American Anthem

NPR's ongoing series on music that challenges, unites and celebrates

NPR
A Cup Of Ambition And Endurance: '9 To 5' Unites Workers Across Decades
NPR - Lynn Neary
This story is part of American Anthem, a yearlong series on songs that rouse, unite, celebrate and call to action. Find more at NPR.org/Anthem. This year at the Grammy Awards, backed by a chorus of contemporary...
Jul 11, 2019
NPR
American Anthem: The Playlist
NPR
Sometimes, a song isn't just a song: It's shorthand for an idea. Some songs can rouse and rally huge masses of people at once, whether they're chanting in a stadium, marching in the streets or sweating...
Jul 1, 2019
NPR
The Songs That Define Us, From NPR's 'American Anthem' Series
NPR - Elizabeth Blair
For the past year, NPR has been taking a deep look at American anthems and all the forms they can take. These are the songs that unite us, inspire us or say something about what it means to be an American...
Jul 2, 2019
NPR
"The Star-Spangled Banner" has been played at major sporting events as far back as the Civil War, even before it was officially named the national anthem. How and why did the tradition stick?
How Sports Met 'The Star-Spangled Banner'
NPR - Tom Goldman
Sep 6, 2018
NPR
Written in the thick of World War II, Aaron Copland's piece seems to have hope woven between its notes. Why are so many who hear it, from presidents to prog rockers, still so moved?
On 'Fanfare For The Common Man,' An Anthem For The American Century
NPR - Mandalit del Barco
Jul 19, 2018