Miss America Song Cut From Pageant; Competition Returns To Atlantic City After 8 Years

"There she is, Miss America."

When the pageant winner is crowned in Atlantic City, N.J., this September, those famous words won’t be sung, AP reports.

Miss America Organization Vice President Sharon Pearce has confirmed that the song “Miss America” won’t be played at the upcoming pageant, according to the Press of Atlantic City.

The reason behind the famous song’s removal may come from a lawsuit filed in April 2012 by the late songwriter Bernie Wayne’s wife, Phyllis, for using the song without the proper license. The complaint was dismissed in December 2012 followed by a settlement agreement.

The song was not played at last year’s Miss America pageant. It was replaced with instrumental music, AP reports.

The song was not used for three years during the early 1980s.

Wayne said he wrote the song around 1955 in a barber’s chair in New York City. It was initially rejected but later became a pageant staple after a sponsor liked it, the Press of Atlantic City reports.

Now in its 92nd year, the 2014 Miss America Competition will air Sept. 15. The pageant will return to Atlantic City after eight years. The pageant will cost the city nearly $7.3 million, but investors are confident that money will be returned from visitor spending.

Not to mention, the pageant will give the Sandy-stricken region a morale boost, Casino Reinvestment Development Authority Executive Director John Palmieri said.

“There’s a strong economic case to make, not to mention the psychological benefit that is achieved in having a pageant return to the city where it belongs,” he said.