Rock-tober 29, 2014

The late 70's wasn't all disco balls and free love communes; there was some serious kimchi hitting the fan. We were on the backside of the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War. The Middle East Oil Crisis kicked off gas shortages and ended the golden age of muscle cars. Double digit inflation, soaring interest rates, and joblessness was hitting everybody hard. And then, like an exclamation point at the end of a listless decade, came news from overseas.

On November 4, 1979, Iranian students seized control of the US Embassy in Tehran. Fifty-two Americans were captured and held hostage for 444 days.

Once again, the slumbering giant was awakened. America closed ranks, stood shoulder to shoulder, and flat out double dog dared the world to take another step. It was in this atmosphere that the Charlie Daniels Band released "In America".

The entire spectrum of our society was reinvigorated, and sectarian labels we'd previously worn (the cowboys and the hippies and the rebels and the yanks) were replaced by another. We were simply "American". It was suddenly cool to be American again.

What about Pittsburgh? What's so special about the Steelers? Daniels eloquently explained the call out himself:

"The strength of America is not in Washington, D.C., It's in our people, it's on the farms, in the factories. It's the people out here that make this country work. The truck drivers, the farmers. And these people, that's what they were, and I just felt like if you want to go to war, let me take some of these guys with me. Go lay your hand on a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and you're gonna find out what American anger is, because it's the kind of people they are."

Let me be clear: unrestrained patriotism leads to hyper-nationalism, and this irrational sense of nationalism is how you wound up with that blemish on humanity that was Nazi Germany. This was, of course, so not the band's intent. When the song was released, there was a resurgence of pride and patriotism that had not been seen for over a decade. Class and racial infighting was set aside to focus on greater issues. Self reliance and the firm belief that America could pull herself up by her bootstraps became common place. All this was topped off with a healthy dose of flag waving, "USA!" chanting American bravado. Ain't nothin' wrong with that.

God bless America.