{"id":2362643,"date":"2024-11-01T09:12:01","date_gmt":"2024-11-01T13:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lee-greenwood-82-drops-rock-version-of-god-bless-the-usa-and-rides-trump-wave-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-11-01T09:14:34","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T13:14:34","slug":"lee-greenwood-82-drops-rock-version-of-god-bless-the-usa-and-rides-trump-wave-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lee-greenwood-82-drops-rock-version-of-god-bless-the-usa-and-rides-trump-wave-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Lee Greenwood, 82, drops rock version of \u2018God Bless the USA\u2019 and rides Trump wave &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flee-greenwood-82-drops-rock-version-of-god-bless-the-usa-and-rides-trump-wave-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2362643&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Lee Greenwood, an 82-year-old <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/walsh-nick-cannon-gets-his-job-back-after-calling-white-people-savages-this-is-how-real-privilege-works\/\" title=\"WALSH: Nick Cannon Gets His Job Back After Calling White People \u2018Savages.\u2019 This Is How Real Privilege Works.\">country singer<\/a>, is reviving his iconic song &#8220;God Bless\u200c the U.S.A.&#8221; \u200bwith a new\u200b rock version,\u2063 released just ahead of the 2024 elections. Originally written in 1983 and released in 1984, the song gained prominence through its use \u2064in political campaigns by Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump, becoming synonymous with American patriotism. Despite not initially aiming for\u2063 public recognition, \u200dGreenwood&#8217;s \u2063composition has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-overwhelmingly-passes-first-ever-us-bill-to-punish-ccps-forced-organ-harvesting\/\" title=\"House Overwhelmingly Passes First Ever US Bill to Punish CCP\u2019s Forced Organ Harvesting\">enjoyed significant popularity<\/a>, re-entering the charts after major events like the Gulf\u2063 War and\u2063 9\/11.<\/p>\n<p>In collaboration \u200dwith Drew Jacobs, the \u2062new rendition\u200c aims to resonate with younger audiences, including Greenwood&#8217;s \u2063sons. \u2063He emphasized \u2064that while his song is rooted in\u2064 personal patriotism rather than political affiliation, it has often been embraced by various political figures and \u200cmovements over the years.<\/p>\n<p>The\u2062 release follows a mild controversy surrounding Trump&#8217;s promotion \u200cof a\u2062 &#8220;God\u2063 Bless the U.S.A. Bible,&#8221; which included Greenwood&#8217;s lyrics and other \u200cAmerican historical texts. Greenwood defended\u2064 Trump against\u2063 criticism, expressing his desire for the \u200dsong and \u200dits message to reach a broad audience. the artist is \u2063looking to keep his signature song relevant for new\u200c generations while maintaining its core message\u200c of patriotism.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Lee Greenwood, 82, drops rock version of &lsquo;God Bless the USA&rsquo; and rides Trump wave<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1868111\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Country singer Lee Greenwood, 82, was hoping to pen a strong concert closer when he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/music\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"wrote a tune\">wrote a tune<\/a> in the back of a tour bus in 1983. What he came up with changed his career.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>After recording the song later that year, Greenwood released &ldquo;God Bless the U.S.A.&rdquo; in May 1984, but it made little impact until being picked up by the presidential campaigns of Ronald Reagan and, later, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump\">Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Now, 40 years after its release, he&rsquo;s created a new &ldquo;rock version&rdquo; of the tune along with Drew Jacobs.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"XLV9bUDhOPk\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"God Bless The USA (ROCK VERSION) - @TheLeeGreenwood &amp; Drew Jacobs (Official Music Video)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XLV9bUDhOPk?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;I never intended it to be a record for the public to hear,&rdquo; Greenwood told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> in an interview ahead of the new release. &ldquo;I just wrote it for my country and for myself.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Greenwood had seven No. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scares-me-for-this-next-generation-country-star-jelly-roll-on-why-hes-speaking-out-about-dangers-of-fetanyl\/\" title=\"Country star Jelly Roll is speaking out about the dangers of fentanyl, expressing concern for the next generation\">1 country hits<\/a> during a career that peaked in the 1980s, but he&rsquo;s best known today for &ldquo;God Bless the U.S.A.&rdquo; which reentered the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/country-star-trace-adkins-wont-back-down-from-supporting-trump-i-aint-asking-forgiveness-for-st\/\" title=\"Country Star Trace Adkins Won\u2019t Back Down From Supporting Trump: \u201cI Ain\u2019t Asking Forgiveness for S**t\u201d\">country music charts<\/a> after the 1991 Gulf War, 9\/11, and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The song even made the Billboard Hot 100 after the Sept. 11 attacks, and Greenwood says he&rsquo;s now hoping to reach the rock charts, the only ones on which it has never appeared.<\/p>\n<p>He initially turned down invitations to sing &ldquo;God Bless the U.S.A.&rdquo; at both the Democratic and Republican national conventions in 1984, but when Reagan invited him to sing it at the White House he relented. Greenwood became friends with Reagan&rsquo;s vice president, George H.W. Bush, and later performed the song during the presidential runs of Bush and his son, George W. Bush. <\/p>\n<p>Greenwood figured he was done with it after the younger Bush left office in 2009, but then Trump picked it up again in 2016 and began playing the song as his entrance music at every political rally. Greenwood has performed it at six Republican National Conventions, including last summer&rsquo;s edition in Milwaukee.<\/p>\n<p>The 82-year-old singer has won the Congressional Medal of Honor Society&rsquo;s National Patriot&rsquo;s Award and performed for troops on more than 30 United Service Organizations tours, performing the &ldquo;God Bless the U.S.A.