SONGS OF AMERICA

4 stars out of 5

Let's be clear about one thing: This is not a songbook. Lyrics, when they appear, accompany the historical narrative written by co-author Jon Meacham with occasional sidebar insights by country star Tim McGraw (a friend and neighbor of Meacham). Some of the songs mentioned are of praise, others of protest - but all (ahem!) underscore what was happening at various times of crisis from the Revolutionary War to the Great Depression, 9/11 and more.

Personally, I'm a huge fan of music; history, not so much. But brought together here, they make for a very interesting, enlightening book from which I learned quite a bit (one of the more surprising facts being that the lyrics of quite a few of the songs we all know and love were added to already-written tunes). 

I also did not know that there's an Abolitionist version of "My Country 'Tis of Thee" in which the line "Sweet land of liberty" became "Stronghold of slavery." I was unaware that the lyrics of some well-known spirituals were used as signals to those seeking freedom in other lands like Canada (in the "Coming for to carry me home" line of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," home is not a reference to Heaven). And "Dixie" was written specifically to be sung by white men in blackface, perhaps in minstrel shows which, for the record, remained popular in my small home town till not long before I graduated from high school in 1959.

Particularly since the book is a relatively short 289 pages (nearly half of the length is comprised of notes and reference material), I'm not even going to try to offer up more in-depth information. The authors do caution that many songs that have the potential to be mentioned here are not. One of those omissions most notable by me, for instance, is Pete Seeger's "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" - a long-time favorite that makes my eyes tear up every time I hear it. While I'd like to have seen a couple more examples to accompany each of the significant events of history, I understand that what's here is meant to be representative, not all-inclusive. As such, it is well worth reading.

And if you're like me, it'll stick with you for a while. Days after finishing the book, I can't get Woody Guthrie's catchy "This Land is Your Land" out of my head. Oh, but did you know the original version of this popular rah-rah America anthem contains rarely sung verses of political protest? Wow. Ain't that America.

Songs of America by Jon Meacham and Tim McGraw (Random House, June 2019); 289 pp.