Major League Baseball must permanently retire ‘God Bless America,’

[GMDino]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/major-league-baseball-permanently-retire-god-bless-america-article-1.2693228?utm_content=buffer54b9b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Quote:It’s time for God to stop blessing America during the seventh-inning stretch.

Welcome to the July 4 holiday weekend — when once again, baseball fans will be assaulted by the saccharine-sweet non-anthem “God Bless America” at stadia all over this great land.

But no matter which home team you root, root, root for, “God Bless America” should be sent permanently to the bench.

Now, don’t get me wrong: When Major League Baseball ordered all teams to play the patriotic jingle after 9/11, I didn’t immediately object. Standing with my fellow fans, as one, and singing a paean to our country provided catharsis, comfort and shared heartache.

But it wasn’t long before heartache became headache. The Yankees still play it at every game, but most teams, like my beloved Mets, play “God Bless America” only on Sundays or holidays. But even that’s too much.

Part of my outrage stems from ponderous Mussolini-esque introduction of the song, when fans are asked to rise, remove their caps and place them over their hearts.

Reality check, friends: “God Bless America” is not the National Anthem. The only songs Americans should stand for are “The Star Spangled Banner” and “Here Comes the Bride.”

Fans are asked to stand and remove their caps for “God Bless America,” as if it is an important song. It is not. It is a pop song that even Irving Berlin disliked.
 (ALEX BRANDON/AP)

Even Irving Berlin, who wrote “God Bless America” in 1918, considered it so maudlin and depressing that he stuck it in a drawer. Twenty years later, as the world prepared for war, Kate Smith asked Berlin for a patriotic song for her radio show. He pulled out “God Bless America” and changed one lame line — “the gold fields up in Nome” — to an even lamer line — “oceans white with foam.” You know the rest: Smith’s version became as much a symbol of post-war patriotism as the flag, the space program and all the white people moving to the suburbs.

The song still embodies great things about America, but also our worst things: self-righteousness, forced piety, earnest self-reverence, foam.

I’m certainly not alone. A poll conducted by Sheryl Kaskowitz for her 2013 book, “God Bless America: The Surprising History of an Iconic Song,” says it all:

More than 61% of baseball fans — even some who like the song — don’t want it played at games.

“God Bless America” is as divisive as American politics: Kaskowitz’s research found that 83.8% of people who described themselves as “very liberal” dislike the song, while only 20.5% of people who called themselves “very conservative” have a problem with it.

And more than 88% of atheists dislike the song, Kaskowitz found. (Quick aside: We atheists also hate having “In God we Trust” on the currency and in the courtrooms of a country whose Constitution bars the “establishment of religion” — but that’s a fight for another day.)

Quote:I'm not alone: 61% of baseball fans — even some who like the song — don’t want it played.

The song also offends:

* Believers!: Charlie Pillsbury once ran for Congress as a Green Party candidate and one of his issues was his objection to “God Bless America.” “God shows no partiality towards nations,” he said. “God blesses the whole world.”

* Foreigners!: I once went to a Brooklyn Cyclones game with a British guy named James Silver, who smiled when “God Bless America” was being played. “It’s exactly what I expect from Americans,” he said. “The self-righteousness, the patriotism. It’s always nice to see my opinions confirmed.”

* Woody Guthrie!: In response to “God Bless America,” the great folk singer wrote “This Land Is Your Land,” which offers the flip side of Berlin’s blind optimism: “By the relief office, I saw my people/As they stood there hungry, I stood there wondering/If God blessed America for me.”

* Fans of the actual other National Anthem!: Unlike “God Bless America,” the better seventh-inning song, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” captures the essential joy of American life: You go to a baseball game and you don’t care if you ever get back. And, sure, you root for the home team, but who cares if it wins or loses? You’re at a BALLGAME! With peanuts AND Crackerjack!

So this July 4, join me at the Church of Baseball by not rising and not doffing your cap for a song that is not the national anthem of a nation that is not uniquely blessed by some deity that doesn’t exist anyway.

If you want to thank God for blessing America, you can do it on Sunday in the other church.

[Rotobeast]

While I don't think it's necessary, I sure wouldn't protest it.

I'd just be glad if I never heard Lee Greenwood or Toby Keith's patriotic songs, again.

[Aquapod770]

"Baseball fans will be assaulted"

Lol dear god...gotta love outrage culture.

[Millhouse]

'America the Beautiful' is a better song, so play that instead this weekend...? Non-issue issue solved.

[*michaelsean*]

Could someone ask the Brit dude at the Cyclones game wtf he is talking about? Where is the self-righteousness?

[Belsnickel]

(07-03-2016, 09:30 AM)michaelsean Wrote: Could someone ask the Brit dude at the Cyclones game wtf he is talking about? Where is the self-righteousness?

Especially as someone from a country whose anthem is "God Save the Queen."

[*Nately120*]

America is the land of the free, now stand up and profess your love for this song or we'll kill ya!

[GMDino]

(07-03-2016, 12:26 PM)Nately120 Wrote: America is the land of the free, now stand up and profess your love for this song or we'll kill ya!

This story got a very good conversation going on on my FB page.

My musician friend actually defends the musicality of it...as opposed to our National Anthem that is impossible for the average Joe to sing...despite his feeling on the whole God thing.

One guy thinks singing this song is a "great tradition" and removing it would destroy the 7th inning stretch.

Most agree there is no longer a need for it as a reminder of 9/11.

