks)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 19 weeks
> Debut date: Nov. 27, 1971
2. The Beach Boys, “Surfin’ U.S.A.”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 3 (for 1 week)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 25 weeks
> Debut date: March 23, 1963
1. Miley Cyrus, “Party in the U.S.A.”
> Peak position on Hot 100: No. 2 (for 3 weeks)
> Total time spent on Hot 100: 29 weeks
> Debut date: Aug. 29, 2009