This article was inspired by popular twitter account @OdysseyRejects's tweet "500 Words on Why "Party in the USA" Should Be Our National Anthem."
Arguably the most American song Americans know is "The Star Spangled Banner" because it's the United States' national anthem, which was written in the early 1800s and adopted as the anthem in the 1930s. Despite the song's history, the modern era requires an equally modern national anthem to set the United States' agenda as it moves forward in the 21st century.
"Party in the USA" possesses all of the qualities of a national anthem that "The Star-Spangled Banner" lacks. Unlike "The Star Spangled Banner," "Party in the USA" highlights popular American icons such as Jay-Z and Britney Spears, thus allowing younger Americans to better relate to the anthem because they can associate the popularity of the celebrities and celebrity culture with patriotism.
In addition, "The Star-Spangled Banner" never directly names the United States, leading singers and listeners alike to be confused by which country the song is about. Because "Party in the USA" names well-known cities and places like Nashville and LAX and contains "USA" in its title, we know exactly what country the song is about. Furthermore, "Party in the USA" is an upbeat jam while "The Star-Spangled Banner" is a slow, classical tune that doesn't reflect today's America.
As a result, "Party in the USA" is obviously the best choice for a national anthem because it is more American and a more fun song to listen to, and will, therefore, lead Americans to feel more positively about the United States and its future, as well as having a good time when singing it.
