It is not a hymn or an anthem. As the years passed, “God Bless America,” despite the objections of its creator, became our unofficial de facto national anthem. Celine Dion performed this on the post-9/11 TV special America: A Tribute to Heroes, and it was featured on the accompanying album God Bless America, which debuted at #1 (the first charity album to reach the summit since USA for Africa's We Are The World in 1985). The first manuscript of "God Bless America" (in the hand of musical secretary Helmy Kresa) is dated October 31, 1938, and the earliest "final" version of the song is dated November 2. I underline rewrote because that is a very important part of the story of 'God Bless America.' I was there during Chamberlain’s visit to Hitler and the beginning of the Munich pact. October 1, 2020. “God, I sure do wish you’d bless America again. The finale - the boys were alerted in the scene before that they were going overseas, and in overseas outfits, including helmets, they marched through the Theater, went out to the street and backstage where they boarded a transport, and as the lights lowered, the transport, on wheel, slowly moved off stage. On Armistice Day, 1938, I spoke to Ted Collins [Smith’s manager] and he wanted a song for Kate Smith to sing on that program, where she introduced it. It was written in the 80's during the Cold War. "God Bless America again" is a realistic biblical truth of Life ! Her next gospel album would be 1997's All Time Gospel Favorites. Berlin himself sang it on television in 1968 during an eightieth birthday tribute presented on The Ed Sullivan Show and sang it again, most movingly, at the White House in 1974 in honor of returning Vietnam War prisoners. 5.51 x 0.49 x … We’ve got a good national anthem. You can’t have two." Many Theologians and church leaders have presented their point of view about the "reason behind the why" However; The word, "again" gives us the truth of the matter that God's Mercies are new every morning … In an August 16, 1943, letter to the well-known author Dale Carnegie, Berlin wrote: "I think it would be a mistake to suggest changing our National Anthem. God, I sure to wish you'd bless America again You know like you did way back when it all began You blessed her then, but we just sorta kinda take it for granted And never did ask again. It was released on June 5, 1972, by Decca Records. God bless America, again! We can’t legislate one. 00:00:01.651 --> 00:00:04.554; Allen Jackson: We don't earn ourway to heaven, that's nonsense. as the curtain came down. A patriotic hymn pleading for God's forgiveness of the United States and his guidance over the country, the song was first recorded and made famous by Bare. Berlin was a successful songwriter on Tin Pan Alley by the late 1910s. This song is sung by Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty. Loretta Lynn ‎– God Bless America Again Label: Decca ‎– DL 7-5351, Decca ‎– DL 75351 Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Club Edition, ... May God Bless America Again Written-By – Bobby Bare, Boyce Hawkins: 2:35: A2: Just A Closer Walk With Thee: 3:08: A3: Six Feet Of Sod Written-By – Betty Sue Perry: It was his last public appearance. About Bless America Again "God Bless America Again" is a country music song written by Bobby Bare and Boyce Hawkins. 7 on the Billboard Hot Country LP's chart. His first big hit, "Alexander's Ragtime Band," catapulted him … Berlin wrote the song on his way back to America after attending the London premiere (September 30, 1938) of his film Alexander’s Ragtime Band. Wash her pretty face, dry her eyes and then, God bless America again. If you didn’t think that was enough, we have a new black liberation theologist acting as a preacher on the Atlanta, Georgia, scene. Largely consisting of new material, the album also includes a few well-known songs, including "Softly and Tenderly", "Just a Closer Walk with Thee", and "If God Is Dead (Who's That Living in My Soul)". Two additional sessions followed on July 15 and August 12. Yet there was sharp criticism as well. Of course, there were notable recordings, none more impressive than those by Kate Smith, who also sang it thrillingly in the 1943 film version of This Is the Army. That occasion came after I returned from London in 1938 where I had gone to see the opening of Alexander’s Ragtime Band, the picture. Among the top cuts are the title tune as well as "Working for the Lord", "If God Is Dead", "I Feel Like Traveling On", and "I Pray My Way Out of Trouble"." Publication date. English. Dimensions. As you may remember, the show opened on August 19th at the Old Century Theater. The title song was cowritten by Bobby Bare and has led some to mislabel this release as a collection of patriotic songs. In 1940 Berlin established the God Bless America Fund, a trust that over the years has turned all income for the song over to the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of America. In a July 16, 1940, letter to W. F. Maloney, an official of the Democratic Party, Berlin wrote: "In reply to your inquiry, no political party has the exclusive rights to the song 'God Bless America'. For those visiting who happen to like the song, God bless you and please forgive my above mentioned rant. The response to “God Bless America” was overwhelmingly positive. '", Berlin described how he wrote “God Bless America” in a letter of July 19, 1954, to Abel Green, editor of Variety: "I wrote 'God Bless America' at Camp Upton in 1918 to be the finale of Yip, Yip, Yaphank. “God bless America, again. Of course, I always had it in back of my mind to use someday on the right occasion. and resources at the time that "God Bless America" was written, and if this country ever needed a blessing again, it’s here and now. Years before John Lennon or Bob Dylan were even born, Berlin took up the challenge of penning an anthem that would inspire his fellow men to live in harmony. "God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin during World War I in 1918 and revised by him in the run up to World War II in 1938. Most fortunately, the blessing bestowed upon us with this album is Loretta Lynn’s pure and true country talent, delivering, eleven songs revolving around the theme of our proud American heritage and its future. Used by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing. Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. "God Bless America Again" is a country music song written by Bobby Bare and Boyce Hawkins. ", "The original version was as follows: 'God Bless America /  land that I love / Stand beside her / And guide her /To the right with a light from above / Make her victorious on land and foam / God Bless America, my home sweet home.' 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