God Bless America God Bless America "God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin during World War I in 1918 and revised by him in the run up to World War II in 1938. The later version has notably been recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature song. "God Bless America" takes the form of a prayer (intro lyrics "as we raise our voices, in a solemn prayer") for God's blessing and peace for the nation ("...stand beside her and guide her through the night..."). Irving Berlin wrote the song in 1918 while serving in the U.S. Army at
God Bless America family, the track's owners. The performance, often not televised, immediately precedes the national anthem. Henderson routinely sang the entire song, including the prologue, and in some years sang the chorus a second time. Following the September 11 terrorist attacks, Canadian pop star Celine Dion performed the song on the TV special "". Shortly afterwards on October 16, Sony Music Entertainment released a benefit album called "God Bless America", which featured Dion singing the song. The album debuted at No. 1 on the "Billboard" 200 and became the first charity album to reach the top since USA for Africa's "We Are