12. “My Country”
Randy Newman (1999)
The sweetly uplifting melody suggests an anthem of pride. But Newman being Newman, he is singing one of his ironic statements about America, in the voice of someone passively grateful for being part of one nation under screens. American families watch TV to withhold feelings; they are groups of lonely TV addicts “watching other people living, seeing other people play, having other voices fill our minds.”

Pictured: Randy Newman in Anaheim, California, June 13, 2012.