Growing up in Philadelphia, it was probably inevitable that I’d prefer “God Bless America” over the “Star Spangled Banner.” The former became the de facto national anthem for the Philadelphia Flyers after their Stanley Cup championships of 1974 and 1975, at which the song was sung by Kate Smith. That it was written by Irving Berlin doesn’t hurt either. As sung by Smith, the song always included an introduction which is often forgotten:
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.
Here are the full lyrics and a Kate Smith performance.
Happy Fourth of July!
Seamus says:
Funny, I thought the latter had been the de jure national anthem since 1930 or so. Or may by “latter,” you meant “former.”
July 4, 2010, 10:05 amIndependence Day says:
[...] Volokh Conspiracy’s Sunday Song lyric, today noting the oft forgotten introduction to the Star Spangled Banner: While the storm clouds [...]
July 4, 2010, 11:30 amJonathan H. Adler says:
oops. will fix
July 4, 2010, 11:46 amFrank Drackman says:
Ahhh Kate Smith, back when the fat chick from “Heart” wasn’t fat…
I LIKE the Star Bangled Banner, like my dad told me when I was 8 or 9 at Dodger Stadium, squinting to see my Hero Ron “the Penguin” Cey, who I thought was squinting back at ME, but it was just cause we were sitting in the bleachers, and thats where the flag was…
It tells a story, a Great Story, of kickin the Limey’s Butts, and it gets really dark and explicit in the rarely heard 2d stanza, “Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes” could be somethin from Black Sabbath…
Sure “God Bless America’s” a nice tune, unless you don’t believe in God, or worship Allah, or Jehovah, or Odin. And “America the Beautiful’s” OK, sure America’s beautiful, just like Germany, or Russia, heck, even Saudi Arabia’s beautiful if you like scorching hot sand…
But for my Money, there’s nuthin like Jimmy Hendricks, playin the opening chords, even U2 couldn’t ruin it.
OK, they did, but “Bullet the Blue Sky” more than makes up for it.
So play your Politically Correct, Non-British Insulting “God Bless America/the Beautiful” I’ll keep singing the rarely heard 2d Stanza of the REAL National Anthem, badly, and off key, the way it was meant to be singed,
Frank
July 4, 2010, 3:15 pmNice DJ Hero Songs photos | Buy DJ Hero says:
[...] The Volokh Conspiracy » Sunday Song Lyric [...]
July 4, 2010, 9:55 pmmike says:
If it were up to me, the national anthem would be Living in America by James Brown.
Or perhaps America, F*** Yeah, from Team America:World Police. Maybe save that one for the seventh inning stretch.
July 4, 2010, 11:45 pmBarb says:
Thank you Mr.Adler. A great singer, a great song. We are blessed by several good national songs, America and America the Beautiful and the Battle Hymn of the Republic –and God of our Fathers. I think God Bless America and the Battle Hymn –are my favorites to sing.
It is good to see that atheistic/secularistic political correctness has not prevailed to stifle the playing of such music on our nation’s birthday. It must drive crazy the liberals who want a “naked public square” to have to endure Christmas music, Handel’s Messiah, and our national “hymns” which acknowledge a Supreme Being.
Our local mall banned religious holiday music –I used to direct our church choir in an annual cantata there (also a prison performance) –and next thing you know the mall wen out of business and has been razed. Actually, the prison closed, too. Maybe it was our singing…. But it’s good that the prison closed–I guess we converted everybody–LOL –divine judgment that the mall did, I figure.
July 5, 2010, 10:37 pm