Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Happy birthday, America. Let freedom continue to ring.

As our great country turns 247 years old, let’s mark the occassion with two takes on the holiday. The first is a not so traditional but unbelievably fabulous rendition of a song celebrating this great land of ours by one of its greatest treasures.

“O beautiful for spacious skies
For amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea“.

Ray Charles circa 1968. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

And for a fun take, let’s join one of America’s favorite sons in his “boardwalk life” with a stop at a “little seaside bar” to hear one of “Madame Marie’s” fortunes before she gets busted.

“Sandy the fireworks are hailin’ over little Eden tonight
Forcin’ a light into all those stony faces left stranded on this fourth of July
Down in town the circuit’s full of switchblade lovers so fast, so shiny, so sharp
As the wizards play down on Pinball Way on the boardwalk way past dark“.

Bruce Springsteen circa 1985. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Ray Charles: “America The Beautiful” (1976, lyrics written by Katharine Lee Bates, music written by Samuel A. Ward).

Bruce Springsteen: “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)” (1973, written by Bruce Springsteen).

Stay safe & well.