Lee Greenwood celebrates 35 years of 'God Bless the USA'

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — It's been 35 years since Lee Greenwood debuted the now-iconic patriot ballad, "God Bless the USA."

Greenwood wrote the song while riding in the back of his tour bus after the shooting down of Korean Air Lines Flight 007.

"It is with great pride that 35 years ago today I decided to release the song, 'God Bless the USA.' I wrote it to show my love for this country," said Greenwood. "That decision would prove to be the most important career choice of my life. I'm grateful for the many times I've been given the chance to inspire Americans through hard times and happy times. I thank my parents for the gift of music; I thank the industry for the belief in my artistic ability; I thank my wife Kim for never doubting me, and I thank God for His grace as He has lifted me up from nothing. There will be other songs that will be added to America's library of patriotic music. I'm simply amazed that I was able to write one as well."

The song saw a resurgence after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

"I wanted to write it my whole life. When I got to that point, we were doing 300 days a year on the road, and we were on our fourth or fifth album on MCA. I called my producer, and I said, 'I have a need to do this.' I've always wanted to write a song about America, and I said, 'We just need to be more united.'"

Greenwood is currently on tour and stopping in Clarksville at the Beachaven Winery on Sept. 21. He recently performed at the annual 'Salute the Troops' concert at the Grand Ole Opry on Tuesday.