If you’re looking for patriotic country songs for the Fourth of July, they’re easy to find. But country songs of dissent, that dare to question or call out the nation’s flaws, require some digging — unless you subscribe to Don’t Rock the Inbox, which this week shared an expertly curated “Anti-Patriotic Playlist.” Add Nashville singer-songwriter Matthew Szlachetka and his song “un-American Dream” to that list.
Written with Paul Stephens and performed by Szlachetka (he makes music under his Polish surname), “un-American Dream” takes an unflinching look at the current state and direction of the country. It’s not a “let’s get along” song, but rather one that boldly says this shit ain’t right. What drives the point home, however, is the songwriters’ gratitude that Stephens’ grandfather, on whom the song is based, isn’t around to witness this mess.
“Glad he didn’t live to see this world gone crazy,” Szlachetka sings. “Grandpa didn’t bleed for this world gone crazy un-American dream.”
At other points, however, he and Stephens acknowledge the great American myth of nostalgia: “It was all apple pie and Chevrolet/Even the lies were better back in the day,” goes one verse. “I can hear him laughing at this fool’s parade.”
“We originally wrote it back in 2018, and though it was intended for my last album, I didn’t feel ready to release it then,” Szlachetka says. “The song carries a deeply personal message — one that’s stayed with me all these years — and is inspired by Paul’s father, Sargent Arbie Lincoln Stephens, a WWII veteran who served in Patton’s 3rd Army in the 10th Armored Division. His courage, humility, and moral compass are at the heart of this piece. Paul recalls his father often saying, ‘There is one truth: love thy neighbor and be sorry when you are wrong.’”
Szlachetka says the song resonated with him since he and Stephens first wrote it and ultimately decided to release it now — just before the Fourth — to make listeners ponder some “complex truths.”
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“This feels less like a career move,” Szlachetka says of “un-American Dream,” which he co-produced with Radney Foster and Jack Foster, “and more like a responsibility.”
Szlachetka’s last album was 2022’s Young Heart, Old Soul. Now focusing on songwriting and producing, he hosts one of Nashville’s best live music nights, the Greasy Chicken Review, held every second Tuesday at East Nashville’s Eastside Bowl. July’s performance re-creates the songs of the Rolling Stones and features an array of local aces.