Morganmobile: Metamorphosis

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In 1918 Irving Berlin, then a soldier in basic training, adapted melodic components from an earlier composition to create a World War I victory song called “God Bless America.” Twenty years later, facing the rise of Hitler, Berlin revised his lyrics and introduced the song as an anthem for peace on a 1938 Armistice Day broadcast by radio star Kate Smith, whose inscription graces this copy. In 1940, folk singer Woody Guthrie critiqued Berlin’s song in one of his own, called “God Blessed America For Me,” later renamed “This Land is Your Land.” Berlin's iconic song has figured prominently in many contexts in American life, from the civil rights and conservative Christian movements to the National Hockey League.

Irving Berlin (1888–1989), “God Bless America,” New York: Irving Berlin Inc., 1939. James Fuld Music Collection, 2008.