| "God Bless America" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Written | 1918, 1938 (revised) |
| Published | 1939 byIrving Berlin Inc. |
| Released | March 3, 1939 |
| Genre | Patriotic song |
| Songwriter | Irving Berlin |
| "God Bless America" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byConnie Francis | ||||
| B-side | "Among My Souvenirs" | |||
| Released | 1959 | |||
| Recorded | 1959 | |||
| Genre | Patriotic song | |||
| Length | 2:41 | |||
| Label | MGM | |||
| Songwriter | Irving Berlin | |||
| Connie Francis singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written byIrving Berlin duringWorld War I in 1918 and revised by him in the run-up toWorld War II in 1938. The later version was recorded byKate Smith, becoming hersignature song.[1][2]
"God Bless America" takes the form of aprayer (with introductory lyrics noting that "as we raise our voices, in a solemn prayer") forGod's blessing and peace for the nation ("stand beside her and guide her through the night").
Irving Berlin wrote the song at the end ofWorld War I while serving in the U.S. Army atCamp Upton inYaphank, New York. He decided that it did not fit in arevue calledYip Yip Yaphank, so he set it aside.[3] The lyrics at that time included the line "Make her victorious on land and foam, God bless America..."[2] as well as "Stand beside her and guide herto the right with the light from above".[4]
Music criticJody Rosen says that a 1906 Jewish dialect novelty song, "When Mose with His Nose Leads the Band," contains a six-note fragment that is "instantly recognizable as the opening strains of 'God Bless America'". He interprets this as an example of Berlin's "habit ofinterpolating bits of half-remembered songs into his own numbers."[5] Berlin, born Israel Baline, had himself written several Jewish-themed novelty tunes.[6]
In 1938, with the rise ofAdolf Hitler, Berlin, who wasJewish and had arrived in the U.S. from Russia at the age of five, felt it was time to revive it as a "peace song", and it was introduced on anArmistice Day broadcast in 1938, sung byKate Smith on her radio show.[7] This song has become the performer's calling card. Berlin had made some minor changes; by this time, "to the right" might have been considered a call to the political right, so he substituted "through the night" instead. He also provided an introduction that is now rarely heard but which Smith always used: "While the storm clouds gather far across the sea / Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free / Let us all be grateful for a land so fair, / As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer." (In her first broadcast of the song, Kate Smith sang "that we're far from there" rather than "for a land so fair".)[4] This was changed when Berlin published the sheet music in March 1939.[4]
Woody Guthrie criticized the song, and in 1940 he wrote "This Land Is Your Land," originally titled "God Blessed America For Me," as a response.[8]Anti-Semitic groups such as theKu Klux Klan also protested against the song due to its authorship by a Jewish immigrant.[4]
In 1943, Smith's rendition was featured in the patriotic musical filmThis is the Army along with other Berlin songs. The manuscripts in the Library of Congress reveal the evolution of the song from victory to peace. Berlin gave the royalties of the song to The God Bless America Fund for redistribution toBoy Scouts andGirl Scouts in New York City.[9] Smith performed the song on her twoNBC television series in the 1950s.[10] "God Bless America" also spawned another of Irving Berlin's tunes, "Heaven Watch The Philippines," during the end ofWorld War II. ThePhilippines was an American possession since 1898 and recently liberated fromJapanese occupation; Berlin wrote it after he heard Filipinos singing a modified version of the song replacing "America" with "The Philippines."
The song was used early in theCivil Rights Movement as well as at labor rallies.[4] During the1960s counterculture, the song was increasingly used by Christian conservatives in the US to signal their opposition tosecular liberalism and to silence dissenters who were speaking in favor of communism or inopposition to the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.[11]
Later, from December 11, 1969,[7] through the early 1970s, the playing of Smith singing the song before many home games of theNational Hockey League'sPhiladelphia Flyers brought it renewed popularity as well as a reputation for being a "good luck charm" to the Flyers[7] long before it became a staple of nationwide sporting events.[7] The Flyers brought Smith in to perform live before Game 6 of the1974 Stanley Cup Finals on May 19, 1974, and the Flyers won the Cup that day.[7][10]
While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free.
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.
God bless America, land that I love.
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with the light from above.
From the mountains to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam,
God bless America, my home sweet home,
God bless America, my home sweet home.
