![]() ![]() ![]() “I love performing onstage, love singing it’s just something that thrills me, and I hope it resonates with the audience, as well.” “I would like to make sure that we touch base with our audience in New York,” he says ahead of his first-ever Suffolk Theater show. Now celebrating 40 years of hit songs, Greenwood is touring the country and stopping at numerous venues where he hopes to connect with fans from far and wide. While the position typically abides by a six-year term, the Senate has yet to accept a replacement nomination by President Joe Biden, allowing Greenwood to remain as one of the council’s longest members. Bush appointed Greenwood to the National Council of the Arts, a role which Greenwood considers an “important responsibility (because) culture is framed by our art.” He and other councilmembers were charged with the task of discovering artists of cultural validity to the U.S. In 1990, he nearly took the No.1 spot for the eighth time, with “Holdin’ a good Hand” peaking at no.2. This mindset helped him earn two No.1 country hits from his 1983 album Somebody’s Gonna Love You, one for his 1985 cover of King Edward IV and the Knights’ “Dixie Road,” three more from that year’s studio album Streamline and one more from the 1986 album Love Will Find Its Way to You. “When you finish a song, you want to play it for everybody like, ‘Hey, look at my new child!’” He would home in on one key thought or feeling and expand that into an original piece, using unexpected words to convey relatable ideas. Though he’s not as motivated to write new material these days, throughout his career, he was inspired by words: billboards, catch phrases, conversations and even other song lyrics. “I don’t rest on the laurels of ‘God Bless the U.S.A.’ no matter how big it is in my life.” “Music is my life it’s what I do,” he says. The song was even adapted into children’s book form, titled Proud to Be an American, and into the song “God Bless You Canada.” While an unpredictable smash hit, “God Bless the U.S.A.” is just one of Greenwood’s many successful tracks. It has opened doors for Greenwood to perform at the 1984 Republican National Convention, at the White House, on the USS Nimitz in the Persian Gulf and at the Lincoln Memorial inauguration celebrations for Presidents George H. After reaching No.7 on the Billboard country chart, it began receiving widespread national attention. “I did not expect it to be played on radio,” he admits, remembering that it was the head of the record label who pushed for “God Bless the U.S.A.” to receive a single release. In 1984, Greenwood released the album You’ve Got a Good Love Comin’ which was mostly made up of romantic power ballads, but also included one now-famous patriotic number to add some variety. His first single, “It Turns Me Inside Out,” cracked top 20 on the 1981 country charts. With seven No.1 country hits and a presidential induction into the National Council on the Arts, he’ll be celebrating 40 years of success at the Suffolk Theater in Riverhead on Friday, December 3.Īfter nearly 20 years of playing the Las Vegas lounge revue scene, Greenwood was discovered in 1979 by Larry McFaden of MCA/Paramount, who became his manager. (Proud to Be an American),” Lee Greenwood is no one-hit wonder. B.: Have you considered embracing “God Bless America” as your patriotic anthem? It is, among other things, grammatically impeccable.Widely known for his signature song of two names, “God Bless the U.S.A. I am an American.” I asked again, and he answered again, in roughly the same manner. Feeling somewhat abashed, I changed the subject to grammar: Why not make the lyric “I’m proud to live in America”? He said: “I’m writing it in first person. “If America changes to the point that it is no longer a Christian nation, and no longer protects itself from aliens who come and go, then it won’t be America anymore,” he said. So many Lee Greenwoods! I asked the Lee Greenwood on the phone to describe his politics. The Lee Greenwood personal point of view is to make everyone conservative, but that’s not Lee Greenwood speaking as the author of the song. The song is bigger than Lee Greenwood, the author of the song. “The Lee Greenwood point of view is that we shouldn’t be a divided country,” he told me, in the LeBron James style. But I agree that grammatically it is a disaster: “I’m proud to be an American,” the chorus begins, “where at least I know I’m free.” I called up Greenwood to ask if he meant for his anthem to be enjoyed by liberals, and also where he learned to construct sentences. I, too, very much like this song (its actual title is “God Bless the U.S.A.”). You should not be abashed at all patriotism belongs to no political party.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |