Happy July 4th With The US Marine Band And “Stars And Stripes Forever”

Happy July 4th to all my American friends.

To my readers from other parts of the world, nothing signifies this holiday celebrating the birth of our nation like the John Philips Sousa march “Stars And Stripes Forever.” It caps off our holiday festivities amid great fanfare and fireworks, especially when played well. No one plays it better than the United States Marine Band as you’ll see and hear in the video below.

This Sousa march has actually become popular for marching bands all over the world, a fact that I didn’t realize until I was on a shoot in Thailand for a television show that I was producing. We were shooting a parade in Chiang Mai celebrating Loi Krathong (fantastic celebration, by the way) when down the street comes a Thai marching band. What do you think they were playing? “Stars And Stripes Forever” of course.

When done well, the march is a marvel in orchestration and arrangement, and as I stated before, no one plays it better than the Marine Band. Listen especially for the piccolos on the 2nd verse. They’re played perfectly in tune, which you almost never hear.

Turn it up loud – it will give you goose bumps the same way that your favorite rock, pop, country or hip hop song will!

Happy July 4th everyone. Enjoy the holiday, and thank you kindly for your support!