Staying Fit
Illustration by Loris Lora
Making a playlist for Independence Day? You can soundtrack the holiday with some help from some well-known musicians. We asked six — not all of them from the United States — to pick one song they feel speaks to the American experience. Here are their selections:
John Oates, 75
“This Land Is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie
“As a young guitarist, way before I met Daryl Hall, I was very much into folk, blues and traditional American music. Musically, this song is simple and straightforward. Lyrically is where it really shines — very down-to-earth, very real and very direct. He was able to encapsulate and capture the spirit of the country, especially during the 1930s and ’40s.”
Oates recently released a series of solo singles, including “Why Can’t We Live Together.”
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Belinda Carlisle, 64
“American Girl” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
“Since 1994, I’ve lived in eight different countries. You can take the girl out of America, but you can’t take America out of the girl. That’s why this song always resonated with me and still does. 'American Girl' came out in 1977. That was when I was living in Hollywood hanging out in the punk scene. He was considered cool by the punks, even though he was kind of teetering on the edge of Americana and new wave.”
The Go-Go’s lead singer’s new EP, Kismet, is out now.
Engelbert Humperdinck, 87
“Over the Rainbow” by Judy Garland
“I have a double album from 1965 of Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli, Live at the London Palladium. When Judy sang ‘Over the Rainbow,’ she was met with thunderous applause and joyous cheering before and after. When you hear the orchestra, especially the strings in the beginning, it truly takes you to another place. She was an American treasure singing about a place where the dreams that we dare to dream really do come true. The audience and Judy lift this brilliant and timeless song up into the clouds, where bluebirds fly, to Kansas and beyond.”
Humperdinck’s new album, All About Love, is out now.
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