The NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers on Friday joined baseball’s New York Yankees in halting the playing of Kate Smith’s rendition of “God Bless America” at home games because of lyrics in other songs the late singer recorded.
The Flyers also covered up a statue of Smith that has stood at Philadephia’s sports complex since 1987.
“We have recently become aware that several songs performed by Kate Smith contain offensive lyrics that do not reflect our values as an organization,” the Flyers said in a statement. “As we continue to look into this serious matter, we are removing Kate Smith’s recording of ‘God Bless America’ from our library and covering up the statue that stands outside of our arena.”
The statue of Smith was posted outside Philadelphia’s old Spectrum arena in 1987 and was relocated nearby when the arena was demolished in 2011.
Smith, who died in 1986 at age 79, was long considered an American icon, in large part because of her association with “God Bless America,” the 1918 Irving Berlin song that she recorded in 1939. – READ MORE