God Bless America

In 1893, Jewish immigrant Israel Isidore Baline, arrived on the US soil for the first time.  He was fleeing the pogroms in Russia.  He was processed on Ellis Island and moved to Manhattan.  When he was 13 his father died.  Israel took to the streets as a news boy.  He sorta sucked as a news boy.  He made virtually no money, felt ashamed and embarassed so he left home to try and make it on his own.  He was essentially a homeless boy on the bowery.  He had no education.  He had no schooling.  The only skill he had he learned from his late father, who had been a cantor.  So Israel took to the streets singing popular ballads of the day.  He was good, so people hurled pennies at him.  He was so good, he began singing in music halls in Union Square.  He was also observant and learned what songs really got people jamming.  (Popular melodies that expressed sweet simple sentiments.)  After the bar closed at night, he taught himself to play piano.  He then began writing songs.  He sold his first song for 37 cents.  The name he signed on it was I.  Berlin.

In 1911, I. Berlin wrote a song that was SOOOOO catchy, some less "fun" people claimed it was a public menace that caused hysteria, insanity, and idiocy in those who listened to it.  This song was I. Berlin's first hit.  Alexander's Ragtime Band.  His friends form the Bowery came to watch him perform at Oscar Hammerstein's Vaudeville theatre and started crying tears of happiness that "their boy" made it and was living the American dream.  I. Berlin would go on to write many more extremely popular songs that basically became part of the fabric of Americana.  For example, I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas, the scores to Top Hat, Putting on the Ritz, Holiday Inn, Easter Parade, and musicals like Annie Get Your Gun.

When World War I came around, he enlisted.  He stated, "We must speak with the sword not with the pen to show our appreciation for America for opening up her heart and welcoming every immigrant group.  Let's all be Americans now."    (He was a little disappointed that all they really wanted him for in the army was to write snappy tunes.  But his snappy tunes of patriotism included titltes such as "God Bless America."

When I. Berlin died at the age of 101, Walter Kronkite said, "Other nations are defined by their classical composers.  America is appropriately defined by this Russian immigrant.  Germany has Beethoven, France Ravel, Poland Chopin, Italy Verdi, America has IRVING BERLIN."

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