Memorial Day Weekend 2020 Patriotic Songs & Playlist

Getty People enjoy a spring afternoon at Brooklyn's Coney Island.

Memorial Day is observed this year on Monday, May 25; however, the national holiday is celebrated all weekend long, with barbeques, beach trips, and outdoor activities to enjoy the shift toward summer weather. While Memorial Day Weekend looks a little different this year, with social distancing orders still in effect for the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, that doesn’t mean you can’t make the most of the weekend with music, food, and fun that honors Memorial Day.

Here are a handful of patriotic, barbeque-worthy songs to add to your 2020 Memorial Day Weekend playlist as you’re making it:

‘Only in America’ by Brooks & Dunn

Brooks & Dunn released their song “Only in America” in 2001, and it continues to be a popular addition to patriotic playlists, especially for Memorial Day weekend.

The chorus’s lyrics celebrate that “Only in America / Dreamin’ in red white and blue / Only in America / Where we dream as big as we want to / We all get a chance / Everybody gets to dance / Only in America.”

‘The Ones That Didn’t Make it Back Home’ by Justin Moore

Since Memorial Day is observed in honor of those who lost their lives protecting the United States’ freedom, it makes sense to include Justin Moore’s “The Ones That Didn’t Make it Back Home” is a fitting inclusion on your playlist.

The chorus reminds us what Memorial Day is all about, saying “Here’s to the ones that didn’t make it back home / The ones we ain’t seen in so long / The hold up a beer ones, the wish they were here ones / The not forgotten but gone / They’re in a better place up there / But they sure left a hole down here / We just go on living and go on missing the ones / The ones that didn’t make it back home.”

‘Born in the USA’ by Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen is a must-have on a backyard barbeque playlist, and his song “Born in the USA” is the perfect song to sing along to on a national holiday.

‘America the Beautiful’ by Samuel A. Ward

No Memorial Day playlist is complete without one of the most quintessential patriotic songs: “America the Beautiful.” Almost everyone knows the words to this American classic, so consider it a great opportunity for all to stop and sing along, together, whenever it plays from your playlist.

‘Some Gave All’ by Billy Ray Cyrus

While not an upbeat “party” song, Billy Ray Cyrus’s “Some Gave All” is another tune that pays tribute to all those who lost their lives for the United States of America.

In the midst of your celebrating, the chorus of “Some Gave All” will honor those lost, singing “All Gave Some, Some Gave All / Some stood through for the red, white and blue / And some had to fall / And if you ever think of me / Think of all your liberties and recall / Some Gave All.”

‘Sweet Home Alabama’ by Lynyrd Skynyrd

“Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd is another summertime classic that, when it plays, will make it feel like summer really has arrived.

‘Living in America’ by James Brown

Last but certainly not least, James Brown’s “Living in America” is a must-add on any patriotic playlist.

In the comments section for the official video for “Living in America” on YouTube, one user aptly wrote “I’m not even an American but this song makes me proud to be an American.”

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