Welcome to “America,” the second episode of The Theme Show, just in time for the Fourth of July.
As I rewrite this post in 2025, I almost added “allegedly” to the title—a little for the algorithm, but mainly because, well, gestures broadly…
This playlist has always been a little sardonic, a little unpatriotic—and perhaps even a touch cathartic, even in its original 2006 presentation. That’s certainly no less relevant now.
It ends with an ironic nod to “God Bless the U.S.A.” because hey, as messy as things are, at least I still have the freedom to make a playlist like this. (Though depending on how things unfold, that may prove… optimistic.)
If you’re hunting for a feel-good Fourth of July soundtrack filled with “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless America”… well, you might want to skip to the last track and call it a day.
Recreated versions of the original podcast setlists are now available below. Due to changes in streaming music catalogs over time, some tracks from the early episodes may be unavailable.
Check them out at:
Setlist:
| Color Key | Not Available on Spotify | Not Available on YTMusic | Not Available on Either |
| Song | Artist |
|---|---|
| Wakko’s America | The Animaniacs |
| Young Americans | David Bowie |
| Living in America | James Brown |
| America | Prince & The Revolution |
| Kids in America | Kim Wilde |
| American Dreaming | Dead Can Dance |
| American Life | Primus |
| Corporate America | Boston |
| America | The Nice |
| 4th of July | Amiee Mann |
| Independence Day | LCD |
| An American Dream | Love & Rockets |
| Miss America | Styx |
| Independence | Praga Khan |
| American Life | Madonna |
| American Woman | Lenny Kravitz |
| The All American Boy | Bill Parsons |
| American Pie | Don McLean |
| America is Not the World | Morrissey |
| The All-American Boy | Lee Greenwood |
There are no other Fourth of July themes to date. Perhaps kick back and relax with Playlist 62: Grillible Hours.
Hunting down that original mix?
The MP3 is ready for streaming or download below. Just one note from your host: copyright claims might pull the plug without warning—so grab it while it’s still in the archive.