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HISTORY The words are by Katharine Lee Bates , an English teacher at Wellesley College . She had taken a train trip to Colorado Springs , Colorado in 1893 to teach a short summer school session at Colorado College , and several of the sights on her trip found their way into her poem:
On that mountain, the words of the poem started to come to her, and she wrote them down upon returning to her hotel room at the original Antlers Hotel. The poem was initially published two years later in '' The Congregationalist ,'' to commemorate the Fourth Of July . It quickly caught the public's fancy. Amended versions were published in 1904 and 1913. Several existing pieces of music were adapted to the poem. The Hymn ''Materna,'' composed in 1882 by Samuel A. Ward , was generally considered the best music as early as 1910 and is still the popular tune today. Ward had been similarly inspired. The tune came to him while he was on a ferryboat trip from Coney Island back to his home in New York City after a leisurely summer day, and he immediately wrote it down. Ward died in 1903, not knowing the national stature his music would attain. Miss Bates was more fortunate, as the song's popularity was well-established by her death in 1929. At various times in the more than 100 years that have elapsed since the song as we know it was born, particularly during the John F. Kennedy administration, there have been efforts to give "America the Beautiful" legal status either as a national hymn, or as a national anthem equal to, or in place of, "The Star-Spangled Banner", but so far this has not succeeded. Proponents prefer "America the Beautiful" for various reasons, saying it is easier to sing, more melodic, and more adaptable to new orchestrations while still remaining as easily recognizable as "The Star-Spangled Banner." Some prefer "America the Beautiful" over "The Star-Spangled Banner" due to the latter's war-oriented imagery. (Others prefer "The Star-Spangled Banner" for the same reason.) While that national dichotomy has stymied any effort at changing the tradition of the national anthem, "America the Beautiful" continues to be held in high esteem by a large number of Americans. Popularity of the song increased greatly following the September 11, 2001 Attacks ; at some sporting events it was sung in addition to the traditional singing of the national anthem. Ray Charles is credited with the song's most well known rendition in current times (although Elvis Presley had a good success with it in the 70's). His recording is very commonly played at major sporting events, such as the Super Bowl . His unique take on it places the third verse first, after which he sings the usual first verse. In the third verse (see below), the author scolds the Materialistic and self-serving Robber Baron s of her day, and urges America to live up to its noble ideals and to honor, with both word and deed, the memory of those who died for their country. An amusing oddity of the song is that its meter (technically " Common Meter Double " or 8-6-8-6-8-6-8-6) is identical to that of '' Auld Lang Syne ''. The two songs can be sung perfectly with lyrics interchanged. LYRICS Oh beautiful, for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain! ''America! America! God shed his grace on thee,'' ''And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.'' Oh beautiful, for pilgrims' feet Whose stern, impassioned stress A thoroughfare for freedom beat Across the wilderness! ''America! America! God mend thine ev'ry flaw;'' ''Confirm thy soul in self control, thy liberty in law!'' Oh beautiful, for heroes proved In liberating strife, Who more than self their country loved And mercy more than life! ''America! America! May God thy gold refine,'' '''Til all success be nobleness, and ev'ry gain divine!'' Oh beautiful, for patriot's dream That sees beyond the years! Thine alabaster cities gleam Undimmed by human tears! ''America! America! God shed his grace on thee,'' ''And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea!'' TAKEOFFS A song as popular and familiar as "America the Beautiful" inevitably gets used out of its proper context or time frame, for humorous effect. Some examples:
:Ferdinand: Look at him in that hat! Is that a crazy sailor? :Isabella: Crazy? I'll tell you how crazy! He's a man with a dream, a vision, a vision of a new world, whose alabaster cities gleam undimmed by human tears, with purple mountain majesties above the Two Cents Plain . . . :Ferdinand and Columbus: Fruited! :Isabella: Fruited. Mel Brooks , on a talk show, once did an impression of how Frank Sinatra might sing the song, complete with tuxedo, black hat and coat, and cigarette, leaning up against a bar, and rendering the song in "lounge style". George Carlin performed a satirical version around 1970, when environmental issues were becoming a hot political topic: {Link without Title} :Oh beautiful, for smoggy skies, insecticided grain :For strip-mined mountain's majesty above the asphalt plain. :America, America, man sheds his waste on thee :And hides the pines with billboard signs, from sea to oily sea! BOOKS Lynn Sherr 's 2001 book ''America the Beautiful'' discusses the origins of the song and the backgrounds of its authors in depth. ISBN 1-58648-085-5. SOURCES/EXTERNAL LINKS
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