Rodney Atkins - "It's America"

[rowdawg21]

This will be Rodney's lead single from his upcoming album, to be released in 2009. He will be performing it on the CMAs, and it will be digitally available to radio immediately following the show.

[Ten Pound Hammer]

Okay, who else is thinking that this is going to be a rehash of "These Are My People"?

[nsfb17]

Nov 11, 2008 16:49:25 GMT -5 Ten Pound Hammer said:

Okay, who else is thinking that this is going to be a rehash of "These Are My People"?

That'd be fine with me. 'TAMP' is one of my favorite singles of the last few years.

[Uncle Lumpy]

Rumor has it, that Bruce Springsteen may sing this with him on the show. Two ... uh .. great singers.

[ontheroadwith]

I think Rodney took too much time between albums...he should have kept the singles coming. He may have lost his luster...also, haven't heard the song but the patriotic title discourages me to how good it can be.

[kw9461]

^ The long wait was Curb's decision, not Rodney's. He said in an interview over the summer (July I believe) that his new album was done and ready to go, he was just waiting on the word from Curb as to when the lead single would be coming out. He sounded a tad bitter then, and that was 4 months ago.
I agree with you about the patriotic title though, although maybe it'll be more like American Child than a true "rah rah" America song.

[ontheroadwith]

Nov 11, 2008 22:17:17 GMT -5 kw9461 said:

^ The long wait was Curb's decision, not Rodney's. He said in an interview over the summer (July I believe) that his new album was done and ready to go, he was just waiting on the word from Curb as to when the lead single would be coming out. He sounded a tad bitter then, and that was 4 months ago.
I agree with you about the patriotic title though, although maybe it'll be more like American Child than a true "rah rah" America song.

When I said Rodney I really meant the label. Trust me, I know that artists have little if anything to do with the timing of releases. I am just afraid that his momentum may not be what it once was.

[Ten Pound Hammer]

Nov 11, 2008 17:13:55 GMT -5 @nsfb17 said:

Nov 11, 2008 16:49:25 GMT -5 Ten Pound Hammer said:

Okay, who else is thinking that this is going to be a rehash of "These Are My People"?

That'd be fine with me. 'TAMP' is one of my favorite singles of the last few years.

I liked "These Are My People" as well; in fact, I've liked all of Atkins's singles so far (well, except In a Heartbeat and Somebody to Share It With, only because I haven't heard those).

[kw9461]

I like Rodney's earlier stuff better than most of the releases off of his last album. Watching You and Come On In Boy certainly had their charm, but I was more than sick of them by the time they hit #1. It could just be the #1 factor though, I never got the chance to get sick of songs like Sing Along and Monkey In the Middle. My favorite from him is still Honesty though, followed closely by Monkey In The Middle and If You're Going Thru Hell.

[nsfb17]

GREAT song. I love it. And Rodney's performance at the CMAs was fantastic.

[rowdawg21]

I'm not sure if I like this as much as any of the singles from his last album, but I think radio will eat this up. Rodney found a formula that worked for him, and it appears he's sticking to it.

[flattlinesnoodle]

This is a "Rodney" song and it works for him. I like it. :)

[kevin59]

Listen to Song (Allaccess)

[LISTEN] Rodney Atkins - "It's America"

[S4C]

I really like this, as with most of his songs. But dang... it's not comforting to know that a.) he hasn't changed background vocalists and/or b.) he's got the same producer who still has the background vocals up way too much (for my tastes).

[leilamaurizia]

The 9513

Rodney Atkins - “It’s America”
Jim Malec

Rodney Atkins’ “It’s America,” which he debuted on last month’s CMA Awards broadcast, is presumptuous and without substance. More importantly, it makes poor use of subjective personal pronouns.

The first single from Atkins’ upcoming project, “It’s America” boasts a chorus that rattles off a list of very pleasant nostalgia meant to conjure the warm and fuzzies in all of us country bumpkins, with all of “it” finally climaxing into the supposedly lump-in-throat-inducing catch phrase “it’s America.”

But wait…what’s America? What is the “it” that supposedly represents this nation of millions? Is “it” really, as the song suggests, “A man on the moon?” Think about that: A man on the moon is America. That sentence doesn’t even make sense.

And that is exactly why this song represents both the worst of contemporary country music and the worst of contemporary patriotism. It’s not because of bad grammar (a crime all its own), but because here syntax and meaning have both been displaced by symbolism. The actual words don’t mean two shakes of a dog’s tail. The “it” Atkins is singing about has nothing to do with Springsteen or lemonade stands or technological advances or anything else mentioned in the lyrics—these things are only tokens meant to reaffirm an image of what some consider the pure America, the wholesome America, or the ideal America. It is not a song meant to define what America “is,” it’s a song meant to reinforce what a slice of the population already believes—that “real” Americans are essentially the same, that there is some set of “core American values,” and that patriotism means never complaining, never asking questions, and never challenging the ideas we’ve acquired through our political socialization.

