10 All-American Songs for Your Fourth of July Barbecue

The perfect way to keep your Fourth of July barbecue lively all afternoon and evening is to have great background music. We all know and love the classic patriotic favorites like Stars and Stripes, God Bless America, and America the Beautiful. These are great songs that really speak to the pride of America, but really they're more appropriate for a parade or fireworks show than a backyard gathering of friends. Keep your party lively and the mood upbeat with rock and country music from favorites like Tom Petty, Carrie Underwood, Trace Adkins, and Bruce Springsteen.

Gone are the days of shuffling cds. (Or even further back tapes or records!) This day in age the best way to create a great atmosphere through music is to load all of the songs you want played onto your computer or MP3 player and create a playlist. If you don't have the songs from the list, you can easily download them off of the internet from websites like Amazon.com, Walmart.com, or by using a service such as iTunes. Individual songs usually cost about one dollar each. Ready to create your playlist?

Here are my top ten Fourth of July playlist picks (in no particular order):

American Girl by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen

America Street by Edwin McCain

Independence Day by Martina McBride

Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly by Aaron Tippin

All-American Girl by Carrie Underwood

Born Country by Alabama

American Man by Trace Adkins

Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue by Toby Keith

America by Neil Diamond