Eliza Hardy Jones’ Philly Anthems song examines ‘dissonance’ of the United States
“A nation whose founding principles are freedom, tolerance, and the pursuit of happiness is also a nation willing to perpetrate unspeakable violence in the pursuit of wealth and power.”
The second song in our Philly Anthems project is out today, and it’s by singer-songwriter Eliza Hardy Jones of The War On Drugs.
Jones’ song “America The Beautiful” is “a hootenanny, a cathartic sing-a-long inspired by the tradition of American folk music as an act of resistance.”
“For all 250 years of this nation, we have come together to make music, connect to our community, celebrate, and to mourn,” she said.
Themes in her song draw from iconic patriotic speeches, such as Abraham Lincoln’s 1862 Annual Message to Congress and Thomas Jefferson’s “tree of liberty” quote, to examine the origin myth of the nation. She also took inspiration from a modern source: Miley Cyrus’ 2009 hit “Party in the U.S.A.“
According to Jones, the song is intended to ring true at any point in the nation’s history.
“We have always been a country founded on the revolutionary dream of true freedom and equality for all, but also built on stolen land by stolen bodies,” she said. “The inherent dissonance of being a beacon of liberty while also perpetrating violence and oppression is the true American experience. And as Americans, we must continue to fight for the ‘better angels of our nature.'”
“America The Beautiful” is the second song from Philly Anthems. Eric Bazilian of The Hooters released the first Philly Anthem song, titled “Better Times.” Other artists who are participating in Philly Anthems are Grammy Award-winning jazz bassist Christian McBride, R&B and rock singer-songwriter Devon Gilfillian, and house music legend Lady Alma.
In October, WXPN will premiere songs by Grace Gardner, Sug Daniels, Black Buttafly, The Bul Bey, JR Everhart, and Moustapha Noumbisi, along with the grand prize winning song from this year’s Song Challenge, “Workman’s Song #1” by The Flying Vees.
The project will conclude on Record Store Day in April 2027 with a Philly Anthems album featuring all the songs, marking WXPN’s annual vinyl release.
Philly Anthems has been supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.