It’s Independence Day, and what better way to celebrate the holiday than with a playlist full of songs about freedom? Believe it or not, there are quite a few one-hit wonders out there that fit this particular bill. Let’s look at just a few of them!
“Spirit In The Sky” by Norman Greenbaum
This legendary psychedelic rock song is all about freedom and salvation. “Spirit In The Sky” by Norman Greenbaum is one of the most memorable one-hit wonders of the late 1960s. This song is on the religious side, but it’s all about the freedom of passing on to the next world. This song was Greenbaum’s only Top 40 hit of his career, and it’s a real shame. He was quite a talent.
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“Life Is A Highway” by Tom Cochrane
While this song is by a Canadian artist, “Life Is A Highway” is an anthem about personal freedom and taking on important journeys that would resonate with any American. This country rock tune from Tom Cochrane was far from his only hit in his native Canada. However, it was his only Top 80 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it peaked at No. 6.
“God Bless The U.S.A.” by Lee Greenwood
This solitary hit by Lee Greenwood is a patriotic anthem from 1984. Oddly enough, this song didn’t chart very well when it was first released. It became a Top 40 hit in 2001, following the September 11 attacks in New York. It is Greenwood’s signature hit, and also his only song to reach the Top 50 on the Hot 100 chart. “God Bless The U.S.A.” peaked at No. 16 in 2001.
“Where The Stars And Stripes And The Eagle Fly” by Aaron Tippin
This song that celebrates freedom was released in 2001 and is one of the more well-known post-9/11 one-hit wonders out there. It could have made it to No. 1 on the country charts if Alan Jackson’s patriotic tune “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)” didn’t occupy the top spot.
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Tippin enjoyed quite a bit of charting success on the Canadian and US country charts. However, “Where The Stars And Stripes And The Eagle Fly” remains his only Top 40 hit on the US Hot 100 chart. This song peaked at No. 20 on that particular chart.
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