Eliza Hardy Jones – America The Beautiful | WXPN Philly Anthems

The second song in our Philly Anthems project is now out, and it’s by singer-songwriter Eliza Hardy Jones of The War On Drugs.

Jones’ song “America The Beautiful” is “a hootenanny, a cathartic sing-a-long inspired by the tradition of American folk music as an act of resistance.”

“For all 250 years of this nation, we have come together to make music, connect to our community, celebrate, and to mourn,” she said.

Themes in her song draw from iconic patriotic speeches, such as Abraham Lincoln’s 1862 Annual Message to Congress and Thomas Jefferson’s “tree of liberty” quote, to examine the origin myth of the nation. She also took inspiration from a modern source: Miley Cyrus’ 2009 hit “Party in the U.S.A.”

According to Jones, the song is intended to ring true at any point in the nation’s history.

“We have always been a country founded on the revolutionary dream of true freedom and equality for all, but also built on stolen land by stolen bodies,” she said. “The inherent dissonance of being a beacon of liberty while also perpetrating violence and oppression is the true American experience. And as Americans, we must continue to fight for the ‘better angels of our nature.'”

“America The Beautiful” is the second song from Philly Anthems. Eric Bazilian of The Hooters released the first Philly Anthem song, titled “Better Days.” Other artists who are participating in Philly Anthems are Grammy Award-winning jazz bassist Christian McBride, R&B and rock singer-songwriter Devon Gilfillian, and house music legend Lady Alma.
——————————————-
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL
Eliza Hardy Jones

The last best hope of the earth just put another kid in a cage
We’re all born to be free to kiss the ring and dig our graves
It’s a party in the USA where we left another child to die
America the beautiful, but only if you close your eyes

Our crowning good of brotherhood, all yearning to be free
To manifest a kingdom where we claim our destiny
It’s a party in the USA, let’s drop another bomb from the sky
America the beautiful, but only if you close your eyes

America the beautiful, send your “tempest-tost” to me
Built on a dream, but the dreamers couldn’t see
That shining city on the hill belongs to everyone that breathes

Don’t let the rich men write the story, tell you who’s the enemy
When every heart’s a branch on the tree of liberty
It’s a party in the USA, don’t you feel a little horrified
America the beautiful, but only if you actually try
America the beautiful, but only if you open your eyes

** Follow WXPN **
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/885wxpn
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@wxpnfm
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wxpnfm
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/wxpnfm.bsky.social

#WXPN #Concerts #StudioSessions #RecordingStudio #NPRMusic