Apple News Today

The U.S. is turning 250. These songs unexpectedly changed American history.

June 20, 2026·23 min·7-min readnarrativeculture
Podzilla Summary (7 min)
TLDR
This episode of In Conversation from Apple News explores how music has shaped American identity and political consciousness over time, using four pivotal songs and works — 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' 'Strange Fruit,' Paul Simon’s Graceland, and Hamilton — to illustrate music’s power

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Guest

A

Anna Harwell Celenza

narrative on Apple News Today

Mentions

Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

Anna Harwell CelenzaDavid GreeneFrancis Scott KeyBillie HolidayAbel MeeropolPaul SimonLin-Manuel MirandaNelson MandelaMike PenceJoe Biden

Books

On the Record, Music That Changed Americaby Anna Harwell Celenza

Topics

American HistoryBooksCivil Rights HistoryLong Form JournalismMusic IndustryNonfictionPolitical NewsPop Culture

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