The magnum opus of composer John Philip Sousa, Stars and Stripes Forever is a patriotic American marching song.
In 1896, while Sousa was vacationing in Europe, his manager David Blakely died. On the steamer on the way back from Europe, Sousa mentally composed the entire song, but didn't write any of it down until they reached America. He even wrote words for it, although the lyrics are almost forgotten today.
Although he would conduct performances of it at virtually every concert until his death, only one recording (made in 1909) survives today.
Sousa himself told the story of how he created it in his autobiography, Marching Along.
An archival recording of Sousa's band performing "Stars and Stripes Forever" is available .