The story
The phrase took off with a song. American actor John Howard Payne wrote the words for an 1823 London opera, and English composer Henry Bishop wrote the tune. Bishop first passed the melody off as an old Sicilian air, then admitted he wrote it himself. The song sold 100,000 copies fast and became an American favorite for decades.
Also heard in a song: “Home! Sweet Home!” — Henry Bishop and John Howard Payne (1823)Listen on Spotify