Recently we wrote about the playing of the national anthem at the Super Bowl and who sang it the best. It made us think: OK, that was all about the Star-Spangled Banner. But we know there are other anthem-like songs that Americans love. What are they?
Are there actually several national anthems, or only one? We were confused at this point and decided to look into it.
If there is more than one American national anthem, what are they?
The Star-Spangled Banner has been our national anthem since 1931.
Before then, America (My Country, Tis of Thee) was the unofficial anthem.
There are two other beloved songs that some folks today would rather have as our land’s singular anthem. They are America The Beautiful and God Bless America.
The real national anthem and the contenders
What are the classical and respected anthems or hymns that are important to us who live in the U.S.?
What do we know about the meaning of these grand hymns? How do they figure in American heritage and life today?
Star-Spangled Banner
America (My Country, Tis of Thee)
America The Beautiful
God Bless America
It’s intriguing and fun to learn about these songs: how they came into being, what they mean to our country’s people, and where we hear them in our modern times.
Star-Spangled Banner
Although in practical use for some years before, it officially became our national anthem in 1931 when Congress decreed it so.
The famous story of its origin is worth retelling. Francis Scott Key, a poet, wrote it in 1814.
He was, at the time, looking at a large and prominent flag that was flying on Fort McHenry in Baltimore. The Battle of 1812 was raging in the harbor as he viewed it.
He gave his poem to his relative who set the words to a known song from Britain, wouldn’t you have it! The tune had become quite popular over here in the States, too.
Some people don’t care for it. It is difficult to sing. And seems warlike to some. Therefore there has been some restlessness about it and looking further for a replacement.
However, it’s pretty entrenched in our culture now.
America national anthem lyrics
What would baseball be without it? It’s been sung since the 1918 World Series.
Who can imagine a Super Bowl without a top-notch celebrity singer belting it out to set off the major football championship game at the end of each season?
Renee Fleming, acclaimed American classical soprano, gave this stunning performance at the 2014 Super Bowl.
If you are unhappy with our current foremost hymn, read on for possible alternatives.
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My Country ‘Tis of Thee (America)
It was written in 1831 by the Reverend Samuel Francis Smith, at the time a student. Smith derived the music from a stirring German tune, “God Save Saxony”. And changed the words to Americanize them.
The song became quite popular and quickly too. What is amazing is that some people apparently did not realize the history that the German song had itself been derived from the British national anthem (“God Save The King”)!
It has been suggested that had that been common knowledge early on, the song may not have become so uniformly beloved across the United States. Were some citizens still not feeling terribly friendly toward the former colonial empire?
We don’t know if this talk was true. Today, of course, this is all accepted. On the other hand, the Brits don’t seem to be all bent out of shape about the “theft” of their anthem’s music!
Occasionally, people are a little confused about which land’s song they are listening to. This is understandable, especially considering that a number of countries all have anthems written to this same piece of music!.
It’s the same music in many nations’ anthems
This video is of 17 national anthems, each belonging to a different country! Every one of these countries, at one time or another, used the same music matched with their own language’s patriotic words.
It served informally as the original anthem of our country for much of the 19th century. Finally, in the early 1930s, it formally ceded top billing when the Star-Spangled Banner was officially named by the U.S. government.
My Country Tis Of Thee lyrics
My country, ’tis of thee,
Samuel Francis Smith
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims’ pride,
From ev’ry mountainside
Let freedom ring!
Marian Anderson sang at the Lincoln Memorial
The story of this event in 1939 swells well beyond a simple rendition of a loved song.
Marian Anderson was already an internationally recognized American contralto.
Howard University asked her to sing during its concert series. On this occasion, it was to be held at Constitution Hall. Apparently, that location was picked because it could accommodate the large audience expected to want to attend her recital.
However, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), the owners of the Hall, did not allow her to perform there. They had a “white-artist-only” specification in their contracts.
Eleanor Roosevelt, it is said, fostered what happened next. The First Lady resigned her membership in the DAR in protest.
The controversy progressed and circumstances evolved. The upshot was that Anderson sang at the Lincoln Memorial. A huge crowd gathered there on Easter Sunday to hear her.
… a voice such as one hears once in a hundred years”
– Arturo Toscanini, legendary Italian conductor who sought refuge in the U.S. from Fascism
Years later the DAR apologized to her.
America The Beautiful
This has been called the nation’s favorite song.
It was initially written as a poem by Katharine Lee Bates, a college English teacher summer teaching in Colorado, in 1893.
