The New York Yankees have stopped playing Kate Smith’s version of “God Bless America” at home games over concerns some of her other recordings might be racist.
Smith’s signature 1939 recording of the Irving Berlin song has been a mainstay of the Yankees’ seventh-inning stretch since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But the team replaced Smith’s version earlier this season with a rotation of other recordings of the song after someone pointed out some of the popular World War II-era singer’s other work.
“That’s Why Darkies Were Born” includes the lyrics, “Someone had to pick the cotton. … That’s why darkies were born.” The song might have been interpreted as satirical at the time, since it was recorded with African American artist Paul Robeson.
Another song flagged was “Pickaninny Heaven,” which encourages “colored children” to dream about places with watermelons and other foods.
“The Yankees have been made aware of a recording that had been previously unknown to us and decided to immediately and carefully review this new information,” a club spokesman told the New York Daily News. “The Yankees take social, racial and cultural insensitivities very seriously.”
“And while no final conclusions have been made, we are erring on the side of sensitivity,” the spokesman said.
