It is not easy to put patriotism into words, but music icons such as Johnny Cash and Bruce Springsteen have found ways to accomplish just that. Cash’s “Song of the Patriot” and “Ragged Old Flag” and Springsteen’s “American Land” and iconic “Born in the U.S.A.” – among other examples – express passionate love for our nation, even if they sometimes point out its faults. (These are Bruce Springsteen’s best albums.)
Neither Cash nor Springsteen, nor such other famed performers as Ray Charles (“America the Beautiful”) or John Denver (“Take Me Home, Country Roads”) have had big hits with their patriotic offerings, however. Who has?
To determine the most popular patriotic songs according to Billboard, 24/7 Tempo reviewed performance data on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Songs were ranked based on an inverse score wherein a week at No. 1 is worth 100 points, a week at No. 2 worth 99 points, and so on, up to a week at No. 100 worth one point. Chart data is current through the week of Nov. 19, 2022.
Click here to see the most popular patriotic songs on the Billboard Hot 100
Patriotic songs come in all genres, from funky rhythms to stirring ballads to rock favorites. The songs on our list range from classics that honor brave men and women in uniform to more contemporary songs, such as Zac Brown Band’s “Chicken Fried” – one of the many country songs appearing here. (This year’s final ranking isn’t finished yet, but these are the best country songs of 2021.)
Source: Ethan Miller / Getty Images
25. Sugarland, “Everyday America”
> Entered Hot 100: July 21, 2007
> Peak position on Hot 100: #68 (for 1 week)
> Total time on Hot 100: 10 weeks
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Source: Jason Merritt/TERM / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
24. Brad Paisley, “American Saturday Night”
> Entered Hot 100: Dec. 19, 2009
> Peak position on Hot 100: #67 (for 1 week)
> Total time on Hot 100: 15 weeks
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
23. Chuck Berry, “Back in the U.S.A.”
> Entered Hot 100: June 22, 1959
> Peak position on Hot 100: #37 (for 1 week)
> Total time on Hot 100: 8 weeks
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
22. Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen, “Gallant Men”
> Entered Hot 100: Dec. 24, 1966
> Peak position on Hot 100: #29 (for 1 week)
> Total time on Hot 100: 6 weeks
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Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
21. Johnny Burnette, “God, Country and My Baby”
> Entered Hot 100: Oct. 16, 1961
> Peak position on Hot 100: #18 (for 1 week)
> Total time on Hot 100: 9 weeks
Source: Rick Diamond / Getty Images
20. Jake Owen, “American Country Love Song”
> Entered Hot 100: March 26, 2016
> Peak position on Hot 100: #55 (for 1 week)
> Total time on Hot 100: 17 weeks
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Source: Paul Natkin / Getty Images
19. Lee Greenwood, “God Bless the USA”
> Entered Hot 100: Sept. 29, 2001
> Peak position on Hot 100: #16 (for 1 week)
> Total time on Hot 100: 17 weeks
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
18. Jay & The Americans, “Only in America”
> Entered Hot 100: Aug. 17, 1963
> Peak position on Hot 100: #25 (for 2 weeks)
> Total time on Hot 100: 11 weeks
Source: obamawhitehouse / Flickr
17. Dierks Bentley, “Home”
> Entered Hot 100: Nov. 26, 2011
> Peak position on Hot 100: #44 (for 1 week)
> Total time on Hot 100: 20 weeks
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Source: Frederick Breedon IV / Getty Images
16. Montgomery Gentry, “Something to Be Proud Of”
> Entered Hot 100: Aug. 6, 2005
> Peak position on Hot 100: #41 (for 1 week)
> Total time on Hot 100: 20 weeks
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
15. Jimmy Dean, “P.T. 109”
> Entered Hot 100: March 31, 1962
> Peak position on Hot 100: #8 (for 1 week)
> Total time on Hot 100: 11 weeks
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Source: Jason Merritt/TERM / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
14. Toby Keith, “Made in America”
> Entered Hot 100: June 25, 2011
> Peak position on Hot 100: #40 (for 1 week)
> Total time on Hot 100: 20 weeks
Source: Mike Windle / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
13. Keith Urban, “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16”
> Entered Hot 100: June 27, 2015
> Peak position on Hot 100: #40 (for 1 week)
> Total time on Hot 100: 20 weeks
Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
12. Toby Keith, “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)”
> Entered Hot 100: June 8, 2002
> Peak position on Hot 100: #25 (for 1 week)
> Total time on Hot 100: 20 weeks
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Source: Rusty Russell / Getty Images
11. Darryl Worley, “Have You Forgotten?”
> Entered Hot 100: March 15, 2003
> Peak position on Hot 100: #22 (for 1 week)
> Total time on Hot 100: 20 weeks
Source: Paul Natkin / Getty Images
10. Brooks & Dunn, “Only in America”
> Entered Hot 100: July 21, 2001
> Peak position on Hot 100: #33 (for 3 weeks)
> Total time on Hot 100: 20 weeks
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Source: Annamaria DiSanto / WireImage via Getty Images
9. Toby Keith, “American Soldier”
> Entered Hot 100: Dec. 27, 2003
> Peak position on Hot 100: #28 (for 1 week)
> Total time on Hot 100: 20 weeks
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Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
8. Dion, “Abraham, Martin and John”
> Entered Hot 100: Oct. 26, 1968
> Peak position on Hot 100: #4 (for 2 weeks)
> Total time on Hot 100: 14 weeks
Source: Photo by George Rose / Getty Images
7. Whitney Houston, “The Star Spangled Banner”
> Entered Hot 100: March 9, 1991
> Peak position on Hot 100: #6 (for 1 week)
> Total time on Hot 100: 27 weeks
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Source: Christopher Polk / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
6. Kenny Chesney, “American Kids”
> Entered Hot 100: July 5, 2014
> Peak position on Hot 100: #23 (for 1 week)
> Total time on Hot 100: 20 weeks
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
5. The Shirelles, “Soldier Boy”
> Entered Hot 100: March 24, 1962
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 3 weeks)
> Total time on Hot 100: 14 weeks
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Source: Archive Photos / Archive Photos via Getty Images
4. Neil Diamond, “America”
> Entered Hot 100: April 25, 1981
> Peak position on Hot 100: #8 (for 3 weeks)
> Total time on Hot 100: 17 weeks
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Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
3. James Brown, “Living in America”
> Entered Hot 100: Dec. 7, 1985
> Peak position on Hot 100: #4 (for 1 week)
> Total time on Hot 100: 19 weeks
Source: Rick Diamond / Getty Images
2. Aaron Tippin, “Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly”
> Entered Hot 100: Oct. 20, 2001
> Peak position on Hot 100: #20 (for 1 week)
> Total time on Hot 100: 20 weeks
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Source: Randall Michelson / WireImage via Getty Images
1. Zac Brown Band, “Chicken Fried”
> Entered Hot 100: Oct. 4, 2008
> Peak position on Hot 100: #20 (for 3 weeks)
> Total time on Hot 100: 25 weeks
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