Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American)

Infobox Single
Name = Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American)


Artist = Toby Keith
from Album = Unleashed
B-side =
Released = 23 July 2002
Format = CD Single
Recorded = United States 2002
Genre = Country
Length =
Label = DreamWorks Nashville
Writer = Toby Keith
Producer = James Stroud
Toby Keith
Certification =
Last single = "My List" (2001)
This single = "Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue" (2002)
Next single = "Who's Your Daddy?" (2002)
Misc =

"Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American)" is a song written and performed by American country music singer Toby Keith. The song was written shortly after Keith's father's death in early 2001, and inspired by the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States later that year. The song topped the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and reached #25 on the Hot 100 chart becoming his biggest solo hit.

Background

On March 24, 2001, Keith’s father, H.K. Covel, was killed in a car accident. That event and the September 11, 2001 attacks prompted Keith to write the song "Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American)", a song about his father’s patriotism and faith in the USA. At first, Keith refused to record the song and only sang it live at his concerts for military personnel.

The reaction was so strong that the Commandant of the Marine Corps James L. Jones told Keith it was his duty as an American citizen to record the song. "It's your job as an entertainer to lift the morale of the troops," Jones said to Keith. "If you want to serve, that is what you can do." ["How do you like him now? Toby Keith blasts Peter Jennings and the Dixie Chicks, talks about the pleasures of burping and defends his hit song 'The Angry American'." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. September 6, 2002.] As the lead single from the album "Unleashed" (2002), "Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue" peaked at number 1 on the country charts over the weekend of July 4. It also ranked at #22 on "Blender" magazine's list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever". [ [http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=819 Run for Your Life! It's the 50 Worst Songs Ever!] from "Blender.com". Retrieved on May 3, 2008.]

In a 2003 interview with CBS, Keith gave his take on the song: “It wasn’t written for everybody. And when you write something from your heart - I had a dad that was a veteran, taught me how precious our freedom is - I was so angry when we were attacked here on American soil that it leaked out of me. You know, some people wept when they heard it. Some people got goose bumps. Some people were emotionally moved. Some cheered, turned their fists in the air.”cite web |url= http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/11/05/earlyshow/leisure/music/main582006.shtml |title= Toby Keith: Being Honest On 'Red, White & Blue,' CMAs And 'Shock'n Y'all' |author= CBS News |work= The Early Show |date= November 5 2003 |quote= ]

Controversy

ABC invited Keith to sing "Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue" on a patriotic special it was producing; however, the host of the show, Canadian-born newsman Peter Jennings, requested Keith soften the lyrics of the song or choose another song to sing. Keith refused both requests and did not appear on the special. The rift gave the song a considerable amount of publicity, which led to many national interviews and public performances of the song. During an interview with 60 Minutes, Keith spoke about his public comments about Jennings, saying "“I thought it was hilarious. My statement was, ‘Isn't he Canadian?’ to a bunch of press. They laughed and then I said, ‘Well, I bet Dan Rather wouldn't kick me off his show,’” says Keith." [ [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/10/28/60II/main580469.shtml Courtesy Of The Red, White & Blue, Singer Talks About His Defiantly Patriotic Songs - CBS News ] ]

Keith had a public feud with the Dixie Chicks over both the song and comments they made about President George W. Bush. The lead singer of the Dixie Chicks, Natalie Maines, publicly stated that the song was "ignorant, and it makes country music sound ignorant." [" [http://www.top40-charts.com/news.php?nid=3488 Natalie Maines (Dixie Chicks) Bashes Toby Keith's Patriotic Anthem] ," Top40-charts.com via Los Angeles Daily News. August 8, 2002.] Keith responded by belittling Maines' songwriting skills, and by displaying a backdrop at his concerts showing a doctored photo of Maines with Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. ["Dixie Chicks' Maines uses her voice to sing and to speak out," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. June 5, 2003.] On May 21, 2003, Maines wore a T-shirt with the letters FUTK on the front at the Academy of Country Music Awards. [" [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2958450.stm Fresh Dixie Chicks row erupts] ," BBC News. June 3, 2003.] While a spokesperson for the Dixie Chicks said that the acronym stood for "Friends United in Truth and Kindness", many, including host Vince Gill, took it to be an obscene shot at Keith and understood the acronym to mean "Fuck You, Toby Keith." In the 2006 film "", Maines admitted that the FUTK shirt "was", in fact, a shot at Keith. In August 2003, Keith publicly declared he was done feuding with Maines "because he's realized there are far more important things to concentrate on." [" [http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/tobey%20keith%20ends%20feud%20with%20natalie%20maines Toby Keith Ends Feud with Natalie Maines] ," Contact Music. August 29, 2003.]

References

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