Songs of hope, patriotic fervor, honor and glory are all over Cincinnati's musical menu. On the radio, on the playing fields, in the bell towers and in the record stores.

        Patriotic music is a huge hit.

Patriotic songs by Whitney Houston, Faith Hill and Ray Charles are among the most requested. (Rob Schuster photo illustration) | ZOOM |

        “We've had an overwhelming number of calls from people requesting a specific patriotic song,” said Dan Swensson, general manager of WRRM-FM (98.5). “What we're finding is that people come to us not so much for facts as for relief from facts.”

        In some quarters, programmers found themselves scrambling to adjust programs to include patriotic songs. The Northern Kentucky Symphony Orchestra debated canceling a concert last week at the Campbell County Extension Center, then decided to go ahead but to alter the program.

        “J.R. (Cassidy, conductor and music director) woke up Wednesday and decided to turn it into a "Songs Your Children Should Know' concert,” says NKS general manager Angela Williamson.

        “He added numbers such as "God Bless America,' "Battle Hymn of the Republic,' "America,' and all three verses of the "Star-Spangled Banner.' We also printed lyric sheets so people could sing along.”
On the field

        Out on the playing fields, Miami University Marching Band director David Shaffer also did a musical shuffle for this weekend's Miami vs. UC game.

        “It's Band Day, so we can't change our program much, but we have added "God Bless the USA' and the "Star-Spangled Banner' to the pregame show. We'll combine with UC's band on both,” Mr. Shaffer says.

        Mr. Shaffer's band isn't the only one playing “God Bless the USA.” Lee Greenwood's 1984 Gulf War anthem may be the most requested song in town and the nation right now, says Tim Closson, WUBE-FM (105.1) program director.

FRIDAY RALLY

Cincinnati's Blessid Union of Souls will sing America the Beautiful at a freedom rally Friday at Paul Brown Stadium to benefit terrorist victims and pray for our country.    The 40- to 50-minute program, “A Celebration of Patriotism and Remembrance,” will begin at 7 p.m. Gates open at 5 p.m.    The rally, sponsored by Hamilton County, the American Red Cross, WRRM-FM (98.5), WMOJ-FM (94.9), WCPO-TV (Channel 9), The Cincinnati Enquirer and Cincinnati.Com, will include prayer, music, fireworks and a 50,000 glow stick salute. Ohio Gov. Bob Taft will attend.

        He cites the Country Airplay Monitor, a Billboard service that tracks the number of times a specific record was played in any given week: “God Bless the USA” went from 47 spins for the week ending Sept. 9 to 2,605 spins for the week ending Sept. 16. Faith Hill's version of the "Star-Spangled Banner' went from zero spins to 865 for the same time period.

        The three most requested songs at Mr. Closson's country station this week have been Mr. Greenwood's, Ms. Hill's and a LeAnn Rimes' version of “God Bless America.”

        “We've extensively altered our playlist to accommodate the requests,” Mr. Closson says.

        It's the same story at WGRR-FM (103.5), where operations manager Chuck Finney reports “an avalanche of calls asking for patriotic songs.

        “Besides the usual suspects like Ray Charles' "America,' Neil Diamond's “Coming to America” and both Cher's and Whitney Houston's Super Bowl versions of the "Star-Spangled Banner,' we've had a lot of requests for "The Americans' by Gordon Sinclair and Byron MacGregor,” Mr. Finney says.

SONG LYRICS

• Find lyrics to America's most patriotic standards on easy-to-print wallet cards at Cincinnati.Com.

        Most local radio stations are also inventing their own patriotic pieces. At WGRR, producer Jim Blommel took a 1972 version of “Amazing Grace” by the Royal Scots Dragoon Guard, added a choir, then inserted audio clips from the news.

        At WRRM, producer Tom Sandman created a montage of Bette Midler's “Wind Beneath my Wings” and Mariah Carey's “Hero,” then inserted audio clips about the New York firefighters.

        WUBE is playing “Towers,” a five-minute montage of Garth Brooks' “The Dance” and Reba McEntire's “If I Had Only Known” with audio clips in between.

        Same goes for WVMX-FM (94.1), where morning host Rob Carson has been playing George Michael's “Freedom” with audio clips interspersed, and Don Henley's “New York Minute,” customized with clips from last week's news accounts.
       

Patriotic march
        It's not only radio stations leading the patriotic march.

        Cincinnati bell maker Verdin Co., a manufacturer of carillons and computerized programs to play them, has a patriotic chip that plays 12 patriotic songs, including “America,” “America the Beautiful,” “God Bless America,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and several armed forces themes.

        Last week, the company got somewhere between 300 and 500 calls inquiring about the chip.

        “We could fill that many orders eventually, but it would take some time,” says Suzanne Sizer, marketing manager.

        One carillon that already had the chip is the 15-month old one standing in Blue Ash's Towne Square. “We started playing it in the middle of last week,” says city manager Marvin Thompson, “and it's been playing ever since, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. We'd go later, but it's too close to a residential area.

        “It's going to continue playing indefinitely, for as long as it takes.”

        The Verdin Co. is also experiencing the early stages of a crush of people wanting its new Melodies of Americana CD, Ms. Sizer said. It's a carillon playing several patriotic songs — “Grand Old Flag,” “America the Beautiful,” “Yankee Doodle Dandy” — and American classics such as “By the Light of the Silvery Moon” and “Heart of My Heart” ($15; 241-4010).

        “The response has been amazing, but the CD's so new, it's difficult to know if it's because of the terrorist attack or what,” Ms. Sizer said.

        Record stores are also noticing the trend: “Last weekend we had a major run on Ray Charles' "God Bless America,” Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A.' and "The Star-Spangled Banner',” said Harry Lushey, assistant manager of Everybody's Records in Pleasant Ridge.

        “Pat (Dorsey, store manager) has re-ordered all of them. I think we're down to our last Ray Charles, but more are coming in almost immediately.”

        Even Oktoberfest, this weekend's street party with German roots, will have an American flair. Mezzo soprano Jiana Hunter, from the School for the Creative and Performing Arts, is do an “America the Beautiful” solo (4 p.m. Saturday) and encourage sing-alongs, says Downtown Council spokesman Raymond “Buz” Buse.

        The Cincinnati Civic Orchestra will assemble on Fountain Square at 4 p.m. Sunday for a “Star-Spangled Banner,” also encouraging sing-alongs. And who knows how many of the individual bands in the various tents will insert songs. “A lot would be my guess,” Mr. Buse says.

        As Everybody's Records Mr. Lushey says, “People are grasping for this sort of thing. When something like this happens, something this horrible, the music is a comfort.”

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