Once again, Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” is garnering attention. The country song wasn’t a big hit when it debuted in 1984, but it has had a long life in the years that followed.
Once again, Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” is garnering attention — this time, as a result of being heard in the midst of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial when Judge Bruce Schroeder’s cell phone interrupted the proceedings.
The song has had a remarkable odyssey, going back to its debut in 1984. Here are some facts to consider about it: Don’t forget the Elvis influence, either Specifically, Presley’s patriotic ode “An American Trilogy,” which served as something of a starting point — especially since Greenwood, a California native, had worked in Vegas for two decades and had played the same hotel as Elvis. “There was something inside me that said, ‘Someday, I’d like to write a song like ,’” Greenwood told the Tennessean.
And it wasn’t much of an initial hit The song only made it to the No. 7 spot in its debut on the country charts. But it got life in political settings, starting with the 1984 Republican National Convention. It “got associated with President Reagan,” Greenwood said. And it became embraced at key moments of patriotic fervor, such as during the Gulf War and the post-9/11 period.