Modern Day War Anthem

 Country music legend, Toby Keith, who just passed away on February 5th, 2024, wrote one of the most influential military songs.

Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue was written after the horrendous September 11th attacks. During this time many artists wrote ballads to express the somber attitude of the people of the United States of America. Hits like Into the Fire by Bruce Springsteen and Politik by Coldplay filled the radio stations. These songs encapsulate what happened and how people were coping with the awful incident. While Toby Keith went on to write Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue, he originally only intended to perform it for soldiers on his USO tour, following 9/11.

While performing for soldiers Keith was told by Supreme Allied Commander Gen. James L. Jones that this song needed to be recorded and shared with the people of the United States. 

This up-beat country/rock anthem serves as a battle song for many and attempts to express the anger felt by many Americans following the attacks on 9/11/2001. The current war anthem is considered one of Keith’s most controversial songs due to its “redneck patriotism” in his exact words. 

Song timestamps (0:45-4:00)

Music is used to convey messages and it is really telling of the times. In a time in which many songs express sorrow and remembrance Toby Keith states “and you’ll be sorry that you messed with the U.S of A ‘cause we’ll put a boot in your [explicative]1 - it's the American way”. This song and Keith’s legacy will forever live on as long as July 4th is still celebrated as a holiday. Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue will always be considered a patriotic anthem. It is used to move people and was able to build camaraderie in a time in which Americans were hurting. In 2002 it appeared as the hit single on Toby Keith's album, Unleashed for all to hear.

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