[5] Several of the sights on her trip inspired her, and they found their way into her poem, including the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the "White City" with its promise of the future contained within its gleaming white buildings;[6] the wheat fields of North America's heartland Kansas, through which her train was riding on July 16; and the majestic view of the Great Plains from high atop Pikes Peak.

Ward, the organist and choir director at Grace Church, Newark, was generally considered the best music as early as 1910 and is still the popular tune today.

The tune came to him while he was on a ferryboat trip from Coney Island back to his home in New York City after a leisurely summer day and he immediately wrote it down.

Proponents prefer "America the Beautiful" for various reasons, saying it is easier to sing, more melodic, and more adaptable to new orchestrations while still remaining as easily recognizable as "The Star-Spangled Banner".

God shed his grace on thee Till souls wax fair as earth and air And music-hearted sea!

God shed his grace on thee Till paths be wrought through wilds of thought By pilgrim foot and knee!

O beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years Thine alabaster cities gleam Undimmed by human tears!

O beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years Thine alabaster cities gleam Undimmed by human tears.

O beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years Thine alabaster cities gleam Undimmed by human tears!

In 1976, while the United States celebrated its bicentennial, a soulful version popularized by Ray Charles peaked at number 98 on the US R&B chart.

[20] An all-star version of "America the Beautiful" performed by country singers Trace Adkins, Sherrié Austin, Billy Dean, Vince Gill, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Toby Keith, Brenda Lee, Lonestar, Lyle Lovett, Lila McCann, Lorrie Morgan, Jamie O'Neal, The Oak Ridge Boys, Collin Raye, Kenny Rogers, Keith Urban and Phil Vassar reached number 58 in July 2001.

The song has been performed by artists such as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Willie Nelson, Little Richard, Boyz II Men, Boys Choir of Harlem, John Legend, Nicole Scherzinger and Fifth Harmony.

Whitney Houston also recorded the song, covering Ray Charles' soulful rearranged version as the B-side to her 1991 rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner."

Popularity of the song increased greatly in the decades following 9/11; at some sporting events it was sung in addition to the traditional singing of the national anthem.

During the first taping of the Late Show with David Letterman following the attacks, CBS newsman Dan Rather cried briefly as he quoted the fourth verse.

It is sung along with the "Star-Spangled Banner" and, more recently, the hymn "Lift Every Voice and Sing," commonly referred to as the "Black national anthem".

[28][29] Notable performers at the Super Bowl include Ray Charles, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Jhené Aiko, Faith Hill, Mary J. Blige with Marc Anthony, Blake Shelton with Miranda Lambert, Queen Latifah, Leslie Odom Jr., and Babyface.

[30] The song, performed by 5 Alarm Music, is featured heavily in a dystopian action horror franchise The Purge in both trailers and films.

[31] In 2016, American five-piece girl group Fifth Harmony performed a rendition to honor the United States women's national soccer team on defeating Japan 5–2 in the Final[32] to win the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup[33] last July at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada[34] before an undisputed AT&T Stadium audience of 101,763 to open WrestleMania 32[35] in Dallas, Texas.

[36][37] In 2017, Jackie Evancho released Together We Stand, a disc containing three patriotic songs including "America the Beautiful.

[39] An abbreviated cover with the 1911 lyrics was performed by Greg Jong for the soundtrack of the 2020 video game Wasteland 3 and is played during the final hostile encounters in the Denver section.

Jazz Critic Nate Chinen wrote the following day of the performance, "What does it mean for a singer such as Salvant to inhabit a platform like the US Open, and implore God to mend America’s every flaw?

What does it mean, in the Year of Our Lord 2023, for a singer like Salvant to urge the nation to confirm thy soul in self-control, and find liberty in law?

In 2025 Carrie Underwood sang the song a capella after what were described as “technical difficulties” caused the failure of her backing music, during the second inauguration of Donald Trump.

The phrase and the song are also the namesake of the Shining Sea Bikeway, a bike path in Bates's hometown of Falmouth, Massachusetts.

Amos imagines Amber Waves as an exotic dancer, like the character of the same name portrayed by Julianne Moore in Boogie Nights.