Billboard Ranks 25 Top 'America' and 'U.S.A.' Songs for U.S. 250th Birthday

Q: Which iconic anthems were snubbed by Billboard's strict 'America'-title rule?

The most obvious snub was Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” Billboard’s list was limited to Hot 100 songs with “America” or “U.S.A.” in the title, so Greenwood’s anthem did not qualify even though it is one of the country’s best-known patriotic songs. It also was never a major Hot 100 smash, peaking at No. 16 only after its 2001 revival. Other iconic patriotic standards were effectively excluded for the same reason because their titles do not contain “America” or “U.S.A.” The clearest examples are “America the Beautiful,” “This Land Is Your Land,” “God Bless America,” and “My Country, ’Tis of Thee.” These songs are central to the American songbook, but Billboard’s feature was not a broad ranking of patriotic anthems; it was a title-specific Hot 100 chart exercise. Billboard did make one notable exception: Whitney Houston’s Super Bowl version of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” included despite not meeting the title rule, because of its singular status as the national anthem and its No. 6 Hot 100 peak in 2001. So the “snubs” were less editorial dismissals than a byproduct of the methodology: if a famous anthem lacked “America” or “U.S.A.” in its title, it was almost certainly left out.

3 articles · Updated · Billboard · Jul 1

Billboard published a 25-song Hot 100 ranking tied to the United States' July 4, 250th birthday, measuring tracks with “America” or “U.S.A.” in the title by chart performance.
Don McLean’s “American Pie (Parts I & II)” led the list after four weeks at No. 1, ahead of Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.” and The Guess Who’s “American Woman / No Sugar Tonight.”
The ranking uses Billboard’s inverse point system, giving the most weight to weeks at No. 1 and adjusting some eras to reflect different chart turnover rates.
Billboard made one exception to its title rule by including Whitney Houston’s “The Star-Spangled Banner,” citing its status as the U.S. national anthem.