It doesn’t matter that the “it” in “It’s America” doesn’t mean anything, because we’re not supposed to actually turn our brains on and think about what’s coming out of Atkins’ mouth. “Just listen to the song and enjoy it,” people will say. Or, “It’s just a song.” The reaction it is meant to elicit is a gut reaction—“it” is what we believe to be true because of what we feel, not because of what we know. “It” is what makes us say, “America is the best country in the world, dadgummit.” And if the song were boiled down to its elemental parts, if most of it were removed or altered, it would not make a single bit of difference, because what matters is not what “it” is, but what “it” represents. Atkins could be singing about high school football games, hanging out at the lake on a long hot summer day, or two old men playing checkers at the courthouse square (none of which appear here)—it doesn’t matter, because the images utilized are only relevant in that they serve as confirmations.

But it isn’t just a song. And it isn’t harmless. It’s a three and half minute message that’s going to be blasted into millions of homes and cars from coast to coast for the next three months or more. And to imply or expect that we shouldn’t think about what it means (and doesn’t mean) is absolutely absurd.

That’s what mainstream country has become, however, to a large degree in 2008—a place where symbolism trumps everything else and where any song that asks us to think is an outlier. Mainstream radio reinforces that we’re country, that we love God, and, of course, as is the case here, that America is a land of milk and honey where everyone who is willing to work gets a fair and equal shot at the American Dream, and where everyone pitches in to help out their neighbors.

To that end, the only acknowledgment this song makes to any part of the complex nature or nuance of our great nation comes in one line of a two line bridge that passes so quickly it is not only expendable but almost unnoticeable if you’re not listening for it, one line that declares that “We don’t always get it right,” and which is immediately thereafter canceled out by the proclamation that “There’s nowhere else I’d rather build my life.”

“We don’t always get it right” is a line composed of the same mass as the rest of the song—zero. It’s designed as a counterweight to those who might criticize “It’s America” for being too positive, thereby giving critics like myself an easy out, a way to say that Atkins does indeed acknowledge America’s imperfect nature.

While Atkins is singing about Springsteen songs, he fails to tap into any bit of the dusty Americana that makes the Boss’ music enduring and quintessentially American. While Atkins is singing about lemonade stands, he seemingly fails to recognize that they are, by and large, a thing of the past, that we live in a society where parents are so protective of their children and fearful for their safety that there’s no way most of them would allow their kids to set up and sell drinks to strangers on the street. The “Picture perfect postcard” Atkins sees is one printed in black and white, and is one which is perfectly incomplete and sentimentalized. It’s not that anything he’s singing about is incorrect—it’s that all of these things are discussed only topically, as if the character of America can really be summed up by “Fireflies in June” or by saying “One nation under God” in the pledge of allegiance.

That may be what Atkins or his audience wants America to be, but that’s not what America is.

That’s not to say that a song of this nature should neutrally discuss the state of the nation–this is, after all, a positive proclamation and there’s nothing wrong with that. But “It’s America” pretends that the images it presents as fundamental exist in isolation, which simply isn’t true. And it makes no attempt to discuss why those images are personally relevant or important to the singer, which just advances the idea that personal relevance is irrelevant and that these symbols of America are universal.

“It’s America” is a symbol not a song, an advertisement not art. And maybe in that we find the most true metaphor relating to this discussion: When it comes to mainstream contemporary art, perhaps this song is America.

(thumbs down)

Country Universe

Review: Rodney Atkins, “It’s America”
Posted by Blake Boldt

That patriotism is such a powerful fixture in modern-day country music can largely be attributed to the events of 9-11. In the early stages of the decade, the format issued jingoistic missives (”Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue”), sentimental dreck (”Only in America”) and fortunately, eloquent commentary (”Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” all revolving around the public’s American pride in the aftermath of great tragedy. But even as time passed, country music’s artistic community continued to reaffirm their faith in God and country, using every opportunity to establish their fidelity to the most treasured of pure American traditions.