She trekked to Pikes Peak and that became her inspiration. Taking in the view from there, she said, “I felt great joy. All the wonder of America seemed displayed there …”
People combined the verses with various music over the next few years. What stuck was the music “Materna” by the composer, Samuel A. Ward, an organist. A publisher arranged them together in 1910.
It is such a glorious piece that it has been proposed a number of times that it should be America’s anthem.
America The Beautiful lyrics
O beautiful for spacious skies,
Katharine Lee Bates
For amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties,
Above the fruited plain
America, America,
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood,
From sea to shining sea
The major complaint cited against it is that it doesn’t have truly patriotic words. It feels more like a travel digest, which it sort of is!
Like the other songs, it has become customary that only one stanza is the very popular one you hear being sung all the time. This one does have later verses, most of which you never hear sung or read. Later lines do have patriotic words appropriate to its elevation as a major nation’s hymn. But these are virtually unknown.
Only once did it replace the Star-Spangled Banner at the Super Bowl
In 1977, Vikki Carr sang America The Beautiful before Super Bowl XI.
That’s the only time the national anthem was not performed.
Later the custom developed of America the Beautiful being sung in addition to and before the national song. This has been by different singers.
This is a poor quality video, but we included it anyway because it is rare. Even with the technical problems, you can still get a bit of the experience of Vikki Carr’s rich vocal.
Over the years, this piece has continued to be a part of American culture, almost as much as the official nation’s anthem. It has been redone numerous times by popular artists.
Besides being sung just before the national hymn each year at the Super Bowl, it is played by itself at many sports events.
Ray Charles did it his way
Whenever I first think of the song, I hear the voice of Ray Charles, the “father of soul music“.
Ray Charles recorded his own version of the song. It was to celebrate the bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain (1776-1976).
It is a little startling to hear him start off differently than you expect! Don’t worry, he eventually gets around to continuing on to the standard words we all know and love.
God Bless America
Irving Berlin, the prolific songwriter, wrote it in 1918 during World War I and published a
Berlin’s family immigrated to New York from Russia when he was a child, fleeing persecution. The story of his gradual rise from poverty to lyrical greatness is one of the most interesting “rags-to-riches” tales.
His numerous output which resulted in so many
Besides the current piece, we are sure you have not forgotten his other favorite, “White Christmas”.
Kate Smith brought it to glory
Kate Smith first performed this beautiful air on November 10, the eve before the first Armistice Day (the national holiday today called Veterans Day, November 11), 1938.
She was already well-known. But her long continuing association with this patriotic song undoubtedly sealed her designation as the quintessential “all-American” songstress.
As a child, Kate Smith was a natural singer and gravitated toward popular music in her teens. In young adulthood, she became regarded for her fabulous and strong contralto voice. She became the “first lady of radio”.
During her long career, she had a great many hits and performance kudos. You’ve heard “The White Cliffs of Dover” (1941) and “The Last Time I Saw Paris” (1942) at least.
But it was with this patriotic anthem that she was most closely identified.
We love this recording of Kate because it shows her lively appearance and enthusiasm on that grand occasion. But the static is pretty high, and as a consequence the sound is not great.
So here is a second video. We’ve included it because the audio is a lot better.
Although there is just a still image of the singer, no actual video.
God Bless America lyrics
God bless America, land that I love
Irving Berlin
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with the 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, land that I love
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with the light from above
From the mountains to the prairies
To the oceans white with foam
God bless America, my home sweet home
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
The song became ubiquitous in American culture through the years. Numerous well-known singers featured it prominently in their repertoires. Such as Bing Crosby in the early years and Celine Dion more recently.
It has never displaced the national anthem. On its own, it developed a devoted following at popular and sports events. Football, baseball, hockey, automobile racing, and more have all featured the hymn at national competitions and major championships.
Related questions
Which of these 4 anthems is played during the seventh-inning stretch and why? What traditional baseball song did it replace?
Since the tragedies of 9/ll, “God Bless America” has been played during the seventh-inning stretch at most professional baseball games. Some parks still play “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” to follow.
What equally famous song has the same meter and so the words and music can be exchanged with America The Beautiful?
Auld Lang Syne
Beware of listening to this. You may not be able to get this version out of your head!
Frankly we like the usual combination of music and verses better, but this was fun.
Before you go
Thank you for visiting and reading our post. We so appreciate it. Trust you enjoyed it.
If pleased, be sure to catch that post we told you about at the very top of this article: the one about the Star-Spangled Banner, the Super Bowl singers, and our favorite voice. We also wrote one you may like that is on beloved patriotic songs. Also, here is more on our flag.
See you again, we hope.
The Super Bowl national anthem: Who sang it best?