In 1940, "God Bless America" was the official campaign song for both PresidentFranklin Delano Roosevelt and his Republican opponent,Wendell Willkie. At that time, the song represented cultural andreligious tolerance.[11]
Irving Berlin personally performed the song onThe Ed Sullivan Show on May 5, 1968, during an episode dedicated to him in honor of his 80th birthday.[12]
During a live television broadcast on the evening of theSeptember 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, following addresses by then House and Senate leaders, SpeakerDennis Hastert (Republican) andTom Daschle (Democrat), members of theUnited States Congress broke out into an apparently spontaneous verse of "God Bless America" on the steps of theCapitol building inWashington, D.C.[13]
On July 21, 2011, Smith's version of the song was played asNASA's final wakeup call forSpace ShuttleAtlantis (STS-135), capping the 30-yearSpace Shuttle program.
"God Bless America" has been performed at home games of theNational Hockey League'sPhiladelphia Flyers and those of theOttawa Senators in which the visiting team is from the United States. (The NHL requires arenas in both the U.S. and Canada to perform both "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "O Canada," the Canadian national anthem, at games that involve teams from both countries.[14])
At some Flyers' home games, especially during big games and the playoffs, their main anthem singer,Lauren Hart, has sung "God Bless America" alternating lyrics withKate Smith on a video screen, until 2019. Smith actually appeared in person to sing at select Flyers games, including their1974 Stanley Cup clinching game against theBoston Bruins, to which she received a thunderous ovation from the passionate Philadelphia fans. Before games whenever "God Bless America" is performed until 2019,Lou Nolan, the PA announcer for the Flyers at theWells Fargo Center, would say: "Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, we ask that you please rise and remove your hats and salute to our flags and welcome the No. 1 ranked anthemist in the NHL, our very own Lauren Hart, as she sings (if the visiting team is from Canada, O Canada, followed by) God Bless America, accompanied by the great Kate Smith."[15]
At some Senators home games since2000–01,[16] if the visiting team is from the U.S., their main anthem singer,Ontario Provincial Police ConstableLyndon Slewidge, has sung "God Bless America" and "O Canada."[16] An example of this came during the Senators' home opener during the 2002–03 season, when they were home against theNew Jersey Devils.[17]
DuringTom Golisano's time as owner of theBuffalo Sabres, the team occasionally substituted "God Bless America" for "The Star-Spangled Banner" during certain special events. When this occurred,Ronan Tynan was brought in to sing the song while usual anthem singer Doug Allen sang "O Canada."
At Chicago'sWrigley Field during theVietnam War, the song was often played by the organist as part of his postgame playlist while fans filed out of the stadium.[18]
Since theSeptember 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, "God Bless America" is commonly sung during theseventh-inning stretch inMajor League Baseball games, most often on Sundays,[19]Opening Day,[20]Memorial Day,[21]Independence Day,All-Star Game,Labor Day, September 11,[22] and most post-seasonMajor League Baseball games including the World Series. Following the attacks, John Dever, then the Assistant Media Relations Director of the San Diego Padres, suggested the song replace "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", the more traditional 7th inning anthem.[23] Major League Baseball quickly followed the Padres lead and instituted it league-wide for the rest of the season. Presently, teams decide individually when to play the song.
TheNew York Yankees, atYankee Stadium home games,[24] is currently the only Major League club to play "God Bless America" at every game during the seventh-inning stretch. The Yankees'YES Network televises its performance during all games before going to a commercial. During major games, such as Opening Day, national holidays, playoff contests, or games against theBoston Red Sox orNew York Mets, the Yankees will often have Irish tenorRonan Tynan perform the song.[25]
On August 26, 2008, at aBoston Red Sox game at Yankee Stadium, a fan who had attempted to leave for the restroom during the playing of the song was restrained and subsequently sent out of the building byNYPD officers. Part of the resolution of the resulting lawsuit was that the New York Yankees announced that they would no longer restrict the movement of fans during the playing of the song.[26]
On September 15, 2009, three high school teens filed a lawsuit against New Jersey's minor leagueNewark Bears for being ejected fromEagles Riverfront Stadium over their refusal to stand during the playing of "God Bless America" on June 29, 2009. Before being ejected, they were asked to leave the stadium by Bears president and co-owner Thomas Cetnar.[27]
At the January 1, 1976,Rose Bowl, to honor the start of theUnited States Bicentennial,Kate Smith and theUCLA Band performed "God Bless America" for a national television audience.
During theSuper Bowl LI halftime show a pre-recorded introduction byLady Gaga, who headlined the show, featured both "God Bless America" and "This Land is Your Land".
