Americana is a term used to describe certain things (artifacts, art, products, concepts) that showcase the culture of the United States. They often show a part of the stereotypical (and often idealized) American experience. Main Street, soda parlors, blue jeans, baseball games, and an ice cold Coca-Cola while you grill in the backyard with your dog Spot. A lot of this is centered around a nostalgia for a previous time in the country’s history (generally from either the late 1800s to the first World War or post-World War II until the late 1900s).

Anericana also often contains themes of patriotism, with things like the American flag, the Statue of Liberty, bald eagles, etc. A lot of artifacts of this type are from support efforts back home during the World Wars (think posters for war bonds, victory gardens, and recycling drives).

Norman Rockwell’s paintings serve as a good example of this, as do many films and TV shows. Forrest Gump and The Wonder Years come to mind at this moment.

Americana music is a style that combines different aspects of rock and roll, folk, bluegrass, blues, and R&B (among others) to create a distinctly American sound. It often uses a very narrative style, but not always. Due to the fact that it combines so many styles, there is a wide variety of what is called Americana. Bob Dylan is a classic example, Bruce Springsteen another. If you want some more modern Americana artists I could pull some up.

With regard to which subjects?