Americana

Americana is a tough genre to pin down; for me, Americana is often a nostalgic thing, music that invokes, either lyrically or musically a past America. It can come from blues riffs, lyrics, or even just a swaggering beat. Americana isn’t necessarily about sheer patriotism but about paying homage to what makes America America, even if you don’t believe America is great. I’m not entirely convinced on the clarity of the last two sentences so I’ve made a quick list of five of my favourite Americana songs spanning country to Jazz. Hopefully this makes it clearer!

Chicken Fried – Zac Brown Band – The Foundation (2008)

For me, the imagery of Zac Brown’s lyrics move this song crosses from plain country into Americana. Although musically it is straight country, the chorus lyrics ‘a pair of jeans that fit just right’ and ‘cold beer on a Friday night’ give the song a more wide ranging appeal than being ‘raised underneath the shade of a Georgia Pine’ and this is why the song becomes true Americana for me. Although much of the imagery evokes small town Georgia, the chorus suggests experiences that unify all Americans. Plus it’s catchy as hell – I’ve sung this song with friends all over the world often to the displeasure, and occasionally the great amusement of taxi drivers.

Egg Radio – Bill Frissell – Gone, Just Like a Train (1998)

A less obvious choice, and the first instrumental piece I’ve posted on this blog. To be honest I’m not sure entirely how it fits, but it does. Maybe it’s just the rolling beat and the drawn chords evoke the American plains. Or they just make me think of Pat Metheny’s song Midwestern Nights Dream… Either way, those chords combined with Frissell’s incredible ability to take his playing from languid and jazzy to raw and bluesy in minutes (2:05 – 3:30) make this jazz instrumental feel distinctly American to me. Arguably, there are plenty of other tracks on Gone, Just Like a Train that are more Americana, but this is the one that really does it for me!

KMAG YOYO – Hayes Carll – KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories) (2011)

This is what I mean by swagger:  a dirty guitar riff and a drum beat that sounds like Levon Helm after one too many coffees. The satirical lyrics are an added bonus with references to Reagan’s Star Wars, the invasion of Afghanistan, and general CIA shenanigans. The lyrics tell the story of a soldier who starts dealing heroin while on tour only to find himself working for the Pentagon in space before crashing back to Earth. In and of itself the lyrics are very outlaw country, and the references to CIA experiments with LSD and the attempts to weaponise space provide a wider American feel helping push the song into Americana. Plus the title, KMAG YOYO, stands for Kiss My Ass Guys, You’re On Your Own, which is about as American as it gets in my book.

Sinful Gladly – WIlliam The Conqueror – William The Conqueror EP (2016)

The first piece of Americana not actually by American band! With so much Americana produced overseas I felt at least one non-American group had to make into this post. William the Conquerer is a trio from Cornwall and I saw them at the Nashville Meets London festival in Canary Wharf, which just about covers their Americana credentials as far as I’m concerned. The song itself is all slide guitar, bluesy chords, and harmonica. And with lyrics suggesting forbidden, dangerous love in smoky rooms harking back to classic blues tracks it ticks all the boxes.

American Girl – Tom Petty – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (1976)

It would seem wrong not to include this… While I would understand an argument that Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers are more rock (and/or roll, thank you Reverend Lovejoy) than Americana, but this song in particular qualifies for me. The rootsy drums, combined with a guitar jangling like it’s still the 60’s and nostalgic lyrics turn this song into a little slice of America. ‘Raised on promises’ feels like a sarcastic reference to the American Dream, but the song never quite gets to a Springsteen level of cynicism or broken heartedness helping it keep a nostalgic feeling. On top of that, 10 years later the American Girl line of dolls was released, although I’m guessing the two are completely unrelated…