A talented songwriter who loves to tell a story, Mr. Greenwood’s songs have resonated with countless people. But no other song would resonate as much as his 1984 hit “God Bless the U.S.A.”
Honoring Veterans From a Young Age
Raised on a farm in Sacramento, California, Mr. Greenwood discovered his love of music in his youth. As a child, he was allowed to play his mother’s piano after completing his chores. It became a nightly ritual for the budding musician and a catalyst for an intense study of music throughout his teenage years.In high school, he played in the marching band as a drum major. He took those four years to immerse himself in all kinds of music, but he was especially interested in tunes with a patriotic feel. By the time he graduated, he had already performed gigs for veteran organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the American Legion.
His father was a World War II veteran, so honoring veterans was always an important part of Mr. Greenwood’s life. When he was 15 years old, he worked for the United Service Organizations (USO), a nonprofit providing music and entertainment to military families.
Inspiration From The King of Rock and Roll
Las Vegas was a learning experience for the fledgling songwriter. When he wasn’t working for various casinos, he played as many shows as he could, often performing with other entertainers as part of a revue featuring everything from music to sketch comedy.
Mr. Greenwood spent nearly 20 years in Vegas where he honed his performance and songwriting skills. One performance in particular served as a significant songwriting inspiration for the artist. For this performance, he was in the audience, rather than onstage.
One evening, Greenwood attended one of Elvis’s famous Las Vegas shows. During his performance, the King of Rock and Roll belted out a patriotic tune that stuck with Greenwood—his soul-stirring “An American Trilogy.” The medley features some of the country’s most historically significant songs, like the Union Army’s “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
A Move to Music City
Nashville, Tennessee proved to be a better fit for the songwriter. After moving to Music City from the desert, he spent a lot of time traveling. He toured as much as possible, gaining more live music experience than he had in Las Vegas. The long days and nights spent on the road gave him a surprising amount of inspiration that fueled his most important song.“After touring the United States for about three years, I got a really good glimpse of America, and how we’re all so much alike. Even though we have different dialects, and different cultures. So that’s when I thought, ‘Maybe it’s time I wrote a patriotic song that reflects that.’”
Between shows, he spent his down time in the back of his tour bus writing. That’s where the first draft of his celebrated song “God Bless the U.S.A.” was born. After completing it, he shopped it around, but industry professionals didn’t want to take a chance with it.
A Surprise Single
One day, Mr. Greenwood finally got the opportunity he had been looking for, while signed to Universal. When he recorded songs for his forthcoming album, he included “God Bless The U.S.A.” on the track listing, but thought it would simply be a filler song. However, when executives previewed the album, they immediately recognized the song’s potential and chose it as the single.
Mr. Greenwood’s moving patriotic tribute made its first appearance on his 1984, album, “You’ve Got a Good Love Comin’.” Released as a single, it quickly broke into the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart.
A Classic American Anthem
While chatting with Cowboys & Indians about the legacy of his tune, he stated:
“‘USA’ is the song I always felt the need to write. I wanted to have something that would unite Americans from coast to coast. I wanted to instill pride back in the United States. The song represents my family, my community and those men and women who have paid the price for the freedoms we all love and enjoy.”
For Mr. Greenwood, the essence of the song can be found in one of its most famous lyrics. He told The Tennessean:
“My heritage is American. Sure, I’m German, English, Irish, Scottish, but I was born in the United States of America and this is my heritage. … So, when I said ‘I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free,’ I know that resonated. … There’s no other country like this that’s free like we are.”
While officially called “God Bless the U.S.A.,” the inspiring lyrics, “I’m proud to be an American” were added it to the song’s sheet music as its official subtitle after many people referred to the song by that phrase.
Though his single experienced significant success after its initial release, the song didn’t top the charts until 2020—36 years later. As Americans included the song on their playlists for their 2020 Independence Day celebrations, “God Bless the U.S.A.” hit number one on Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart.
It was a proud moment for Mr. Greenwood. His song, which struck “the public right in the heart” so many years ago is still a source of joy and unity while celebrating important patriotic occasions like the 4th of July.
In an official statement after the song became a number one hit, Mr. Greenwood wrote, “I’m always humbled to see how ‘God Bless the U.S.A.’ resonates with the American spirit of pride and love of country … Thank you proud Americans for using ‘God Bless the U.S.A.’ as you celebrated our wonderful country—It is still the best place on earth!”
What began as a filler to the country artist’s 1984 album turned into one of America’s most recognizable and beloved anthems—a patriotic song so uplifting and so successful, even decades after its initial release, it shows no signs of slowing down.
