Wake Up With ‘America‘ from ’West Side Story’

I’ve always believed that no 4th of July fireworks soundtrack was complete without a verse or two from this one. That if you’re just playing Katy Perry’s “Fireworks,” you’re lazy and doing it all wrong.

Music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, choreography by Jerome Robbins, this is a timeless piece of American art. And perfectly captures the different views of a great nation with terrible faults. Plus it’s got Oscar winner Rita Moreno at the height of her powers. Spielberg is doing a remake of this, and he’s got his work cut out for him.

Happy 4th, if that’s at all possible.