God Bless America (charity album) explained

God Bless America
Type:compilation
Artist:Various Artists
Cover:God Bless America charity album cover.jpg
Recorded:Various
Genre:Various
Label:Columbia/CBS Records
CK 86300
Producer:Various

God Bless America is a 2001 charity album composed of American patriotic or spiritual songs, released on October 16 of that year in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It was released specifically to benefit the Twin Towers Fund, directing what the album cover said would be a "substantial portion of the proceeds" towards families of firefighters, police officers, and other responders lost in the rescue response to the September 11 attacks.[1] The artists and recordings featured were largely from Columbia Records.[2]

History

Following the September 11 attacks, Canadian pop star Celine Dion performed a new arrangement of "God Bless America"[1] on the telethon . The recorded version of this, done the day before the telethon in the event something happened and Dion could not appear, became the title track of this compilation. It, along with a live acoustic performance by John Mellencamp, were the only tracks on the album not to have been previously released.

The selections ranged over many decades, with recordings being used going back to 1945.[2] The span of material was quite large; the album included "This Land Is Your Land", which Woody Guthrie had written in annoyed reaction to "God Bless America",[3] as well as both the overtly patriotic "God Bless the USA" and the far different "Blowin' in the Wind". Two live recordings are used, both performances in New York City.[2]

Reception

The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 181,000 copies in its first week of release.[4] In doing so, it became the first charity album to reach the top since USA for Africa's We Are the World in 1985.[5] Dion's title track single also received enough radio airplay to reach number 14 on Billboard's Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. The album's release came at a time when a number of similarly themed albums were being released, and many patriotic and inspirational American songs were showing up on the pop charts.[4] The latter included "God Bless the USA" as well as different recordings of "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "America the Beautiful".[4]

Music writer Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times termed the compilation an "unlikely combination" while writing that "patriotism makes strange bedfellows."[4] Rolling Stone said it was a "can't miss collection" with an artist array that "seems to have a little something for everyone."[6] Allmusic states that, "Touching the worlds of pop, folk, rock, gospel, country, and more, God Bless America was designed with the feelings of troubled Americans in mind."[7]

Notes and References

  1. News: Mariah Carey, Springsteen, Dylan Contribute To Benefit CD . https://web.archive.org/web/20140219184943/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1449733/springsteen-dylan-on-benefit-cd.jhtml . dead . February 19, 2014 . Jon . Wiederhorn . . October 8, 2001.
  2. News: Columbia's 'America' Features Celine, Dylan . . November 17, 2012.
  3. News: Behind The Song: 'This Land Is Your Land' . Lynne . Margolis . June 28, 2012 . American Songwriter.
  4. News: The 'God Bless America' Collection, Inspirational and Patriotic, Is No. 1 . Robert . Hilburn . Robert Hilburn . . October 25, 2001.
  5. Book: Glatzer, Jenna. Céline Dion: For Keeps . registration . Andrews McMeel Publishing. 2005 . 0-7407-5559-5.
  6. News: God Bless America on Top . Andrew . Dansby . . October 24, 2001.
  7. Web site: God Bless America. Ultratop. French. January 5, 2021.
  8. Web site: God Bless America. Hitparade.ch. German. January 5, 2021.
  9. Web site: 2001: Billboard 200 Albums. Billboard. January 4, 2021.
  10. Web site: 2002: Billboard 200 Albums. Billboard. January 5, 2021.
  11. Web site: God Bless America [Sony] | publisher=Allmusic | accessdate=November 17, 2012}}

    Track listing

    TitleWriter(s)PerformerOriginal releaseLength
    1"God Bless America"Irving BerlinCeline Dion20013:47
    2"Land of Hope and Dreams"Bruce SpringsteenBruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (2000 live recording)20019:32
    3"Hero"Mariah Carey, Walter AfanasieffMariah Carey19934:20
    4"Amazing Grace"John Newton, Southern HarmonyTramaine Hawkins19947:10
    5"Blowin' in the Wind"Bob DylanBob Dylan19632:48
    6"Bridge over Troubled Water"Paul SimonSimon & Garfunkel19704:55
    7"Peaceful World"John MellencampJohn Mellencamp (unreleased 2001 live acoustic version)20013:38
    8"There's a Hero"Don Cook, John Barlow JarvisBilly Gilman20003:28
    9"America the Beautiful"Katharine Lee Bates, Samuel A. WardFrank Sinatra19452:33
    10"God Bless the USA"Lee GreenwoodLee Greenwood19843:16
    11"This Land Is Your Land"Woody GuthriePete Seeger19643:02
    12"Coming Out of the Dark"Gloria Estefan, Emilio Estefan Jr., Jon SecadaGloria Estefan19914:05
    13"We Shall Overcome"Zilphia Horton, Frank Hamilton, Guy Carawan, Pete SeegerMahalia Jackson19632:46
    14"The Star-Spangled Banner"Francis Scott Key, John Stafford SmithThe Mormon Tabernacle Choir19652:34
    15"Lean on Me"Bill WithersBill Withers19724:17

    Source: Album liner notes, except track times

    Charts

    Weekly

    Chart (2001–02)Peak
    position
    Belgian Compilation Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[7] 17
    Swiss Compilation Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[8] 11
    US Billboard 2001

    Year-end charts

    References

    .