"America's Song" is a patriotic

Patriotism

Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...

 song written by Will.I.Am

Will.i.am

William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...

, David Foster

David Foster

David Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...

 and George Pajon, Jr, released as the fourth single from the political compilation album Change Is Now: Renewing America's Promise

Change Is Now: Renewing America's Promise

Change is Now: Renewing America's Promise is a compilation album released on April 28, 2009 through Hidden Beach Recordings in conjunction with the Presidential Inaugural Committee.The album includes previously released tracks from Wilco, Stevie Wonder, Death Cab for Cutie, and Common...

. The song is performed by Will.I.Am, Seal

Seal (musician)

Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel , known simply as Seal, is a British soul and R&B singer-songwriter, of Nigerian and Brazilian background. Seal has won numerous music awards throughout his career, including three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 1992, four Grammy Awards, and an...

, Bono

Bono

Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...

, Mary J. Blige

Mary J. Blige

Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...

, and Faith Hill

Faith Hill

Faith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...

, with David Foster appearing on piano. The song's live debut, at the Kennedy Center

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...

, was broadcast live on a special edition of The Oprah Winfrey Show

The Oprah Winfrey Show

The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....

aired on January 19, 2009, in honor of the next day's inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States.

Background

The songwriting collaboration is a first between Foster and Will.I.Am. Regarding his intentions for the song, Will.I.Am said to Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...

 on her show: "The meaning of this song is being proud of America. I wanted to write the new American anthem for this day and age—for this generation." Will.I.Am previously recorded a tribute to Obama, "Yes We Can

Yes We Can

"Yes We Can" is the first single from Change Is Now: Renewing America's Promise, a compilation album organised and produced by Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.I.Am...

", based on Obama's speech after the 2008 New Hampshire primary

New Hampshire primary, 2008

The New Hampshire primary of 2008 was held on January 8, 2008 to determine the allocation of New Hampshire's delegates to the national presidential nominating conventions, to be held later in the year. As one of the first electoral events in the 2008 U.S...

.

Production

Foster and Will.I.Am said that they wrote most of the song in a single evening at Foster's home. The recording came together quickly. Foster recorded Hill's vocals on January 15 in Tennessee, Will.I.Am recorded Bono's portion on January 17, and Blige contributed her vocals on January 18, right after performing at Obama's pre-inauguration concert

We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial

We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial was a public celebration of the then forthcoming inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States at the Lincoln Memorial and the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on January 18, 2009. By some estimates the...

 at the Lincoln Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

The Lincoln Memorial is an American memorial built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The architect was Henry Bacon, the sculptor of the main statue was Daniel Chester French, and the painter of the interior...

. Seal travelled to D.C. from Cannes to record his part on January 17–18.