June 30, 2022 – THEME WEEK DAY 4

We’re nearing the end of our Patriotic Songs theme week. Today we’re talking about the marching band favorite “You’re a Grand Old Flag”. It was written by George Cohen in 1906 for his musical George Washington, Jr. 
The song was inspired by an encounter Cohen had with a Civil War veteran who had fought at Gettysburg. The veteran was holding a ragged old flag, and he turned to Cohen and reportedly said “She’s a grand old rag”. He thought it was a great line, and originally called his song “You’re a Grand Old Rag”. However, calling the flag a rag didn’t sit well with many people, so he changed it to “You’re a Grand Old Flag”.
The song debuted in February 1906 at the opening night of his play. It quickly became the first song from a musical to sell more than a million copies of sheet music. In 1940, Cohan was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his contributions to morale during WWI, thanks in part to “You’re a Grand Old Flag”.
The song would go on to be one of the most popular marching band pieces of all time. Fittingly, it’s often played on Flag Day. Learn more here.