The mayor of Wildwood says he won't stop playing Kate Smith's rendition of "God Bless America" in his city.

The song is played every morning at 11 a.m. on the Wildwood boardwalk throughout the summer.

Mayor Ernie Troiano says he understands the controversy, but says the song itself "has nothing to do with anything other than America."

Troiano says the mayor of North Wildwood feels the same way.

Smith is facing racism allegations from a song the late singer recorded over 80 years ago.

The latest news comes after the Philadelphia Flyers removed a statue of Smith outside the team's arena, and the Yankees suspended use of Smith's recording during the seventh-inning stretch.

The tune originated in the 1931 Broadway revue "George White's Scandals," and was considered satire at the time.

Smith's likeness also appears in a 1939 ad that heavily uses the mammy caricature, one of the most well-known racist depictions of black women.