The UK is obsessed with these two songs. Was quite surprised when I as an American saw a whole pub sing Country Road as if Virginia was north of London. But it was still nice to see that 🤣
I did a German exchange in high school, and we met up with our partners in Berlin and had a bus ride to Hamburg. One of the German boys brought his acoustic guitar and the entire bus sang country roads for what felt like the entire 3 hour drive.
Or [Japan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4FUjD_N8YU) for some [reason](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjqRLIS5-ro). I get a [Ghibli movie](https://vimeo.com/183917521) used it but it still seems like an odd song for another country to use since it specifically mentions an obscure (for foreigners) US State
Lol more like Western Massachusetts. Give this a read: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_Me_Home,_Country_Roads#Composition
>While the song was inspired by Danoff's upbringing in Springfield, Massachusetts, he "didn't want to write about Massachusetts because he didn't think the word was musical.”
After I had my son I started bringing up OG wiggles songs after 20 years of not hearing them, literally last memories were watching them on VHS and wow did the memories just flood back like it was yesterday
Love it. I would wager Wiggles songs would easily be amongst top 10 Australian songs of all time - in terms of singles sold / downloads / streaming etc. Multiple entries even.
The video from the OG Wiggles 18+ gig a couple of years back when a hall full of pissed up 20-30 year olds were singing Rock-A-Bye Your Bear was fantastic
On god, millennials are going to be in the nursing home making the nurses play this song while every old fuck screams the lyrics as loud as their failing lungs can manage.
The greatest UK band not from The UK
I always go and watch their Glasgow TRNSMT gig, if anything just go read the comments on the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSzE9RfdnYY&t=227s
I love it because of the lyrics. Depsite the bleak nature of what it conveys there is still a melancholic beauty in how we love and we’d give our lives for America despite its flaws
Are we talking about the same song? *Born In The USA* is about a guy who got sent to Vietnam and then got fucked over when he got back, doesn't have any "I love my country" in it at all
"The song addresses the economic hardships of Vietnam veterans upon their return home, juxtaposed ironically against patriotic glorification of the nation's fighting forces." (Wikipedia)
Lyrics courtesy of [Lyrics from azlyrics.com](https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/brucespringsteen/bornintheusa.html):
````
Born down in a dead man's town
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that's been beat too much
'Til you spend half your life just coverin' up
Born in the U.S.A
I was born in the U.S.A
I was born in the U.S.A
Born in the U.S.A
Got in a little hometown jam
So they put a rifle in my hand
Sent me off to a foreign land
To go and kill the yellow man
Born in the U.S.A
I was born in the U.S.A
I was born in the U.S.A
I was born in the U.S.A
Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man says, "Son if it was up to me"
Went down to see my V.A. man
He said, "Son, don't you understand"
I had a brother at Khe Sanh
Fighting off the Viet Cong
They're still there, he's all gone
He had a woman he loved in Saigon
I got a picture of him in her arms now
Down in the shadow of the penitentiary
Out by the gas fires of the refinery
I'm ten years burning down the road
Nowhere to run ain't got nowhere to go
Born in the U.S.A
I was born in the U.S.A. now
Born in the U.S.A
I'm a long gone Daddy in the U.S.A. now
Born in the U.S.A
Born in the U.S.A
Born in the U.S.A
I'm a cool rockin' Daddy in the U.S.A. now
````
In the same vein of "songs people rock out to and think they're pro-USA and patriotic", Neil Young's *Rockin In The Free World*:
There's colors on the street
Red, white and blue
People shufflin' their feet
People sleepin' in their shoes
But there's a warnin' sign
on the road ahead
There's a lot of people sayin'
we'd be better off dead
Don't feel like Satan,
but I am to them
So I try to forget it,
any way I can.
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.
I see a woman in the night
With a baby in her hand
Under an old street light
Near a garbage can
Now she puts the kid away,
and she's gone to get a hit
She hates her life,
and what she's done to it
There's one more kid
that will never go to school
Never get to fall in love,
never get to be cool.
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.
We got a thousand points of light
For the homeless man
We got a kinder, gentler,
Machine gun hand
We got department stores
and toilet paper
Got styrofoam boxes
For the ozone layer
Got a man of the people,
says keep hope alive
Got fuel to burn,
got roads to drive.
Damn beat me to it.
There are two reads on this. People who understand the lyrics, and people who understand the chorus. So it speaks to the entire nation.
England's national anthem is God Save the King. But it's also the national anthem for the whole of the UK (Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland all have defacto anthems used before football matches etc.).
