“Only in America”
Brooks & Dunn
Written by Kix Brooks, Don Cook, Ronnie Rogers
Radio & Records
#1 (1 week)
October 19, 2001
Billboard
#1 (1 week)
October 27, 2001
This is as well timed a hit as there ever has been.
The 9/11 attacks happened while this song was peaking at radio, and its obvious relevance to the moment helped power it to number one.
Did it punch a bit above its weight there because of it? Absolutely. This is a boiler plate patriotic hit that sounds refreshing in its innocence when compared to the records that are on their way next year which more accurately reflect the mood of post-9/11 America.
Ronnie Dunn’s enthusiasm is infectious, and it’s a nice throwback to the days where there was still something of a social contract holding us all together and there was a desire for national unity that could still be appealed to. We can only dream of that red, white, and blue these days.
“Only in America” gets a B+.
Every No. 1 Single of the 2000s
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