Heaven Watch the Philippines

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Heaven Watch the Philippines is a popular song by Irving Berlin, written in 1946.

It was written as a tribute to Filipino resistance during the Japanese occupation in World War II. During the war, Japanese troops in the Philippines attempted to popularize self-glorifying songs such as Chichi Yo Anata Wa Tsuyokatta ("Father, You Were Brave" in English). Locals resisted these efforts, preferring instead to sing God Bless the Philippines to the tune of Berlin's God Bless America as a show of national pride.^[1]

Berlin himself gave the first performance of Heaven Watch the Philippines in Tolosa, Leyte in 1946, in front of an audience that included Sergio Osmeña and Carlos P. Romulo.^[2]

In a 1987 interview with Playboy, Imelda Marcos falsely claimed that Berlin had written Heaven Watch the Philippines specifically for her. When asked about her claim, the 99-year-old Berlin denied it outright.^[3]

[edit] References

1. ^ Philippine Flop, Time Magazine, published March 12, 1945, accessed May 15, 2006.
2. ^ Municipality of Tolosa: Brief Historical Sketch, the official website of the Municipality of Tolosa, posted 2002, accessed May 15, 2006.
3. ^ Ellison, Katherine. "Imelda: Steel Butterfly of the Philippines", p. 22. iUniverse, 2005. ISBN 0-595-34922-6 .