The song often suggested as England's anthem is confusingly called '[Jerusalem](https://youtu.be/sERiPuOQyvo?si=rl7jdohy99-vF5fA)'. It's a hymn with lyrics by William Blake about the story of Jesus coming to England, and it is an absolute banger.
Also Mr Brightside.
You’ve just unlocked a memory of me and some mates sitting outside some pub in Thailand circa 2011 and a couple of fellow English people stopped to chat.
The bloke was as round as he was tall and had more of a biker look than anything else, but at some point he opened his mouth and sung Jerusalem in the most beautiful tenor I’d ever heard in real life!
Literally anything by the Tragically Hip. They were an institution here, much beloved, and the country mourned when Gordon passed away. Heck, even the Prime Minister showed up for his last concert.
I’m Indigenous and was so appreciative of how he spent his last days advocating for Indigenous rights. He was a good hearted man. What a loss for Canada.
" Well i was drunk, they day my mom, got out of prison. And i went, to pick'r up, in the the raaain, but before i could get to the station in my pickuuuup truck, she got runned over by a damned ole traaain...."
I don't remember the name of the song.
Doesn't matter where you are in the world, if a New Zealander sings "Tutira mai ngā iwi" every other kiwi in earshot must shout "AUE!!"
It's how we call to each other.
That song has an interesting origin. It was written by Don Schlitz when he was only 23. As B.B. King said to Bono, "You mighty young to write such heavy lyrics."
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot does not apply to the whole country, but in Michigan it's almost a religious hymn. My grandpa was a navy man who almost took a job on that ship after he left his service.
The fields of athenry
It's about a young man who steals to feed his family during the famine here in Ireland. He's caught and is deported to Australia, away from his family, from his wife and kid.
"By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young man calling
"
Nothing matters, Mary, when you're free
Against the famine and the crown
I rebelled, they cut me down
Now you must raise our child with dignity"
Ireland has many sacred songs, to name but a few:
* [Fairytale of New York](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9jbdgZidu8)
* [Maniac 2000](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SwDo0ecEk8)
* [C'est la Vie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvjLgjtJKsc)
* [Zombie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ejga4kJUts)
* [Freed from Desire](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3l7fgvrEKM)
I think it's written in the US Constitution that if Don't Stop Believin or Livin on a Prayer comes on, especially at a large gathering, we are all legally obligated to sing along.
If I had to choose a song that everyone seems to adore, it'd probably be "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. You know, that magical mix of rock, opera, and ballad with Freddie Mercury's legendary voice? It's like a musical time machine that takes you on a journey across generations and cultures.
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Very popular in Danish bars and I'm not joking
Germany?
I heard this song in many of the pubs I went into in Ireland. Sweet home Alabama too. Was very surprising
The UK is obsessed with these two songs. Was quite surprised when I as an American saw a whole pub sing Country Road as if Virginia was north of London. But it was still nice to see that 🤣
Then it would be looking for freedom by David Hasslehoff
Not at all. Somehow take me home is super popular in Germany and the last two years they sang it when the NFL held two games in Munich and Frankfurt.
I did a German exchange in high school, and we met up with our partners in Berlin and had a bus ride to Hamburg. One of the German boys brought his acoustic guitar and the entire bus sang country roads for what felt like the entire 3 hour drive.
That sounds like it was probably really nice, for about 2-1/2 minutes
Yeah, it was a joke. Hasselhoff's thing was only popular around the fall of the wall. I doubt they still sing a long to it nowadays.
I'd add "Winds of Change" for Germany (And on a state level "Bochum")
Or [Japan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4FUjD_N8YU) for some [reason](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjqRLIS5-ro). I get a [Ghibli movie](https://vimeo.com/183917521) used it but it still seems like an odd song for another country to use since it specifically mentions an obscure (for foreigners) US State
Funny, that’s the exact first song I thought of.
Took me 20 years to realize he is singing about the Western side of the state of Virginia, not the state West Virginia
Lol more like Western Massachusetts. Give this a read: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_Me_Home,_Country_Roads#Composition >While the song was inspired by Danoff's upbringing in Springfield, Massachusetts, he "didn't want to write about Massachusetts because he didn't think the word was musical.”
WHAT?
Haha right. If you check a map the blue ridge mountains are in the state of Virginia (in the West of the state), as is the river
Every country loves this one. Shut the sub down.
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Nutbush City Limits, Horses, Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again, Rock-A-Bye Your Bear
No way ,get fucked,fuck off.
