America the Beautiful, instead of the National Anthem?? Oh say can you sing??

san jose mercury news ^ | 1-23-03 | brad kava

[jeremiah]

Celine Dion, will sing "America the beautiful" with an arrangement by David Foster, who prepared Whitney Houstons, anthem turned hit, during the Persian Gulf war.

[jeremiah]

Why isn't the Star Spangled Banner being sung?? Is it becoming politically incorrect to those anti-American-anti-war, pro American enemies community? I have no say but my own, but does someone know how we could change the minds of those that are planning this? The least that could happen, is publicity, and some really good publicity at that. An online campaign seems to be called for, and with a high probability of success.

[TomGuy]

Hey, the PC crowd can't use this...it has that line "G_d shed His grace on thee...."

[jeremiah]

It is being arranged, or re arranged, whos to say if God is not removed?

[MediaMole]

The Dixie Chicks are singing the National Anthem, then Celine Dion will sing ``America the Beautiful."

[icwhatudo]

Yes, read the bottom of the link-DIXIE CHICKS WILL SING NATIONAL ANTHEM

Now lets see how many people post without reading replies and continue to complain :)

[jeremiah]

If that is true, sounds good to me. I was going on the prior World Series, where they substituted for the National Anthem.

[jlogajan]

America the Beautiful

Words by Katharine Lee Bates,

Katharine Lee Bates wrote the original version in 1893. She wrote the 2nd version in 1904. Her final version was written in 1913.

Melody by Samuel Ward

O beautiful for spacious skies,
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!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for halcyon skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the enameled plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till souls wax fair as earth and air
And music-hearted sea!

O beautiful for pilgrims feet,
Whose stem impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till paths be wrought through
wilds of thought
By pilgrim foot and knee!

O beautiful for glory-tale
Of liberating strife
When once and twice,
for man's avail
Men lavished precious life!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till selfish gain no longer stain
The banner of the free!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till nobler men keep once again
Thy whiter jubilee!

[Catspaw]

Ah, thanks for the clarification. While Dion sings, I'll be getting the guacamole out of the fridge. It's that, or I have to put my fingers in my ears, close my eyes and go HMMMMMMMMMMM UMMMMMMMMM HMMMMMMMMM

[CounterCounterCulture]

Earlier thread:
Oh, say, can you sing (National Anthem is mangled as often as it is spangled)

[Snidely Whiplash]

Hm. I coulda sworn Celine Dion was gonna sing "God Bless America."

Snidely

[jeremiah]

Ok, engage brain before reacting alert......my bad

[linton59]

The lefties hate this anthem because of "The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave." But, as another poster pointed out, "God shed his grace on thee," rules out America the BeauTiful. And of course, "Land where my Fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's PRIDE..." is entirely too PoliticAlly Incorrect. The national anthem IS NOT A SOLO !!!!!! Think of the Olympics, when out anthem is played instead of the blah other anthems. Don't your armhairs stand up and salute??????? Rent and watch "The Natural." Just for the scene where the entire stadium took off their hats and sang the National Anthem. (That is really the way it used to be...How I remember singing that at the beginning the the Schenectady Blue Jays games.) Now stuck in Daytona Beach, I begin my yearly (sofar fruitless) campaign to have the "soloist" at NASCAR events say "Please join me in singing our National Anthem...) FREEPERS, whenever you are at an event, PLEASE SING ALONG.

[Captain Beyond]

I can still remember in the SlickWillie era of "Greed and Deceit" they were showing a 4th of July special on PBS with the Clintoons. Some Liberal performer was singing "America the Beautiful" and each time she came to the part "God shed His grace on thee" she substituted "her" for "his" in the song. Her singing wasn't that great and this only made it sound stupid. What was even worst they kept cutting to Bill and Hillary showing them trying to lip sync along. It was pathetic.

Katharine L. Bates knew what she was talking about when she wrote the song and the leftist singer IMHO should have left it alone.

[BenLurkin]

The National Anthem before the Eagles/BUcs game was HORRIBLE!

[jeremiah]

At the start of high school basketball games, everybody sung it as loud and proud as can be. Sent chills then and now.

[weikel]

Its a patriotic song. Ive never liked Star Spangled Banner as a song. America the Beatiful and God Bless America are better songs and both patriotic. How is it leftist to sing one of them in place of the "official" song?