Top 10 Patriotic Songs for a 4th of July Party or Barbecue

What's a party without music? This 4th of July, liven up your party or barbecue with a patriotic playlist. The following songs are my top 10 picks for sticking to the Independence Day theme.

1. Jimi Hendrix -Star Spangled Banner: Performed at Woodstock in 1969, this solo improvisation by a true "guitar hero" is a beautiful, creative twist on our national anthem.

2. Night Ranger - (You Can Still) Rock in America: With lyrics like, "You can still rock in America... Oh yeah, it's all right", this is a great feel-good tune.

3. The Isley Brothers - Freedom: a song celebrating freedom and what it means to us

4. KISS - Rockin' In The USA: KISS proclaims that there's nowhere they'd rather be than here in the USA.

5. Brooks & Dunn - Only In America: a country song about the American dream

6. John Mellencamp - R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.: a high-energy salute to '60s rock

7. Diamond Rio - In God We Still Trust: a country song about the United States being "One Nation Under God"

8. Crosby & Nash - My Country 'Tis Of Thee: the American classic, performed with excellent harmony

9. Chuck Berry - Back In The USA: a song about being glad to live in the USA

10. Lee Greenwood - God Bless The USA: a sentimental country tribute to our country

Fourth of July also comes at the peak of summertime, so you might want to throw some happy, familiar summer tunes into the mix, such as Here Comes the Sun (the Beatles), Summertime (Sublime), I Can See Clearly Now (Johnny Nash), Take It Easy (the Eagles), Happy Together (the Turtles), Sweet Summer (Diamond Rio), and Born To Be Wild (Steppenwolf). Have fun!