Songs as Part of the American Myth - Blake Bauserman

Traditionally when speaking of American Myth, the ideas that come to mind are those of superhero comics, they speak of gods and heroes from another plane of existence, era, or planet. From a person not from our time and place, it would certainly seem like we revere Superman and Batman as their followers fight to see who is strongest. I wonder though if the same could be said of certain songs.

What would it take for a song to be considered part of the American mythos? Well as a relatively warfaring culture, perhaps a potential place of origin could be in martial songs. For example, the song Dixie had versions of it sung on both sides of the Civil War, one to disparage and another to praise the South.

I would also offer folklore as another potential place. Songs such as Shady Grove, an Appalachian folk song, have been memorialized by artists repeatedly making new renderings of it, creating endless variations to the lyrics that speak of the same central message, a man desperate to be with the girl he loves.

Perhaps even popularity would add to it. Give me an American and tell me if they know "Don't Stop Beleivin" or "Take Me Home, Country Roads." These songs are ingrained deeply into American culture and youth are exposed to them relatively young. Another part is songs such as the latter example are part of the American image abroad and are used in concerts where American bands would serve as cultural ambassadors as they are so widely recognized rendering them a part of America itself in a way.