CMT News

Lee Greenwood's durable "God Bless the U.S.A" returns strongly to the charts 17 years after its release in 1984. The song, named song of the year in 1985 by the Country Music Association, lands at No. 16 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts this week. It was last on the country chart in 1991, during the Gulf War.

Faith Hill's version of "The Star-Spangled Banner," recorded live at the 2000 Super Bowl, had not been previously released. Radio stations began playing it from a recording of the Super Bowl telecast, and her record label, Warner Bros., then made a single available to radio. It debuts at No. 35 this week on Hot Country Singles & Tracks.

Cyndi Thomson's "What I Really Meant to Say" remains at No. 1 on that chart, Alan Jackson's "Where I Come From" climbs to No. 2 from No. 4, Brooks & Dunn's "Only in America" rises to No. 3 from No. 6, Trisha Yearwood's "I Would've Loved You Anyway" moves to No. 4 from No. 5 and Blake Shelton's "Austin" drops to No. 5.

Other singles debuting are Dixie Chicks' "Some Days You Gotta Dance" at No. 56 and "America the Beautiful" by various artists at No. 59. The latter was recorded by artists including Toby Keith, the Oak Ridge Boys and Kenny Rogers for an ABC News TV special that aired July 4. Because of time constraints, the "America the Beautiful" segment was not part of the broadcast. It has been added to CMT's regular rotation of videos.

There was little change on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, with O Brother, Where Art Thou? topping the chart for the 21st week this year. Rounding out the top five are Keith's Pull My Chain, the Coyote Ugly soundtrack, Tim McGraw's Set This Circus Down and Alison Krauss & Union Station's New Favorite.

Albums debuting are Robert Earl Keen's Gravitational Forces at No. 10, Ricky Skaggs' History of the Future at No. 35 and Here Come the Derailers at No. 50.

Also debuting is Greenwood's recent album Good Old Country, which lands at No. 66. It includes "God Bless the U.S.A."