The song originally appeared in the musical revue
Let Freedom Sing, which opened on Broadway on October 5, 1942.
Brooks Atkinson wrote in
The New York Times: "Although Mordecai Bauman does not sing it particularly well, he sings it with earnest sincerity, without feeling that he must imitate youth by blasting the voice amplifying system and cutting a rug." In the film, Sinatra sings the title song. His recording became a national hit. The music was written by
Earl Robinson. Robinson was later blacklisted during the
McCarthy era for being a member of the Communist Party. He also wrote campaign songs for the presidential campaigns of
Franklin D. Roosevelt,
Henry A. Wallace, and, in 1984,
Jesse Jackson. The lyrics were written in 1943 by
Abel Meeropol under the pen name Lewis Allan. In 1957, Meeropol adopted two boys, Michael and Robert, who had been orphaned when their parents
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed in 1953.
Mahalia Jackson, and
Josh White.
Sam Cooke also covered it.
Kim Weston included it on her second post-
Motown album
This Is America (1968). Sinatra continued to include it in his repertory for decades. He performed it during a state dinner at the White House during the
Nixon administration, at the 1985 inaugural ceremonies of
Ronald Reagan, and at the ceremony marking the centenary of the
Statue of Liberty that same year. It was sung by
Hope Foye. ==See also==