"God Bless America!" History of the Song!

1938: Kate Smith asked Irving Berlin if he could give her a song that would re-ignite the spirit of American patriotism and faith. He said he had a song that he had written in 1917, but never used it. He said she could have it. She sat at the piano & played it and realized how good it was. She called Mr. Berlin and told him that she couldn’t take this from him for nothing. So, they agreed that any money that would be made off the song would be donated to the Boy Scouts of America. Thanks to Kate Smith and Irving Berlin, the Scouts have received millions of dollars in royalties. The song was introduced on Armistice Day 1938 on Kate Smith's radio show. This clip is from the 1943 movie “This is the Army”. Ronald Reagan happened to be in that movie!

God Bless America,

Land that I love.

Stand beside her, and guide her

*Through the night with a 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.

PS. The left wing loons were around in force back then as well. Berlin changed the lyrics *"To the Right" to "Through the Night" because leftists thought it favored the "Right". Woody Guthrie disliked the song, which he considered unrealistic and complacent, and in 1940 wrote "This Land Is Your Land", originally titled "God Blessed America For Me", as a response to "God Bless America".

Ronald Reagan  in a scene from "This is the Army"