God Bless the U.S.A.
"God Bless the U.S.A." (also known as "Proud to Be an American") is an American patriotic song written and recorded by American country music artist Lee Greenwood, and is considered to be his signature song. The first album it appears on is his 1984 album You've Got a Good Love Comin'. It reached No. 7 on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart when originally released on May 21, 1984. That summer, the song was included in a film about President Ronald Reagan, the Republican presidential nominee, that was shown at the 1984 Republican National Convention. "God Bless the U.S.A." gained prominence during the 1988 United States presidential election campaign, when Greenwood performed the song at the 1988 Republican National Convention and at rallies for the Republican nominee, George H.W. Bush. The song was also featured in television advertisements for Bush. The song became popular again during the Gulf War in 1990 and 1991. As a result of its newfound popularity, Greenwood re-recorded the track for his 1992 album American Patriot.
"God Bless the U.S.A." | ||||
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Single by Lee Greenwood | ||||
from the album You've Got a Good Love Comin' | ||||
B-side | "This Old Bed" | |||
Released | May 21, 1984 | |||
Recorded | November 1983 | |||
Studio | Nashville, Tennessee | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:10 (album & single versions) 5:30 (video version) | |||
Label | MCA Nashville | |||
Songwriter(s) | Lee Greenwood | |||
Producer(s) | Jerry Crutchfield | |||
Lee Greenwood singles chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
2001 re-release cover |
The popularity of the song rose again sharply after the September 11 attacks and during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and the song was re-released as a single, re-entering the country music charts at No. 16 and peaking at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart in 2001. A new version of the song was recorded in 2003 and released as "God Bless the U.S.A. 2003."
The song has sold over a million copies in the United States by July 2015.