A big Happy 4th of July!!!! to our dear neighbours in the U.S.!
tbh, I didn’t really know any Americans B-D (before David)… and it’s been enlightening, horizon-broadening and downright fun to get to know some of you lovely peeps both online and off. Sending out {{{{hugs & love}}} my friends!
In honour of this special occasion, I’m reposting my tribute to David’s AZ GBA… still one of my all-time faves!
Source: Tumblr/peacelovedavid
This is ridiculous. I can’t get God Bless America out of my head. It’s there at night when I go to sleep and again in the morning when I wake up. Not just any GBA, but David Archuleta’s live version from Arizona. It’s like the red, white and blue earworm from … heck.
I can’t stop replaying it on my iPod either, believe me I’ve tried. I take a break for some TOSOD, some M&S, some Adele, some Pastores, but then I need to hear it again. And again.
Why on earth do I even have an American patriotic song on my iPod??? Makes no sense. I love my U.S. pals to bits but I do not yearn to change my citizenship. I don’t even listen to Canadian patriotic songs — I don’t think we actually have any. It’s just not our thing. (Maybe just one.)
But that’s just it, the way David sings GBA, it doesn’t sound like a patriotic song to me at all. It sounds like a love song. A poignant, intoxicating serenade of love to his home sweet home: “stand beside her and guide her through the night with a light from above.”
When I googled the exact lyrics, two things surprised me. First of all, that it was written by the legendary Irving Berlin (“Blue Skies,” “What’ll I Do?” “Cheek to Cheek,” “White Christmas” etc.) and, secondly, that there are only two verses:
God bless America,
Land that I love,
Stand beside her and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above;From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam,
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.
That’s it. That’s all there is. But I could swear, when David sings it, there’s so much more to the song. I get swept up in the soulful swells and runs and the way he builds to the key-change crescendo then softens down to a tender finish. He repeats the verses, but each time takes you on a whole new ride. And that ending. Lethal. The sweet longing in his “hoooome… sweeeet… hoooome” about breaks my heart.
It’s a love song … that’s why it’s on my iPod … that’s my story, Mr. Border Patrol Officer, and I’m sticking to it.
p.s.
Apparently David sang the National Anthem at the U.S. Embassy in Santiago for their 4th of July event … we don’t have video of the performance, only this photo … and these pics … and these reactions from the crowd in attendance:
The embassy peeps had never heard anything like it…
Even the TV put itself on pause …
That Voice echoed for miles around….
Even the embassy pets were not immune….
Nor were visiting hawt dignitaries….
And this young man felt so moved by the performance that he immediately converted…
to become an American citizen….
God Bless America, God Bless David Archuleta, and may God bless all of you! 🙂
P.P.S.
New pic from the lovely Kari! (thx. Heidijoy for the heads-up! 🙂 )
Hey guys, David here. Remember this hair? Wasn’t it grand?
SnowAngelz: Canadian fans of David Archuleta 