Our Flag Was Still There: Critical Patriotism in “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “This Land Is Your Land”

The US has one official national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner” and many semi-official songs as well, such as Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land.” Surveying aspects of these two songs’ histories helps us hear music capable of expressing surprising forms of critical patriotism. Francis Scott Key set his War of 1812 poem about a battle against the British to the melody of an old English drinking song! Jimi Hendrix seemed to burn the American flag down with electric-guitar protestations, but his use of the national anthem was in fact filled with far more fascinating feedback. In 2021, Kevon Carter created a wide-angle, key-changing, gospel accompaniment to Sailor Sabol’s bizarre Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) performance of the “Star Spangled Banner,” suggesting that music can critique, enfold, and include all at the same time. Woody Guthrie responded in socialistic tones to an Irving Berlin song he found cloying during the…