By songwriter Lee Greenwood
If tomorrow all the things were gone
I worked for all my life
And I had to start again
With just my children and my wife
I thank my lucky stars
To be living here today
'Cause the flag still stands for freedom
And they can't take that away
And I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I'd gladly stand up next to you
And defend Her still today
'Cause there ain't no doubt
I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.
From the lakes of Minnesota
To the hills of Tennessee
Across the plains of Texas
From sea to shining sea
From Detroit down to Houston
And New York to L.A.
Where's pride in every American heart
And it's time we stand and say
That I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I'd gladly stand up next to you
And defend Her still today
'Cause there ain't no doubt
I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.
And I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I'd gladly stand up next to you
And defend Her still today
'Cause there ain't no doubt
I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.
"God Bless the USA" is an American patriotic song written and recorded by country music artist Lee Greenwood. The song was first released in 1984 and was played at the 1984 Republican National Convention which nominated President Ronald Reagan for re-election. The song gained greater prominence during the Gulf War in 1990-1991, but the popularity of the song rose sharply after the September 11, 2001 attacks and during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In 2001, the song was re-released as a single and also re-recorded in 2003 and released as "God Bless the USA 2003". The song has been in the top five on the country singles charts three times (1991, 2001 and 2003) and was #1 on the pop charts after September 11, 2001. The song could often be heard on the radio after those events, versions of the song are widely distributed online, and it is often heard at public events or ceremonies. In fact, the song is part of the film for Homeland Security shown when swearing in new citizens to the United States. A music video was released for this song in 1984, depicting Greenwood as a farmer who loses the family farm. Another more recognizable music video was released after the September 11, 2001 attacks, which is used for this close reading.
The song is a modern patriotic song that recalls “God Bless America” written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938 (“God bless America, land that I love,/ stand beside her and guide her…”) and parallels its patriotism (“I love this land/ God bless the USA”). The lyrics simply and directly express the songwriter’s love of his country and pride in being an American. Many traditional American values are portrayed in the lyrics, such as hard work, economic opportunity and gain (“If tomorrow all the things were gone/ I worked for all my life...”), family (“with just my children and my wife”), freedom (“where at least I know I’m free”), and faith (“God bless the USA”). The song is also a military tribute (“I won’t forget the men who died/ who gave that right to me”). Two stanzas describe various states and cities of America in an attempt to include America from all directions (“From Detroit down to Houston/ and New York to LA…”), as well as the lakes, hills, and plains “from sea to shining sea”, repeating exactly the last line of another classic American patriotic song (“America the Beautiful” by Katharine Bates of 1913). In doing this, the songwriter attempts to encourage a sense of uniting the nation and rallying “pride in every American heart”, as he changes voice from “I” to “we” (“it’s time we stand and say”). Greenwood said about writing the song that he "always wanted to write a song about America, and I said we just need to be more united." In fact, the nation seems to be drawn to this sense of unity or desire to improve national morale at different times, such as after the terrorist attacks and times of war (Gulf War, Iraq), evidenced by its soaring popularity at those times.
When accompanied by the popular video after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the lyrics are intensified by traditional symbols of America, as well as newer dramatic images of terrorism and the American military. The traditional symbols of America include the flag which appears in most pictures throughout the video in some fashion, the Statue of Liberty, the bald eagle, and the Capitol building. The ideas of family, homes, and faith (little children with praying hands) are also portrayed as part of the American ideals the songwriter describes through his lyrics. Visuals of the various places in the country which he specifically refers to are also shown, and one image to show unity has a group of Americans holding little flags and clasping hands. However, the most dramatic visual images of the video are the images of the Twin Towers and the numerous pictures of American military, soldiers saluting the flag, the US Marine Corps War Memorial, and coffins of American military. These visuals relate to the time in which the video was created, applying Greenwood’s lyrics to then current issues in the nation. The military tribute part of his lyrics becomes the central theme of the video. The pictures are coupled with slides showing words referring to war or military service. For example, the statement “She is worn, torn, and burned but still waves PROUDLY for our FREEDOM” is surrounded by names of recent wars in American history (“WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq”). Another slide includes the following phrase: “US Armed Forces answering the call to defend freedom”. In fact, the video begins with an image of an American soldier saluting the flag and ends with two frames referring to “our troops” (“God bless our troops”, “Bring our troops home safely”). The video emphasizes the songwriter’s direct connection between the privilege of freedom and the sacrifice of American soldiers.
The passionate focus on honoring the military becomes even more pronounced when comparing this video to the original music video of 1984. The focus of the original video is significantly different in that it seems to tell the story of a man who loses his farm and moves away. Although it includes images of men who have returned from the army and older veterans, and a scene recalling a soldier from a photograph, the military message is more subtle. The themes that are expressed center on hard work and family, with images of working on a farm and a large extended family sitting around a table, praying and sharing a meal, as well as hope during an economic hardship. This older video includes less symbols of America, with a few flags in the backgrounds of scenes and one picture of the Statue of Liberty. Although under-represented in the last video, there were no African-Americans or Asians or diverse cultures represented in the original video, and women seem to be portrayed having traditional roles. Moreover, although the lyrics do not include women in the military or who work in other ways to defend our country (“the men who died/ and gave their life for me”), the last video has only one clear image of a female soldier.
Reading for General Understanding:
Where does the songwriter live?
How does the songwriter feel about his country? How do you know?
What is the main idea of the song?
What symbols of America do you see in the video?
What other images of American life do you notice in the video?
Are there any words shown in the video? What do they say?
Reading to Determine Importance:
The flag is mentioned in the lyrics and shown throughout the video. Why is the flag an important image for this song?
Why are the images of military people important to the song?
Why are other images of America shown repeatedly in the video? Why are they significant to the song?
Reading for Interpretation:
Who are “the men who died/ who gave that right to me”? What do you think the songwriter means by the word “right”? How do you think the songwriter feels about these people? What images from the video support this feeling?
According to the songwriter, what does it mean to be an American? What parts of the song tell you that? What images from the video help illustrate these characteristics of being an American?
What message does the songwriter want to convey to people listening to the song? How do the images from the video support his message?
Why do you think this song becomes popular during times of crisis and war in America, such as the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Gulf War, and the Iraq War? What impact do you think this song has on Americans? What purpose does it serve for the nation at those times?
How do the song and video make you feel?
Who is excluded or under-represented in the song and video? What American people would oppose the message of this song? Why do you think that?
Reading to Think about Craft:
The chorus of a song often summarizes the key ideas of the song by repeating lyrics and melody. How does the songwriter use the chorus of this song to express his key messages?
Why are images of the Twin Towers terrorist attack included in a music video for this song, while they are not mentioned in the lyrics (and could not have been because they occurred after the writing of the song)? What impact does the artist who included those images intend to have on the people viewing and listening? Do those visuals change the focus of the song? How?
How does the creator of the video use the beginning and ending scenes to express an important theme in the video? How does he use images throughout the video to represent this idea? How does he use the timing of those pictures with the words of the song? Do you think the way this theme is expressed in the song lyrics differs from the way it is portrayed in the visuals of the video? How?
How do you think the experience of watching the video impacts a person differently than reading the lyrics or listening to the song?
http://www.topcountrymusicvideos.com/lee-greenwood-youtube-videos/?tubepress_video=Q65KZIqay4E&tubepress_page=1
https://www.leegreenwood.com/
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2au5x_lee-greenwood-god-bless-the-usa-198_music
http://www.metrolyrics.com/god-bless-the-usa-lyrics-lee-greenwood.html
