Swiss Journal of Research in Business and Social Sciences

Music

Rock and Metal Songs About America by Non-U.S. Artists


There is no law that states musicians from the United States have a monopoly on writing songs about their native country — so let’s broaden your horizons with the following list of 11 great songs about America by non-U.S. artists.

These bands and solo stars arguably offer more interesting perspectives on the U.S. as outsiders. Some of these songs celebrate America, while others critique the nation’s status as a political and cultural epicenter.

From Kim Wilde to Rammstein, here are 11 must-hear songs about America by non-American artists.

Add these to your Fourth of July playlist and see if anyone calls you out on them.

READ MORE: Rock + Metal Songs About U.S. History

Blur, “Look Inside America”

“Look inside America
She’s alright, she’s alright”

After taking aim at various unsavory elements of American pop culture on “Miss America” and “Magic America,” Britpop pioneers Blur finally reconcile their complicated relationship with the country on “Look Inside America” and concede “she’s alright.”

This is the most ringing endorsement you’re likely to get from them.

David Bowie, “Young Americans”

“All night, you want the young American”

The ebullient chorus to Bowie’s “plastic soul” excursion belies a desperate tale of “a newlywed couple who don’t know if they really like each other,” in his own words. The real lyrical gut punch is: “We live for just these 20 years, do we have to die for the 50 more?”

David Bowie, “I’m Afraid of Americans”

“I’m afraid of Americans
I’m afraid of the world
I’m afraid I can’t help it”

Twenty-two years after the release of Young Americans, Bowie addressed the nation once more in this Brian Eno co-write (which was later remixed by Trent Reznor).

“It’s not as truly hostile about Americans as, say, ‘Born in the USA’: it’s merely sardonic,” Bowie said in a press release for the song. “I was traveling in Java when the first McDonald’s went up: It was like, ‘For fuck’s sake.’ The invasion by any homogenized culture is so depressing; the erection of another Disney World in, say, Umbria, Italy, is even more so. It strangles indigenous culture and narrows expression of life.”

See also  T.I. & Tiny Ask Judge To Throw Out Sexual Assault & Battery Lawsuit

The Clash, “I’m So Bored With the U.S.A.”

“Yankee detectives
Are always on the TV
Because killers in America
Work seven days a week”

“I’m so bored with the U.S.A
I’m so bored with the U.S.A
But what can I do?”

If the Clash’s Joe Strummer were alive to witness Kid Rock and RFK Jr. chugging whole milk and working out in a sauna with their shirts off (and denim jeans on in the pool), he would realize what a privilege it is to be merely bored with the U.S.A.

Crazy Lixx, “Anthem for America”

“What happened to the youth of the USA?
Would you help me understand?
You used to be the model of non-conformity
Now it’s all the same, oh”

Your guess is as good as mine, my Swedish rockers in arms. Have you tried posting this song on TikTok?

The Guess Who, “American Woman”

“American woman
Stay away from me
American woman
Mama, let me be”

The Guess Who guitarist Randy Bachman has insisted that the Canadian rockers’ signature hit is an anti-Vietnam War protest song (see the “war machines / ghetto scenes” lyrics). However, lead singer Burton Cummings countered that it’s about American girls who “seemed to grow up faster” than their Canadian peers.

Which interpretation do you think Lenny Kravitz subscribed to when he scored a hit with “American Woman” 30 years after its initial release?

Ian Hunter, “All American Alien Boy”

“Well I’m an All American Alien Boy
Look out Mary Tyler Moore”

Shooting your shot with the titular star of The Mary Tyler Moore Show is crazy work, but if anyone has the swag to pull it off, it’s Ian Hunter, lead singer of British rockers Mott the Hoople.

Protest the Hero, “Rivet”

“All praise be to the new god who speaks so elegantly
Who says, ‘America is not great, but it can be'”

Canadian prog-metallers Protest the Hero addressed various pivotal events in U.S. history — and their subsequent whitewashing — on their 2020 album Palimpsest. The album ends appropriately with a mocking invocation of President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan.

See also  Mick Ralphs, Bad Company Guitarist, Passes Away

“The greatness that Donald Trump and all his cronies want to return to is only great for the old, white, male, rich elite,” singer Rody Walker told Loudwire. “That is the greatness of America that the rest of the world views as its tragic flaw.”

Rammstein, “Amerika”

“We’re all living in Amerika
Amerika ist wunderbar”

“We’re all living in Amerika
Coca-Cola, Wonderbra”

These are some of the only English lyrics in the German metal giants’ satirical anthem about American exceptionalism and political imperialism. That’s probably for the best. They also insist, “This is not a love song.

Supertramp, “Breakfast in America”

“Take a jumbo across the water
Like to see America
See the girls in California”

All these English rockers wanted was to ogle some of those pretty California girls that Brian Wilson sang about. Instead they got sampled by Gym Class Heroes. Life’s a raw deal.

Kim Wilde, “Kids in America”

“We’re the kids in America (Whoa)
We’re the kids in America (Whoa)
Everybody live for the music-go-round”

Kim Wilde’s debut single shot to No. 2 in her native England and effectively launched her career. It only reached No. 25 in the U.S., but its pop cultural ubiquity was set in stone when American girl group No Secrets covered it for the 2001 film Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.

Please check out the best hard rock album of every year since 1970 below:

The Best Hard Rock Album of Each Year Since 1970

This section goes year by year, looking at the best albums in hard rock since 1970.

Gallery Credit: Loudwire Staff



Here you can find the original article; photos and images used in our article also come from this source. We are not their authors; they have been used solely for informational purposes with proper attribution to their original source.

Share It:
ChatGPT
See also  Ex-Cradle of Filth Members Sue Dani Filth and Management
Perplexity WhatsApp LinkedIn X Grok Google AI

LEAVE A RESPONSE

Sarah Parker
Sarah Parker is a research analyst and content contributor with a strong interest in business strategy, organizational behavior, and social development. With a background in sociology and public policy, she focuses on exploring the intersection between research and real-world application. Sarah regularly contributes articles that bridge academic insights and practical relevance, aiming to foster critical thinking and innovation across sectors.