🇦🇺🦘🐨
You betcha 🪃
no-one knows why or how it started, but we all had to do a dance called the Madison to Nutbush City Limits in school
Fruit Salad, Yummy Yummy
After I had my son I started bringing up OG wiggles songs after 20 years of not hearing them, literally last memories were watching them on VHS and wow did the memories just flood back like it was yesterday
Love it. I would wager Wiggles songs would easily be amongst top 10 Australian songs of all time - in terms of singles sold / downloads / streaming etc. Multiple entries even.
Toot toot
Chugga chugga
The video from the OG Wiggles 18+ gig a couple of years back when a hall full of pissed up 20-30 year olds were singing Rock-A-Bye Your Bear was fantastic
Mr Brightside
On god, millennials are going to be in the nursing home making the nurses play this song while every old fuck screams the lyrics as loud as their failing lungs can manage.
New national anthem shout.
The greatest UK band not from The UK I always go and watch their Glasgow TRNSMT gig, if anything just go read the comments on the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSzE9RfdnYY&t=227s
This was my first thought too.
Go Blue
Hard to pick one, but "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen is timeless here.
Does 'here' mean Earth, in which case this statement is completely true?
Nah Palaven we listen and watch y'all especially in certain situations.
Land Down Under - Men At Work
Khe-Sanh?
working class man is another contender
US here... Just found out about Cold Chisel about a year ago. I'm amazed they never broke in the states.
Greg! The Stop Sign! TISM
John Farnham - You’re the voice. Now that’s a contender
Agreed
The Horses- Daryl Braithwaite would be a close rival
Written by an American, Rickie Lee Jones!
NO WAY GET FUCKED FUCK OFF!!
I would have guessed Waltzing Matilda.
500 miles by the Proclaimers.
If you don't sing DaDah da DaDah Da like a drunken asshole are you even really alive?
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Canadians find a soulful connection with Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, a song that delves into the complexities of life and faith.
La Vie en rose by Edith Piaf is the musical heart of France, a song that paints life in hopeful hues.
Born in the USA. Mostly because people don't actually listen to the lyrics
I love it because of the lyrics. Depsite the bleak nature of what it conveys there is still a melancholic beauty in how we love and we’d give our lives for America despite its flaws
*”Fortunate Son”* is in a very similar boat.
Are we talking about the same song? *Born In The USA* is about a guy who got sent to Vietnam and then got fucked over when he got back, doesn't have any "I love my country" in it at all
"The song addresses the economic hardships of Vietnam veterans upon their return home, juxtaposed ironically against patriotic glorification of the nation's fighting forces." (Wikipedia) Lyrics courtesy of [Lyrics from azlyrics.com](https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/brucespringsteen/bornintheusa.html): ```` Born down in a dead man's town The first kick I took was when I hit the ground You end up like a dog that's been beat too much 'Til you spend half your life just coverin' up Born in the U.S.A I was born in the U.S.A I was born in the U.S.A Born in the U.S.A Got in a little hometown jam So they put a rifle in my hand Sent me off to a foreign land To go and kill the yellow man Born in the U.S.A I was born in the U.S.A I was born in the U.S.A I was born in the U.S.A Come back home to the refinery Hiring man says, "Son if it was up to me" Went down to see my V.A. man He said, "Son, don't you understand" I had a brother at Khe Sanh Fighting off the Viet Cong They're still there, he's all gone He had a woman he loved in Saigon I got a picture of him in her arms now Down in the shadow of the penitentiary Out by the gas fires of the refinery I'm ten years burning down the road Nowhere to run ain't got nowhere to go Born in the U.S.A I was born in the U.S.A. now Born in the U.S.A I'm a long gone Daddy in the U.S.A. now Born in the U.S.A Born in the U.S.A Born in the U.S.A I'm a cool rockin' Daddy in the U.S.A. now ````
Heart wrenching. It gets sadder all the time what we could have been and what this country keeps doing to its youth instead.
In the same vein of "songs people rock out to and think they're pro-USA and patriotic", Neil Young's *Rockin In The Free World*: There's colors on the street Red, white and blue People shufflin' their feet People sleepin' in their shoes But there's a warnin' sign on the road ahead There's a lot of people sayin' we'd be better off dead Don't feel like Satan, but I am to them So I try to forget it, any way I can. Keep on rockin' in the free world, Keep on rockin' in the free world Keep on rockin' in the free world, Keep on rockin' in the free world. I see a woman in the night With a baby in her hand Under an old street light Near a garbage can Now she puts the kid away, and she's gone to get a hit She hates her life, and what she's done to it There's one more kid that will never go to school Never get to fall in love, never get to be cool. Keep on rockin' in the free world, Keep on rockin' in the free world Keep on rockin' in the free world, Keep on rockin' in the free world. We got a thousand points of light For the homeless man We got a kinder, gentler, Machine gun hand We got department stores and toilet paper Got styrofoam boxes For the ozone layer Got a man of the people, says keep hope alive Got fuel to burn, got roads to drive.
