4th of July

Yes, the "Star Spangled Banner" has its hallowed place, but when it comes to the 4th of July, there are so many musical ways to pay tribute to both patriotic pride and serious celebration. Feeling reverent? Fire up a soulful "America the Beautiful" and pledge your allegiance with Ray Charles and Alicia Keys before getting down to some dedicated partying with the sounds of everything from Sheryl Crow's summer-fun sing-along "Soak Up the Sun" to John Cougar Mellencamp's heartland anthem "Pink Houses."

The 4th of July's not complete without the "Star Spangled Banner" you say? Head on into Next Steps and give Hendrix's version a try. It's your patriotic duty!

It's a big, beautiful country, and we want to make it easy for you to travel its fruited plains and amber waves — without spending all that money on gas. Let our 4th of July Essentials plop you into the middle of America's favorite pastime with John Fogerty's "Centerfield," then on to sun-dappled byways with John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads, " before you hit the beach and score some cool-shade privacy "Under the Boardwalk" with the Drifters. And, hey, it happens — with all that 4th of July fun going on, a visit to Jimmy Buffett in "Margaritaville" is always an intriguing possibility.

And ever more intriguing 4th of July possibilities await in Deep Cuts.

We admit it: We're proud Americans all the way. The hair on our arms stands up when we hear Whitney Houston & The Florida Orchestra soaring the "The Star Spangled Banner" up to the blue skies above. We feel the tradition in our bones when Bruce Springsteen rocks his own rollicking take on folksinger Pete Seeger's "American Land" or Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings funk up a sweet-soul version of Woody Guthrie's time-honored anthem, "This Land Is Your Land." And when we fire up our 4th of July Essentials, we make any summer day a day to get down and party.

Man, do we love the 4th of July. There are no presents to buy, no turkeys to stuff — just a grill to light, some burgers to flip, and some nice, fresh colds one to enjoy with friends and family under the summer sun. It doesn't get much better — especially when all you have to do is hit play and let our three full playlists of 4th of July Essentials provide the long-lasting soundtrack to your all-American festivities. We've got everything from funkified anthems (James Brown's "Living in America") to country soul-stirrers ("God Bless America" by LeAnn Rimes) to retro rockers (Chuck Berry's "Back in the U.S.A."). With all that great American music taking you from potato-salad prep to the fireworks finale, who wouldn't be proud?