When you hear LEE GREENWOOD's "God Bless the USA" this weekend . . . and you will hear it . . . please wish it a happy birthday. And then blow out 35 candles in its honor. Lee might be doing the same!
He says, quote, "It is with great pride that 35 years ago I decided to release the song, 'God Bless the USA'. I wrote it to show my love for this country. That decision would prove to be the most important career choice of my life.
"I'm grateful for the many times I've been given the chance to inspire Americans through hard times and happy times. [There] will be other songs added to America's library of patriotic music. I'm simply amazed that I was able to write one as well."
The Lee Greenwood song "God Bless the USA" turned 35 this week. He wrote it after the Soviet Union shot down a Korean Airlines flight in 1983. Obviously it's become his signature song, has experienced a resurgence multiple times over the decades, and is a patriotic classic. Not bad for a song that initially fizzled out at number seven on the charts back in 1984.
Lee will be performing it this Sunday at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He'll be part of the Military Appreciation Show that also features the 82nd Airborne Chorus.