God bless the American spirit Thank Irving Berlin for the tunes that comfort a nation

Chicago Sun-Times | December 23, 2001| | Copyright

In the weeks after Sept. 11, several of my fellow columnists wanted to know why everyone was singing "God Bless America" rather than the national anthem. The song was everywhere in those early days, and various musicologists were called upon to speculate learnedly on why this song had caught the public mood: Perhaps "The Star-Spangled Banner" requires too great a range, perhaps its complex use of melismas demands a professional vocalist, etc, etc.

All irrelevant. The reason the nation sang "God Bless America" is its first seven words. "The Star-Spangled Banner" is about a historic event, ...

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