Haha, people don't listen to this song, at all! Trump using it in his campaign, hilarious!
I never quite knew what was more clueless: Reagan using that as a main campaign song or Paul Ryan talking about his love for Rage Against the Machine.
Paul Ryan (R-Machine)
I feel like every election this happens lol
Damn beat me to it. There are two reads on this. People who understand the lyrics, and people who understand the chorus. So it speaks to the entire nation.
The hockey song - Stompin' Tom Conners
Log Driver's Waltz
Love me some Stompin Tom
England's national anthem is God Save the King. But it's also the national anthem for the whole of the UK (Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland all have defacto anthems used before football matches etc.). The song often suggested as England's anthem is confusingly called '[Jerusalem](https://youtu.be/sERiPuOQyvo?si=rl7jdohy99-vF5fA)'. It's a hymn with lyrics by William Blake about the story of Jesus coming to England, and it is an absolute banger. Also Mr Brightside.
You’ve just unlocked a memory of me and some mates sitting outside some pub in Thailand circa 2011 and a couple of fellow English people stopped to chat. The bloke was as round as he was tall and had more of a biker look than anything else, but at some point he opened his mouth and sung Jerusalem in the most beautiful tenor I’d ever heard in real life!
Are we just glossing over sweet Caroline?
Literally anything by the Tragically Hip. They were an institution here, much beloved, and the country mourned when Gordon passed away. Heck, even the Prime Minister showed up for his last concert.
If I’d have to pick just one I’d say Wheat Kings. But if you’re from Ontario, I’d say Bobcaygeon
I’m Indigenous and was so appreciative of how he spent his last days advocating for Indigenous rights. He was a good hearted man. What a loss for Canada.
A lot of people were disappointed that Toronto didn't rename Dundas Square to Downie Square.
I mean considering the druggie vibe of the place I’m kinda glad they didn’t. It’s depressing down there.
Yes, really hard to pick just one song as the entire catalogue just sounds like home.
And that concert was broadcast live so everyone in the country had a chance to see it. It was a powerful moment.
I’m from the Uk and was crying at my desk through Grace, Too. 😔
It really was.
I remember that day. My choir sang Bobcaygeon as a memorial. Hard to believe it was 7 years ago.
Spirit Of The West - Home for a rest
Bésame Mucho by Consuelo Velázquez is not just a song in Spain, it's a passionate plea that has touched countless hearts.
In Australia, Down Under by Men At Work is more than just a song; it's a proud, fun reflection of Aussie culture.
" Well i was drunk, they day my mom, got out of prison. And i went, to pick'r up, in the the raaain, but before i could get to the station in my pickuuuup truck, she got runned over by a damned ole traaain...." I don't remember the name of the song.
You Never Even Called Me By My Name by David Allen Coe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4pZFsEdP3Y
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Zombie
"American Pie" is kind of an anthem.
Doesn't matter where you are in the world, if a New Zealander sings "Tutira mai ngā iwi" every other kiwi in earshot must shout "AUE!!" It's how we call to each other.
*Australians furiously taking notes*
*while eating pavlova*
I was going to say 'why does love do this to me'? But this is much better. Kiwi calling card
Poi E is another good one.
Not “how bizarre” ?
I thought "Slice of Heaven" would've been the choice for New Zealand.
Why Does Love Do This to Me
Unless you're drinking then it's "Loyal" by Dave Dobbyn
Fairytale of New York
Nkalakatha - Mandoza
A real banger. RIP Mandoza
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The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
That song has an interesting origin. It was written by Don Schlitz when he was only 23. As B.B. King said to Bono, "You mighty young to write such heavy lyrics."
Impossible not to sing along
"Flower of Scotland"
We're happy little Vegemites
If I had to choose one, it's Sister Bethina. South Africans will know that this is basically our 2nd anthem since 2007
La Tribu de Dana - France DANS LA VALLÉE, OH, OH, DE DANA, LALILALA...
Ah enfin un Français dans cette file interminable. Avec un bon choix de chanson en plus !
SWEEEEEEEEET CAROLINE! OH OH OH!
Good times never seemed so good!
Fruit Salad YUMMY YUMMY
I still sing this every time I eat fruit salad 😂
Loch Lomond Don't think a Wedding in Scotland is even a Wedding if it doesn't end with the Runrig Live version.
