According to Esquire, the list doesn’t aim to choose the greatest American songs; instead it is “a collection of songs that are distinctly American, addressing protest and leisure, joy and pain, wisdom and silliness, nostalgia and experimentation.”
Despite the title, Springsteen is not on the list for his iconic protest song “Born in the U.S.A.” In fact, songs with America or U.S.A. in the title or chorus were excluded from the list. Instead, The Boss’ 1980 track “The River” is recognized, with the mag calling it his “most perfectly American composition” because it describes the “compromises required of the working class.”
Dylan is represented with 1965’s “Highway 61 Revisited,” although the mag notes his “entire 60-plus-year career has been an exploration of American music.” Petty’s recognized for 1989’s “Free Fallin'” because it “depicts suburban isolation and longing.”
Other songs making the list include: KISS’ “Rock and Roll All Nite,” the Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop,” Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville,” The Beach Boys’ “Surfin’ Safari,” Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” and Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land.”
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