The "Sunday Morning" Essential American Songbook: Defining America through its music

"When we try to think about what does it mean to be American, this almost impossible question, one of the ways we might try and answer that is through music," said Nate Sloan, a professor of musicology at USC's Thornton School of Music. "What are the sounds that defined the American experience at different points in time?" Case in point: Ray Charles singing "America the Beautiful": Or "We Shall Overcome," performed by Mahalia Jackson: Asked what makes a quintessential American song, Sloan replied, "It has to be something that people can sing along to. I think an American song needs to be communal." Here is Bob Dylan, and a crowd, singing "Blowin' In The Wind" at the Newport Folk Festival in 1963: Bob Dylan - (Blowin' In The Wind) - "From Newport Folk Festival" 1963. by Marco Antonio A C on YouTube "And beyond that, I think an American song can take a lot of different forms," Sloan said. "I think it can be something that comments on society and our nation in some way." Bruce Springsteen sings "Born In The U.S.A." Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A. …