Performed by Ansel Brown
Written by Ansel Brown, Cliff Downs,
David Poindexter Copyright 2012 - Ansel Brown
Ansel Brown's heartfelt performance of the well-written,
"Our Country", and its wonderfully produced video is an
inspiring, reminder about our great, beloved America ... that will always remain the "Shining City upon a Hill" for all the world to see
... Every American should be very proud to live in it
. . and sincerely thankful for all the brave
ones who have answered the call to keep HER the land of
the free!"
David Bancroft, USA Patriotism! founder
This video salutes America and the veterans who
have sacrificed to make Our Country great. We're
proud of America and our military who serve so
faithfully. Please enjoy this tribute which is the
culmination of a four-year process in which we
dedicated ourselves to writing and re-writing until
the messaging was just right. The video features US
Veterans, heroes, mothers of the wounded and fallen,
and images of what America represents. The song was
also interpreted for the hearing impaired.
Legendary Hollywood voice actor Peter Cullen lent
his voice to this music video (you will recognize
him as the voice of one of his most famous
characters -- Optimus Prime from Transformers).
Acclaimed director Michael Bay has said of Cullen's
Optimus Prime voice, "It gives me chills." I am
blown away that Peter would think highly enough of
my song to let me utilize his "voice" to start my
video
The video is dedicated to Captain H.
L. "Larry" Cullen, the brother of Peter Cullen. In
my work with Peter and NASA, I learned that Larry
Cullen inspired the voice of Optimus Prime for
Peter. When I got into video production for "Our
Country," I just had to ask Peter to use that voice
to open my video. Peter didn't hesitate to say yes!
He is a great American, in my opinion. He didn't say
yes in return for me dedicating the video to his
brother; he said yes without any reciprocation
required. I surprised him later with the dedication
to Larry.
The veterans that you see in the
video are regulars at a place called Richard's
Coffee Shop & Military Museum (a national treasure
to me) in Mooresville, North Carolina. Mooresville
Mayor, Miles Atkins, introduced me to them. After
meeting the vets for coffee, I wanted them in the
video. That led to the Patriot Guard Riders getting
involved. Talk about an AWESOME group! Learning
about their work to protect & guard those who have
fallen in the line of duty made including them in
the video a very easy decision.
This is not
your run of the mill music video. It is meant to
raise awareness for children who have lost a parent
in the line of duty, hence the scene in the
cemetery. At a performance in Dallas, Texas, I met
some folks who run Snowball Express, an American
Airlines' organization dedicated to helping children
who have lost a parent in the line of duty. The
woman telling me about those kids broke down in
tears as she talked about them. Hearing that, I
decided to add in the cemetery scene and the
portrayal of a little girl who had lost her dad. The
ending speaks for itself ;).
In addition, I
wrote this song to celebrate our heroes past and
present; for those who have sacrificed so much for
our freedom and the freedom of others around the
globe; for people that still love what our country
stands for; for those who love what our founding
fathers created for all of us to enjoy; and to
remind all that we should be proud because This is
OUR COUNTRY! The People's Country! We need to
nurture it, to honor it, to stand proud for it!
In the end, this video represents what I hope
every American can unify behind. I hope you enjoy
it!
Lyrics for "Our Country"
We walk in battle
for fallen sons And fight for freedom for
everyone We live and honor our heroes past Our
great foundation must always last
We must
hope we must dream and be all we can be
We must live and believe always fight to be free
United as one for the whole world to see
We
stand as one Celebrate all we've done Across
this land We can stand proud once again God
bless the land of the free This is our country
This grand tradition diverse and strong Each
man's ambition God we all belong
We must hope
we must dream and be all we can be We
must live and believe always fight to be free
United as one for the whole world to see
We
stand as one Celebrate all we've done Across
this land We can stand proud once again God
bless the land of the free This is our country
The flag and freedom In God we trust again
We come together From sea to shining sea
We stand as one Celebrate all we've done
Across this land We can stand proud once again
God bless the land of the free God bless the
land of the free God bless the land of the free
This is our country
Our Country