[*Nately120*]

(07-03-2016, 12:31 PM)GMDino Wrote: This story got a very good conversation going on on my FB page.

My musician friend actually defends the musicality of it...as opposed to our National Anthem that is impossible for the average Joe to sing...despite his feeling on the whole God thing.

One guy thinks singing this song is a "great tradition" and removing it would destroy the 7th inning stretch.

Most agree there is no longer a need for it as a reminder of 9/11.

Ha, I had a right-wing pal I worked with a few years back (who had a sense of humor, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered) who just about crapped his pants when I had the nerve to tell him O, Canada is a better song than The Star Spangled Banner.  I guess in his word any sort of actual melody or lyrical relevance is secondary to how much America it is!

Our national anthem is pretty hard to sing, but average joes are pretty awful at singing anyways. Also, it doesn't seem like Americans are as into singing their nation's anthem as much as other cultures are. Perhaps it is due to the difficulty of it, or the fact that it is a song about a specific battle scene rather than the glory of the county itself OR perhaps it is simple over-saturation and is totally procedural. Stand up now, listen to this, sit down..etc.

[GMDino]

(07-03-2016, 12:34 PM)Nately120 Wrote: Ha, I had a right-wing pal I worked with a few years back (who had a sense of humor, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered) who just about crapped his pants when I had the nerve to tell him O, Canada is a better song than The Star Spangled Banner.  I guess in his word any sort of actual melody or lyrical relevance is secondary to how much America it is!

Our national anthem is pretty hard to sing, but average joes are pretty awful at singing anyways.  Also, it doesn't seem like Americans are as into singing their nation's anthem as much as other cultures are.  Perhaps it is due to the difficulty of it, or the fact that it is a song about a specific battle scene rather than the glory of the county itself OR perhaps it is simple oversaturation and is totally procedural.  Stand up now, listen to this, sit down..etc.

He's a music major, has taught music at a high school for 25 years, runs their musical, was in "Up With People"...he knows he's stuff.  But you are correct that most people can't sing as well as they think they can. 

But the anthem is tough even for above average singers.

[*Nately120*]

(07-03-2016, 12:38 PM)GMDino Wrote: He's a music major, has taught music at a high school for 25 years, runs their musical, was in "Up With People"...he knows he's stuff.  But you are correct that most people can't sing as well as they think they can. 

But the anthem is tough even for above average singers.

It depends on the version and the arrangement.  I spent 8 years in HS and college choirs and had to sing the thing with the ensemble many-a-time, but it was meticulously arranged for our voice parts and was therefore logical to sing.  Normally (er...I think) you have either one person singing it in its common arrangement for one voice, which has the technical leaps of high and low notes, and it's usually woman SO your option is to sing with her or take it down an octave. If a group is singing it they don't just stick to the unison main arrangement, which probably just confuses people and leads them to stay quiet.

I was at a baseball game with my gf at the time and my buddy and I was singing a tenor harmony along with the main vocal part and people were looking at me like I was mocking the song so I stopped and just stood there.  

[GMDino]

(07-03-2016, 12:42 PM)Nately120 Wrote: It depends on the version and the arrangement.  I spent 8 years in HS and college choirs and had to sing the thing with the ensemble many-a-time, but it was meticulously arranged for our voice parts and was therefore logical to sing.  Normally (er...I think) you have either one person singing it in its common arrangement for one voice, which has the technical leaps of high and low notes, and it's usually woman SO your option is to sing with her or take it down an octave.  If a group is singing it they don't just stick to the unison main arrangement, which probably just confuses people and leads them to stay quiet.

I was at a baseball game with my gf at the time and my buddy and I was singing a tenor harmony along with the main vocal part and people were looking at me like I was mocking the song so I stopped and just stood there.  

I'll just quote what he said, as I know nothing of music despite being in a choir and being able to carry a tune:

Quote: I actually don't agree with this. And we all know that I'm not some God preaching conservative....but I don't mind the song. From a lyrics standpoint the song is trite. Not Berlin's finest work. From a music analysis point of view the chord progressions are generic. They are expected. Again...not Berlin's best work. But it's no more self righteous than England's "God Save the Queen." It's part of our patriotism. I think the author is being self righteous when he accepts that it was ok to sing it after 911 but not now. Why stop?

But while I'm up here on the soap box....I believe that our national anthem is HORRIBLE!!!! A national anthem should not be a song that provides controversy...and ours certainly does...because of the way it is sung. It is simply a hard song to sing therefore it can't be sung well by the masses. Case in point...have you seen in the news about the woman who sang it impromptu at the Lincoln Memorial last week and is now getting her 15 minutes of fame? Every time I see a news segment about her I cringe. She didn't sing it....she screamed the national anthem. She embellished it to the point where she actually changed the melody....like so many do....just so they can show off (talk about self righteous?!?!). I believe that our national anthem should be the song that we all learned in elementary school....My Country Tis of Thee. It's nice. It's singable. And even Roseann Barr could sing it at a ballgame without being offensive! But that's my two cents worth.

[*Nately120*]

^^^

I will say that I'm all about people having the freedom to suck at singing the thing, but lordy I do cringe a bit when people alter the thing to put in a bunch of pop cliches and oversinging vocal staircases in it. Also, I find it odd that you are supposed to be silent during it BUT it is also completely expected to start screaming and cheering when there is approximately 10% of it left.

Wacky.