Lee Greenwood’s ‘God Bless the USA’ Just Topped This Chart For the First Time
Lee Greenwood's signature hit "God Bless the USA" leads this Billboard chart for the first time.
Lee Greenwood‘s signature hit “God Bless the USA” leads Billboard‘s Digital Song Sales chart for the first time, blasting from No. 50 to No. 1 on the July 18-dated ranking with a 366% surge to 15,000 sold in the week ending July 9, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.
The anthem, which reached No. 7 on the Hot Country Songs chart upon its original release in 1984, concurrently crowns Country Digital Song Sales. It additionally vaulted by 380% to 2.6 million U.S. streams in the tracking week.
The single previously reached a No. 22 best on Digital Song Sales in July 2017. It charted again for week each in July 2018 and July 2019, at Nos. 30 and 32, respectively.
Helping the song’s profile, Home Free, in tandem with Greenwood and The United States Air Force Band, premiered a cover of “God Bless the USA” on July 1. The a cappella quintet’s solo version, originally released in 2016, sold 2,000, up 137%, in the week ending July 9.
Two other patriotic tracks hit new Digital Song Sales highs, as Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)” re-enters at No. 15 (6,000, up 282%) and Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” returns at No. 23 (5,000, up 272%). The former, a No. 1 Hot Country Songs hit in 2002, previously reached No. 43 on Digital Song Sales in 2017, while the latter, which rose to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985, makes its first appearance on the sales survey.
Other genres show increases for patriotic titles. On R&B Digital Song Sales, James Brown’s “Living in America” re-enters at No. 8 (2,000, up 209%) and Whitney Houston’s “The Star Spangled Banner” bows at No. 11 (1,000, up 210%).
On Rock Digital Song Sales, in addition to Springsteen’s re-entry at No. 2 with “Born,” Don McLean’s “American Pie (Parts I & II)” returns at No. 5 (2,000, up 73%), followed by reappearances for John Mellencamp’s “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute to 60’s Rock)” at No. 18 (1,000, up 103%) and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “American Girl” at No. 24 (1,000, up 102%).
As for other notable gains in streams surrounding Independence Day, Miley Cyrus’ 2009 smash “Party in the U.S.A.” soared by 50% to 4.2 million streams in the week ending July 9, followed by McLean’s “American Pie” (3.9 million, up 28%); Keith’s “Courtesy” (3.6 million, up 131%); Springsteen’s “Born” (3.1 million, up 199%); and Petty’s “American Girl” (2.7 million, up 35%).
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