And just as the United States is now experiencing a clear identity crisis, the same tremors of change can be felt on Music Row, where the traditional sounds of yesteryear are increasingly drowned out by the bland rhythms and rhyme schemes of today’s polished musical product. Nashville’s schizoid nature has prompted an uncertainty, and ultimately, a desperation to define all that makes country music what it is while forgetting what it once was. In the past, textured interpretations of our social environment were standard operating procedure (Haggard took the temperature of the late ’60s with “Okie from Muskogee,” while Alabama’s “Song of the South” brought the Depression era into the harsh light of reality). Now, the messages are more blunt and built to prompt immediate, yet temporary response. Rodney Atkins’ release, “It’s America,” adds to the argument that country music is in danger of losing the creative direction and distinct narration that is its ultimate foundation.

Fresh off four consecutive #1 hits, Rodney Atkins aims to solidify his spot as one of the format’s most reliable talents with his new single release “It’s America.” It’s his everyman likability and convincing vocal that lift the song, but “It’s America” still suffers from being an all-encompassing anthem. He dares to define our “one nation under God” in a song of praise spouting hopeful optimism and heartland sentiment. While harmless, it furthers an incorrect notion: that emotional resonance can be attained in the space of a three-minute anthem that reads more like a weekly grocery list than a work of poetic art. The song’s chorus is a simple distillation of feel-good nostalgia and obvious imagery, with Atkins singing, “It’s a high school prom, it’s a Springsteen song, it’s a ride in a Chevrolet/It’s a man on the moon and fireflies in June and kids selling lemonade/It’s cities and farms, it’s open arms, one nation under God, it’s America.”

In turn, the verses are full of praise for the soldiers, farmers and flag-flying ordinary folks that stand as the cornerstone of the United States, but the song barely touches on the stories that make these individuals extraordinary. It merely grasps for catchphrases that are well-known to the radio audience, relying on this recognition to inspire brief moments of connection between the music and the listener. Few consumers won’t be able to latch onto at least one of these examples, but “It’s America” is a disposable effort that fails to construct any meaning behind the music.

Grade: C+

[kevin59]

Watch NEW Video for song (CMT)

www.cmt.com/videos/rodney-atkins/352841/its-america.jhtml

[hewitt81]

I think this is Nr. 1 after Taylor Swift.

[joey2002]

i like it a lot...did rodney write this also?

[Ten Pound Hammer]

^No, Brett James and Angelo Petraglia did.

[zaclord]

this will have to wait for Rascal Flatts to get to #1 i think.

[cufan7]

Mar 11, 2009 21:50:29 GMT -5 kevin59 said:

Watch NEW Video for song (CMT)

www.cmt.com/videos/rodney-atkins/352841/its-america.jhtml

I still can't get over the resemblance to a younger Dennis Quaid!!!

[tigers19]

i think those reviews above are just a little too harsh, this song is sung for the country music audience who would consider the topics in this song to be nostalgic, why can't an artist taper a song towards his audience's values etc. why they take the lyrics so critically i have no idea?

[gallopinggold]

he is getting closer to #1

[hewitt81]

I think he after the Rascall Flatts Nr. 1. :)

[mairy]

After the Rascal Flatts? I though this will be #1 next week...

[hewitt81]

Apr 8, 2009 8:53:17 GMT -5 mairy said:

After the Rascal Flatts? I though this will be #1 next week...

The Rascall Flatts are Nr. 1 at the Billboard Real Time Tracker. But too Jason Aldean have these week a Chance. Next week becomes the Rascall Flatts evtl. a Extra Spin and Rodney at 18-19.4

www.countrycountdownusa.com/

[Ten Pound Hammer]

Wow. So this means RF will have jumped from #6 to #1. I can't see them getting a six-week run like "Our Song" or "Just to See You Smile", though. Probably more like a "Sittin' on Go" type run. And maybe it'll end up getting about as much recurrent rotation as "Sittin' on Go" (in other words, none).

Not that "Sittin' on Go" is bad, mind you.

[Jonsolo]

Apr 8, 2009 13:37:03 GMT -5 Ten Pound Hammer said:

Wow. So this means RF will have jumped from #6 to #1. I can't see them getting a six-week run like "Our Song" or "Just to See You Smile", though. Probably more like a "Sittin' on Go" type run. And maybe it'll end up getting about as much recurrent rotation as "Sittin' on Go" (in other words, none).

Not that "Sittin' on Go" is bad, mind you.

And it would have taken HCG only 12 weeks to hit #1. It'd be nice if they copy the performances of the last lead singles by Taylor, Kenny, and Sugarland, from last fall (two, two, and one week at #1, following quick sprints to the top). That could leave an open week or two, for Jason, Jake, and Rodney to fight over, before Carrie comes calling.

[joey2002]

I'm guessing two weeks for Rascal Flatts...this song should get a week at the top

[mairy]

Now I'm thinking that this could even miss the #1...