Setting the Mood for the Fourth of July

It’s the fourth of July. You’re having a barbecue. Or maybe you’ll be going to one. There’s potato salad to make. Or eat. Corn to shuck. Watermelon to slice. Meat to sear. Beers to drink.

All the while you think you might want to contemplate independence. Or liberty. Or freedom. Or your Bill of Rights. Your Constitution.

Well, friends, it’s your lucky day. We’ve made a playlist to gird you in these admirable endeavors. It’s full of songs invoking and alluding to the ideas—and ideals—that the Fourth of July embodies.

Have a great holiday.

1. “Happy Birthday Abie Baby,” Hair

2. “Rockin’ in the Free World,” Neil Young

3. “Born in the USA,” Bruce Springsteen

4. “My Country,” TuneYards

5. “American Tune,” Paul Simon

6. “Everything Is Free,” Gillian Welch

7. “America Without Tears,” Elvis Costello

8. “Redemption Song,” Bob Marley

9. “Free to Be You and Me,” New Seekers

10. “This Land Is Your Land,” Woody Guthrie

11. “America,” West Side Story

12. “Me & Bobby McGee,” Janis Joplin

13. “Refugee,” Tom Petty

14. “America,” Simon and Garfunkel

15. “Free,” Cat Power

16. “Chimes of Freedom,” The Byrds