"It's America" is a song written by Brett James and Angelo Petraglia and recorded by American country music singer Rodney Atkins. It was released in November 2008 as the first single and title track from Atkin's 2009 album of the same name.
| "It's America" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Rodney Atkins | ||||
| from the album It's America | ||||
| Released | November 24, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 2008 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:29 | |||
| Label | Curb | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Brett James Angelo Petraglia | |||
| Producer(s) | Ted Hewitt Rodney Atkins[1] | |||
| Rodney Atkins singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Content
edit"It's America" is an up-tempo, backed by banjo, in which the narrator lists off various American images before saying that he is proud to live in the United States. The first verse describes his stopping at a lemonade stand and considering the stand a "picture-perfect postcard", while in the second verse, he describes watching a news story about people voluntary gathering to rebuild their community after a tornado.
Critical reception
editMatt Bjorke of Roughstock gave the song a mixed review.[2] Bjorke called it "a song that aims to reaffirm what made Rodney Atkins a star". He added that although the message was good, the song's production did not fit Atkins' voice and detracted from the lyric.[2] Jim Malec of The 9513 gave it a "thumbs down" rating. His review criticizes the use of the word "it", asking, "What is the 'it' that supposedly represents this nation of millions?"[3] Malec also said, " But 'It’s America' pretends that the images it presents as fundamental exist in isolation, which simply isn’t true. And it makes no attempt to discuss why those images are personally relevant[…] 'It’s America' is a symbol not a song, an advertisement not art."[3]
Chart performance
edit"It's America" debuted at #57 on the Hot Country Songs chart dated November 29, 2008, and entered the Top 40 in its third chart week. The song became his fifth Number One on the chart dated May 2, 2009.
| Chart (2008–2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[4] | 44 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5] | 1 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[6] | 17 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[7] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ It's America (Media notes). Rodney Atkins. Curb Records. 2009. D2-79132.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b Bjorke, Matt. "Rodney Atkins – "It's America" Single Review". Roughstock. Archived from the original on 2009-02-05. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
- ^ a b Malec, Jim (2008-12-04). "Rodney Atkins – "It's America"". The 9513. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
- ^ "Rodney Atkins Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
- ^ "Rodney Atkins Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
- ^ "Best of 2009: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2009. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
- ^ "American single certifications – Rodney Atkins – It's America". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 29, 2024.