God Bless America
This page includes a lyric video, history, sheet music, and other resources for the song “God Bless America.” Enjoy!
Enjoy this You Tube video, performed by Celine Dion, with lyrics for “God Bless America.”
History of “God Bless America”
Words and Music by Irving Berlin (1888-1989), Published in 1938
Irving Berlin was a Russian-born Jew whose family immigrated to America when he was five. The family fled Russia after their house was burned down in a pogrom (an organized attempt to destroy a particular ethnic group – usually Jewish people). Irving’s parents and their eight children settled in New York, and struggled to make ends meet. At age eight, Irving took to the streets to sell newspapers and found that if he sang while selling the papers, people would sometimes toss him coins.1 By the time he was an early teen, Irving left home and attempted to make a living as an itinerant singer. In order to survive, Irving knew he had to learn what songs appealed most to his audience. His understanding in this regard is said to have led to his eventual fame.
While working as a singing waiter in New York’s Chinatown, Irving taught himself how to play the piano. His first attempt at songwriting was titled “Marie from Sunny Italy (1907),” for which he was paid 37 cents. Irving continued writing and by 1911, he published his first world-famous song, “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” — the song that set off an international craze for ragtime music!
In 1917, during WWI, Irving was drafted into the United States Army. Already famous for his music, Irving was asked to help increase troop morale by writing patriotic music. He composed an all soldier comedy musical titled “Yip, Yip, Yaphank.” It was for this production that Berlin wrote “God Bless America,” but in the end, he decided it was too solemn for a comedy. He put the song aside and did not pull it out again for 20 years! 2
It was in the fall of 1938, when events in Europe showed signs of leading to another world war, that Irving set out to write a peace song. Remembering his previous work, Irving decided to revise “God Bless America.” In the midst of reworking the piece, the popular singer Kate Smith asked Irving for a patriotic song to perform for Armistice Day (the day celebrating the end of WWI).3 Combined with Kate’s famous voice, the song was an instant success! You can see the first televised performance here.
During the course of his life, Irving published over 1,000 songs. Not only did he write for Broadway and Hollywood, he created songs for political causes (like presidential campaigns) and for lifting American spirits during crises like WWI, WWII, and the Great Depression. Some of Irving’s most famous songs are “White Christmas,” “Easter Parade,” and “There’s No Business like Show Business,” but arguably, his most beloved creation is “God Bless America.”
Additional Resources for “God Bless America”:
Sheet Music (PDF Compliments of Non-Profit Pages)
Guitar Chords (Links to Ultimate Guitar)
Visit the Library of Congress for more on this hymn.
See our Hymn of the Week page for a list of the hymns that are included on this site.
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Sources:
1 Furia, Philip. The Poets of Tin Pan Alley, Oxford University Press, 1992.
2 “God Bless America.” Library of Congress.
3 Ibid.
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