&rdquo; each time.<\/p>\n<p>He says the song has never been political but is rather a general expression of his own patriotism. Greenwood&rsquo;s father was a Navy veteran who joined up after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a tunesmith, you know? I&rsquo;m a musician and a singer and an artist,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m always pursuing the best I can to entertain audiences.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>His signature song has <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">enjoyed surprising crossover appeal<\/a> over the years. Dolly Parton has released a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=W0rEe6fuFnY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"cover version\">cover version<\/a>, and even Beyonce, whose 2016 hit &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7FWF9375hUA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Freedom\">Freedom<\/a>&rdquo; is an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3204578\/kamala-harris-harnesses-beyonce-star-power-in-texas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"anthem\">anthem<\/a> of the Kamala Harris campaign, sang &ldquo;God Bless the U.S.A.&rdquo; during Fourth of July celebrations in 2011.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"XnCNHFg9y1Q\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Beyonce - God Bless The USA - Macys 4th of July 2011 Beyoncedayz\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XnCNHFg9y1Q?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The new rock version, which was released just days before the 2024 election, is designed to reach a new generation, including his two sons who are still in their 20s.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is a big year for &lsquo;God Bless The U.S.A.&rsquo; I have not recorded the song with many people, ever, as I felt like it would be passing the baton to someone else to sing my signature song,&rdquo; he said in prerelease promotional materials. &ldquo;However, this rock version is not something that I would have done on my own. So, I am excited to have fans and fellow patriots hear it, share it, and add it to their playlists.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Collaborator Drew Jacobs developed a following by making rock covers of songs like &ldquo;The Thunder Rolls&rdquo; by Garth Brooks, &ldquo;God&rsquo;s Country&rdquo; by Blake Shelton, and &ldquo;Whiskey Lullaby&rdquo; by Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss.<\/p>\n<p>While Greenwood&rsquo;s message is not political, he did find himself in a mild controversy earlier this year when Trump began <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/2939154\/trump-promotes-59-99-god-bless-the-usa-bible-inspired-by-lee-greenwood-song\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"plugging\">plugging<\/a> a special &ldquo;God Bless the U.S.A. Bible&rdquo; for $60.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I want to have a lot of people have it,&rdquo; Trump said in a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/112162741690113521\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">promotional video<\/a> during Holy Week. &ldquo;You have to have it for your heart, for your soul.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>First issued in 2021, it is a King James version of the holy text and includes the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the chorus of &ldquo;God Bless the U.S.A.&rdquo; written in Greenwood&rsquo;s handwriting.<\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s promotion of the book drew blowback from Democrats and some Republicans. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), for example, decried it as &ldquo;one more example&rdquo; of Trump&rsquo;s hypocrisy.<\/p>\n<p>But Greenwood defended Trump from the critics.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think that stems from the fact that they don&rsquo;t like him making money,&rdquo; Greenwood said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve indicted him, they&rsquo;re trying to weaken him financially. Yes, he&rsquo;s selling sneakers. He sells the Bible. I think he&rsquo;s selling a watch. He can do whatever he wants to do to defer some of those indictments that are trying to weaken him. So I applaud that. I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s anything wrong with that at all.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Greenwood similarly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/1883221\/country-music-legend-says-aldean-song-triggers-liberals-you-cant-take-freedom-away\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"defended\">defended<\/a> fellow country singer Jason Aldean when his &ldquo;Try That in a Small Town&rdquo; song was accused of promoting violence, calling Aldean &ldquo;the biggest patriot&rdquo; and saying, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a great song. I wish I had it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>He&rsquo;s glad to have become a part of the Trump phenomenon, even if that was never his goal, and predicts a win for the GOP ticket on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t just think he&rsquo;s going to win,&rdquo; Greenwood said. &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s going to be a landslide.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1868111\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1868111\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lee Greenwood, 82, releases rock version of &#8216;God Bless the USA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2635,"featured_media":2362645,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Lee-Greenwood-God-Bless-the-USA-rock-version.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[44151,44150,41533,3634,32076],"class_list":["post-2362643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-god-bless-the-usa","tag-lee-greenwood","tag-rock-music","tag-trump","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Lee-Greenwood-God-Bless-the-USA-rock-version.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2362643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2635"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2362643"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2362643\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2362645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2362643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2362643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2362643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}