“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+.
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It’s not a bad song but it just kinda bores me. I would give this a “B-“.
I don’t agree that this is merely a boilerplate patriotic hit and I’m confident it would have connected deeply no matter when the song was released. The fact that “Only in America” was embraced as a campaign anthem for both George Bush in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008 speaks of its overarching appeal that crosses the standard ideological fault lines. My only surprise is that, particularly with the 9/11 backdrop, this song didn’t spend far more than a single week at #1. This is Brooks and Dunn firing on all cylinders, with highly energized vocals and supercharged guitar work that sells its heartfelt energy. The duo’s droopy late 90s nadir was fully in the rearview mirror here.
In addition to the energy, it works as a patriotic anthem because of above-average storytelling, beginning with the clever framing of “sun coming up over New York City” in the first verse and “sun goin’ down on an LA freeway” in the second verse. We also get some tangible characters representing this version of America. We get a school bus driver speculating with clear eyes that while one of the children on his bus might become President, another could be heading to prison. We get a star-eyed newlywed couple taking their big chance in pursuing Hollywood glory but recognizing that they might have to retreat to their working-class backgrounds, and that that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if it came to that. The verses did a good job of not sugar-coating, but the chorus admittedly ventured into tone-deaf romanticizing, particularly with the line that “we all get a chance, everybody gets to dance”. That’s obviously not the American experience for millions of people, but I think the songwriters and narrators meant well and don’t hold it against the experience of a genuine banger of a song that still holds up nearly a quarter century later.
Grade: A
This song makes me think of Reagan’s Morning In America ad that was so successful for him. They both get to the heart of why America is so special to so many. I totally get the appeal, though I agree that it’s not a personal favorite by Brooks and Dunn.
I like that this song doesn’t shy away from being an imperfect image. One could end up going to prison, and the two dreaming of Hollywood could just go back to Oklahoma. It’s a direction this kind of song doesn’t usually go. I still think it’s got a good message that we should aspire for as a country. But what sealed the deal for me was how both George W. Bush and Barack Obama used this song in their campaigns.
I find it unusual that Kix wrote it but Ronnie sang it, which I think is unique to their discography. As usual, there’s literally zero Kix on this song. In my opinion not enough is said about how little Kix is audible on any B&D album.
Yeah, no one ever mistook, B&D for the Everly Brothers or the Righteous Brothers or the Bellamy Brothers or Simon & Garfunkel as far as melodic harmonizing.
Call them Brooks (occasionaly) & Dunn
This is an okay song – not among my favorite B&D songs but decent radio fare
I’d give this a B
B/B+ Feels right. Maybe its not the greatest sing ever, but its a solid single and it does its job. Still rings out today, Im a hopeful sort, where a lotta people seem to wirte off patriotic songs completely as it all goes crazy, not that I begrudge people do. Good hook, good groove, and that guitar work is like candy for my ears. Its uplifting
Once again, I find myself disappointed with my past early 2000s self for shrugging off most of Brooks & Dunn’s Steers & Stripes era singles after listening to “Only In America” again. How I didn’t recognize that the duo, especially Ronnie Dunn, sounded more energized and more enthusiastic than ever, and how Mark Wright’s updated production made their sound fresher for the new millennium baffles me. Also, “Only In America” has such a catchy melody that I’m surprised didn’t draw me in the first time around. I really enjoy the record’s upbeat country rock groove, as well.
As far as patriotic songs go, especially ones from the early 2000s around the 9/11 era, this is definitely one of the better ones written and performed, imo. For a while, I had forgotten that it was actually recorded and released as a single before 9/11 happened, since after the tragedy, most everyone, including me, seemed to pretty much associate the song with the patriotism that followed. However, it definitely shows that it’s a pre-9/11 written patriotic song, especially in the quality of the writing and its optimistic melody and overall feel, and for me that’s a good thing. As already pointed out by both MarkMinnesota and Bobby, I love how this is a humble and imperfect picture of America being painted, while still selling how great the nation is. And I like the unique storytelling aspect of it that just describes the kind of ordinary people you could run into all over America. I especially love the second verse about the regular everyday couple who came to LA full of big dreams, but are also gladly willing to go back to Oklahoma to their old lives if things don’t work out. They still got each other, and they’ll still be happy that they at least gave their dreams a shot, and they’ll have that experience to look back on and tell others about. It’s such a refreshing and more realistic take for a song like this. Ronnie Dunn also sings that verse with an earnestness and understanding that helps you connect with those characters. I also like how realistic imperfection is painted in the first verse in that one of the kids on the bus “helps pay the rent” and one possibly going to prison in the future, along with the ones who “dream of fame and fortune” and the one that “just might be president.”
I also love the imagery in the opening lyrics to each verse: “Sun coming up over New York City” and “Sun going down on an LA freeway,” and it’s such a clever use of continuation from one story and set of characters to the next. In the song’s music video, being able to actually see the Twin Towers as they were not long before they were destroyed by the tragic event after Ronnie sings “Sun coming up over New York City” gives me chills today. There’s also a certain innocent charm about the video, such as showing happy regular ordinary people with their successful small businesses.
The song’s feel good, upbeat country rock groove also perfectly reflects the optimism and innocence that the nation still had when the song was originally recorded and released. It was a perfect kind of song to be blasting from your car while flying down the road during the Summer of 2001. I also love Ronnie Dunn’s enthusiastic performance that occasionally features his signature growl. The intro is also cool with the electric guitar opening followed by the drumming that reminds me of an old remix version of “My Maria” that I occasionally heard on the radio in the 90s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyFK6bMVIWU. Both this and “Ain’t Nothing Bout You” provided a one two punch that showed that the guys were most definitely reenergized from their previous commercial slump and were ready to take on the 2000s.
Overall, this song for me, like the Twin Towers themselves, symbolizes the pre-9/11 version of America that I still really miss today.
I will repeat myself and say few things are more difficult to do than write, or perform, a non-polarizing patriotic song. Brooks & Dunn capably walk the middle way here. Their characters capture the elusive dreaminess of the American Dream while the entire narrative avoids the pitfalls of falling in lock-step with a specific political vision for the country. The song feels free and loose with an honest sense of pride for your home country.
It is unsettling to know we have lost our way so badly as a people that hope so genuinely, if even naively, expressed now sounds oddly unfamiliar, false,and almost untrustworthy.
As far as vocals, Dunn was really cementing his status as one of his generations finest singers.