TheIndianapolis 500 istraditionally held at the end of May, and "God Bless America" has been sung there since 2003. The song "America the Beautiful" was sung before, but it was switched to "God Bless America" in the post-9/11 era. The song for many years was performed byFlorence Henderson, a native Hoosier, and a friend of the Hulman-George family, the track's owners at the time. The performance, often not televised, immediately precedes the national anthem. Henderson routinely sang the entire song, including the prologue, and in some years sang the chorus a second time.
Bing Crosby recorded the song on March 22, 1939, for Decca Records.[28]
The song was recorded by New York City's "singing cop,"Daniel Rodríguez, and charted for one week at No. 99 on theBillboard Hot 100 as a single. Before the 2001 versions, the last time "God Bless America" had been aBillboard chart hit was in 1959 whenConnie Francis reached No. 36 with her version (the B-side of her Top 10 hit "Among My Souvenirs").
On January 20, 2017,Jackie Evancho releasedTogether We Stand, a disc containing three patriotic songs including "God Bless America".[29] The song charted at No. 5 onBillboard's Classical Digital Song sales chart.[30]
TheViolent Femmes recorded "God Bless America" for their 2019 albumHotel Last Resort.
| "God Bless America" | |
|---|---|
| Promotional single byCeline Dion | |
| from the albumGod Bless America | |
| Released | September 2001 (2001-09) |
| Recorded | September 20, 2001 |
| Studio | Piccolo (Montreal)[31] |
| Genre | Patriotic song |
| Length | 3:47 |
| Label | Epic |
| Songwriter | Irving Berlin |
| Producer | David Foster |
| Audio | |
| "God Bless America" onYouTube | |
On September 21, 2001, following theSeptember 11 attacks, Canadian singerCeline Dion performed "God Bless America" during the television specialAmerica: A Tribute to Heroes. Shortly afterwards on October 16, 2001Sony Music released a benefit album calledGod Bless America, which featured Dion singing the song. The album debuted at number one on theBillboard 200 and became the first charity album to reach the top since USA for Africa'sWe Are the World in 1985. Dion's version was released as a promotional single in September 2001[32] and received enough radio airplay to reach number 14 onBillboard'sAdult Contemporary chart.[33] The music video also premiered in September 2001.
Dion performed the song also a few times during 2002. In 2003, she performed it atSuper Bowl XXXVII.[34] She also sang it on July 4, 2004, in herA New Day... show. "God Bless America" performed by Dion exists in two versions, live and studio. Both included on collections to gather funds for the victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and their families. The live version was released onAmerica: A Tribute to Heroes CD and DVD on December 4, 2001. The studio version was released on theGod Bless America album. The song was recorded on September 20, 2001, the day before the telethon. It was meant to be a replacement for the performance in the event something happened and Dion could not appear. The song was produced byDavid Foster.
| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium Airplay (Ultratop Wallonia)[35] | 74 |
| USAdult Contemporary (Billboard)[33] | 14 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Radio & Records)[36] | 14 |
| Chart (2001) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[37] | 50 |
| "God Bless America" | |
|---|---|
| Single byLeAnn Rimes | |
| from the albumYou Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs andGod Bless America | |
| Released | October 16, 2001 (2001-10-16) |
| Genre | Patriotic song |
| Length | 3:05 |
| Label | Curb |
| Songwriter | Irving Berlin |
| Producer | Wilbur C. Rimes |
| Audio | |
| "God Bless America" onYouTube | |
In 1997, Americancountry music recording artistLeAnn Rimes recorded a cover of the song on her second studio album,You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs.[38] After the events of September 11, Rimes rereleased the song on a compilation album by thesame name.[39] Rimes also released the song on aCD single. Two versions were released on October 16, 2001.[40] Both versions contain the song as theA-side track, but the B-side tracks were different. One released to the general public was released with the B-side track, "Put a Little Holiday in Your Heart,"[40] and the other was released to radio with the B-side track of Rimes's rendition of "The National Anthem."[41] Rimes's version peaked at No. 51 on theBillboardCountry Songs chart on October 27, 2001.[42]
| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USHot Country Songs (Billboard)[43] | 51 |
| US Top Country Singles Sales (Billboard)[44] | 3 |
The song has spawned numerous parodies.
Renowned anthem singer Lyndon Slewidge also sounds a bit different, with a new background music accompanying his lyrics to O Canada. He will also substitute God Save America for The Star Spangled Banner on selected occasions.
Marc Anthony andMary J. Blige sang "America the Beautiful", which was also performed atSuper Bowl XXXV byRay Charles and at "Super Bowl XI" byVicki Carr. This is the first time for God Bless America, which Ms. Dion will perform to a prerecorded music track and to backing vocals by a large choir.
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