Lee Greenwood’s song “God Bless the USA” has long been a staple of naturalization ceremonies for immigrants to the United States, but John Oliver thinks it’s time for a change. So, will the help of Will Ferrell, he’s created an alternative.
To close out his show on Sunday night, Oliver reflected on his own immigration process to the U.S., which indeed ended with a music video for Greenwood’s song. The presence of it got Oliver curious, so he dug into the details of how it came to be a piece of the ceremony.
As it turns out, the government began using it on their own, and when Greenwood found out, his team forced the USCIS into a settlement deal that now sees the singer get $700 a year for use of the song.