Given their relevance to our current, divisive moment in the United States, they deserve a closer listen.This Fourth of July, we are likely to hear “The Yankee Doodle Boy” and “You’re a Grand Old Flag.” They have become like folk songs in U.S. culture, and for some, they evoke nostalgia for a bygone time that seems simpler. They originated, however, as showtunes, written for early 20th-century musicals by Broadway legend George M.
Cohan was a third-generation Irish American and grew up during a time of rampant anti-Irish sentiment. He audaciously represented himself as the Yankee Doodle emblem of the nation he sang about, even claiming to be born on the fourth of July. Certain critics found him and his shows distasteful, questioning the credibility of his patriotism. They claimed Cohan sold tickets by relying on flag-waving as a cheap gimmick. As a songwriter, they complained, he lacked sophistication.
In 1936, Cohan was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal for his patriotism, with particular mention of “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and the World War I song “Over There.” And today, over one hundred years since their creation, Cohan’s patriotic tunes persist. For some listeners, Cohan’s brand of exuberant patriotism is not only musically but also ideologically dated, relegated to kitsch and increasingly claimed by the political far right.