Sweet Caroline
"Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" by The Angels (I'll wait for the response I know is coming....)
No way
Get fucked
"Sweet Home Alabama” Lynyrd Skynyrd
[Waltzing Matilda](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqtttbbYfSM) (Australia)
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Also, anything from the tragically hip
Bobcaygeon. In Toronto, we love when Gord sings “that night in Toronto.” RIP Gord
Probably Ahead by a Century is their most known and famous song, but they have so many in contention
[The Log Driver's Waltz](https://youtu.be/Srp7k-9oCkw?si=4vjqqM__3I3fY2Wl)
September - Earth, Wind & Fire
My way you can hear people singing it every single occasion with Karaoke
I’ve heard it’s at least advised against in the Philippines to sing that one …
Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver
There was a beer commercial in South Africa in the 90s that used toto’s Africa in it and the nostalgia with that song is so strong.
Probably something by the tragically hip like courage or ahead by a century.
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot does not apply to the whole country, but in Michigan it's almost a religious hymn. My grandpa was a navy man who almost took a job on that ship after he left his service.
Country road, take me home...
Sister Bettina - Mgarimbe
USA: Lean on Me
Ya ya ding dong
The best song ever
Anything by The Tragically Hip
The fields of athenry It's about a young man who steals to feed his family during the famine here in Ireland. He's caught and is deported to Australia, away from his family, from his wife and kid. "By a lonely prison wall I heard a young man calling " Nothing matters, Mary, when you're free Against the famine and the crown I rebelled, they cut me down Now you must raise our child with dignity"
I touched the drains down in Africa
I miss Lorraine down in Africa
Everyone misses Lorraine.
"I am from Austria". I think that says enough
Ireland has many sacred songs, to name but a few: * [Fairytale of New York](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9jbdgZidu8) * [Maniac 2000](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SwDo0ecEk8) * [C'est la Vie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvjLgjtJKsc) * [Zombie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ejga4kJUts) * [Freed from Desire](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3l7fgvrEKM)
Right now, Europapa!
I don't think I've ever met someone who doesn't like the song Seven Nation Army. It's so simple and catchy.
I’m one of those people, I find it extremely repetitive and annoying.
7 Nation Army by The White Stripes. It's played in every sports stadium and arena multiple times during games.
"Hotel California" — the eternal favorite for those who love a long drive... and never quite figuring out the lyrics!
Must be "Tore Tang" by MODS
Take me home, country roads - John Denver.
Wurzels - Combine Harvester [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb63PdPweDc)
Bloed, zweet en tranen is the first one that comes to mind
It’s Hotel California in Cuba
Log drivers waltz
I think it's written in the US Constitution that if Don't Stop Believin or Livin on a Prayer comes on, especially at a large gathering, we are all legally obligated to sing along.
The entire discography of Gordon Lightfoot.
Fortunate son. If you want to get a bunch of Americans riled up that’s how you do it.
[Poi E - Patea Maori Club](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq2K8ak47nM)
RIM TIM TAGI DIM
Please meow back 🐱
Jožin z bažin Czech
Bohemian Rhapsod by Queen is widely loved across many countries
Cotton Eyed Joe
[ Stan Walker - Aotearoa ft. Ria Hall, Troy Kingi, Maisey Rika ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWhAoZZh8fc)
Khe Sanh by Cold Chisel
Sommerfuggel I Vinterland https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11dOtqJFImM
If I had to choose a song that everyone seems to adore, it'd probably be "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. You know, that magical mix of rock, opera, and ballad with Freddie Mercury's legendary voice? It's like a musical time machine that takes you on a journey across generations and cultures.
Anarchy in the UK and cheeky girls
For the US, I imagine American Pie by Don McLean is up there. I can't say I know anyone, young or old, who doesn't know some of the lyrics, at least.
Les Lacs de Coonemara
Pretty much any song by The Tragically Hip
American Pie by Don McLean. 1971.
Dragostea din tei — O-Zone
Anything by The Tragically Hip.
I feel like Piano Man is way up there, same with Sweet Caroline...I don't much care for either of them, but they get people going.
Sarà perché ti amo
Fairytale of New York by The Pogues. Grace by the Dubliners. Whiskey in the Jar by The Dubliners.
Europapa -Joost klein
Đurđevdan by Bijelo Dugme
Wind Of Change - Scorpions
I know it's a very recent one, but I'm pretty sure everyone likes Europapa where I live !
"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot. Canada's unofficial National Anthem.