God Bless America by Kate Smith is not, as some may have been misled to believe, the actual first performance of God Bless America by Smith. That took place on the ellipse in front of the White House on November 11, 1938, not 1940, and that fact is even stated on the cover of the sheet music which was issued in early 1939. There are other rather loose fact here, such as this recreation come from This is the Army Mr. Jones from 1943, not You're In the Army Now as the text suggests. It is also the second debut, as the song was heard in 1918 for one performance in Berlin's stage work Yip Yip Yiphank before he shelved it, believing it to be too morose. Facts do make some difference to the story, and the actual original radio broadcast from the White House lawn was a bit more exciting than the
