What You Don’t Know About Lee Greenwood’s ‘God Bless the USA’

The 4th of July is the one day of the year where Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” is likely to be heard in hundreds, if not thousands, of locations as fireworks fill the skies.

And 82-year-old Greenwood is reflecting on why he thinks the song stands the test of time.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Greenwood said, “I can’t tell you how many kids, like a 6-, 7-year-old will send me a video, or their parents will send a video of them standing there waving a little flag and going, ‘Proud to be an American,’ you know, in their little tiny voice. That’s where patriotism starts,” he said. 

Greenwood goes on, “And I’m pretty sure that because of how powerful ‘God Bless the USA’ has been since its release, over 40 years, and ingrained now into society. Patriotism starts when you’re very young. It did for me as well… the appreciation for the flag and what it means, and then later on you learn about the sacrifices from the United States military and how many people have given their lives to keep the flag flying.”

Lee Greenwood Never Thought ‘God Bless the USA’ Would Be a Hit

Lee Greenwood says when he wrote the iconic song, he never imagined it would become such an integral part of the 4th of July.

He told Fox News, “That would have been ludicrous because first of all, I never had an idea we were going to release it as a single. I wrote that song while I was on tour in my bus. I was doing 300 days a year the first two or three years that I signed with MCA in Nashville.”

Greenwood explains, “And it was just a song I wrote one night because I’ve been thinking about it for a while. And my producer and I were talking about what album to put it on. And we had, I think, a fourth or fifth album for MCA already. Six number one songs.”

The head of MCA, Irving Azoff, decided to include “God Bless the USA” on that album and release it as a single. Greenwood says Azoff told him, “I think that’s the song will do our country well.” But for Greenwood, it wasn’t a slam dunk. “It was a leap of faith. I mean, [the] radio may not have played it because it wasn’t country,” he explained.

Grand Ole Opry Included ‘God Bless America’ In Its List of Greatest Country Songs

The Grand Ole Opry would almost certainly disagree with Lee Greenwood that “God Bless the USA” isn’t a country song.

The Opry included the song on its list of the 100 Greatest Country Songs of All Time that it has been releasing to celebrate the Opry’s 100th birthday.

In its list of greatest songs from the 1980’s, Opry historian Craig Shelburne writes, “Lee Greenwood, the son of a Navy veteran, wrote a patriotic song for the ages with ‘God Bless the USA.’ From its release in 1984 through the modern era, its powerful message has inspired Americans through difficult wartime, victory celebrations, and the national holidays that dutifully honor our veterans. Greenwood worked for the USO as a teenager at military bases around Sacramento, California, and grew to understand the sacrifice of the military. While developing his performing career in Las Vegas, he liked to drop into Elvis Presley’s show, where a dramatic rendition of ‘An American Trilogy’ always brought the house down. In time, Greenwood combined these personal and musical influences and wrote ‘God Bless the USA’ on the back of his tour bus. In 1985 his signature hit earned the CMA Song of the Year award.”