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National Anthems

sackett

Barely Tolerated Lampooneer
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We've been kicking national anthems, especially the Star Spangled Banner, around one or two threads lately. Maybe the general topic would be fun to chew.

My gf asked, last night at dinner, "What is a national anthem for?" B'damn if I'd ever wondered before. I had to counter with a bright remark about the weather while I thought.

I think an anthem, national or other, is intended to draw people together in loyalty to a group, first through music and secondarily through poetry.

I'm using "music" and especially "poetry" generously when discussing most national anthems, but wotthell, generosity is seldom out of place, in particular when talking about things that tend to make people touchy.

Maybe we could dilute the touchy factor a little by adopting more national anthems: yes, anthems for different occasions. Why should MY rich n wunnerful n altogether terrif country have just one Official Song? We should have one for ball games and another for hockey, one to greet bigshot visitors, one to open parliament/congress/Thing/Diet (not too solemn; pols are pompous enough already), one for launching barges, one for dedicating memorials to bronze heroes, u.s.w.

Why not a one size fits all anthem? I suggest the tune of "The Irish Washerwomen," and lyrics consisting of the country's name. As in

Canada Canada!
Canada Canada!
Canada Canada!
Canada Canada!
Canada Canada da da!

No, I'm not mocking my sister nation to the north (south where I live). That vowel-rich name is highly singable. So is, e.g., Merica, Stralia, Na Zillan, Uganda, or any 3-syllable country.

My gf suggested an international anthem that all could sing. But she's half Quaker, and thinks in those terms.
 
sackett said:
I think an anthem, national or other, is intended to draw people together in loyalty to a group, first through music and secondarily through poetry.
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But also through drinking, since that's where you'd most often find "The Anacreontic Song" that became "The Star-Spangled Banner." What better promise of unity than Anacreon's?

And plus I'll instruct you, like me, to entwine
The love of Venus with Bacchus's wine.​

I guess that's poetry, so allow me to vehemently agree.
 
You think I'm joking, now dontcha?

deadrose said:
Nice idea, but that would deprive us of the "blood and gore and guts and veins in my teeth" of La Marseillaise!
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Heck, I don't propose trying to eliminate any old songs, especially a bangup rabble-rouser about impure blood watering our furrows. Banning music is European stuff, and just look at how well it works.

But introducing additional anthems, whether old tunes or new, old words or (usually) better ones, would mean competition. Let the band strike up something Sousa or Brahms or Scott Joplin, and we'll see how fast the crowd starts skipping and swaying and singing along.

When the time comes to roar defiance, we'll revert to la Marseillaise and Whose Side Are You On.

After all, What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor is set to the tune of an Irish rebellion song.
 
Finland's national anthem is 'Maamme' (our country) a kind of marching song with the words 'land of birth' and the 'father land' key, together with the beauty of the nature. It has a closely second follow-up anthem, if you like, (rather like 'Jerusalem' being second to 'God Save Our Gracious King') of 'Finlandia' set to a very moving Sibelius tune complete with heart-stirring violin, and it, too, goes on about land of birth, forefathers, northern country.

So those are the ingredients you need: a great tune, either patriotic marching or tears-in-eyes sentimentality (perhaps like Star Spangled Banner), together with references to land of birth, fore fathers and its northerliness if appropriate. Maybe a flag thrown in.
 
It's kind of mystifying how there are nearly 200 countries in the world, and no more than a small handful of them have hit upon a halfway-decent anthem that you'd want examined in light of day. You'd think you'd do better just by chance.

Unofficial anthems are usually better, which suggests that there's a problem with the selection process. Waltzing Matilda > Advance Australia Fair, Katyusha > The State Anthem of the Russian Federation (holy ****), America (**** Yeah) > The Star-Spangled Banner.
 
Alas we have no Sibelius to provide us with a hummable tune quite as nice as "Finlandia." Maybe we could adapt something by Scott Joplin.

I've always thought that, of the common patriotic anthems, at least the ones we need not learn anew, "America the Beautiful" comes closer. Of course since anthems are expected to swell with patriotic pride and convenient myth, we could do without the alabaster cities undimmed by human tears and such, but it's a little less martial and a little more singable, and one can read its call for brotherhood as a hope rather than a backslapping lie.
 
Now, fossicking around in wiki, I've learned that New Zealand and Denmark are the only countries with 2 official anthems. So you see, it can be done.

Also, re the idea of an international anthem, there of course isn't any. Hell, even the poor old UN doesn't have an anthem.

NATO, I'm glad to say, has its "Hymn to NATO," which is officially an anthem. Never heard it. Anybody?
 
Most national anthems are musically out of date and should be replaced by rock anthems. For the U.S. I'd accept "Free Bird," "Born to Run," or "Livin' on a Prayer."
 
sackett said:
... My gf asked, last night at dinner, "What is a national anthem for?" B'damn if I'd ever wondered before. I had to counter with a bright remark about the weather while I thought. ...
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Yeah, how about that storm in the Sierras, 5 feet of snow and winds ~150mph...

mumblethrax said:
It's kind of mystifying how there are nearly 200 countries in the world, and no more than a small handful of them have hit upon a halfway-decent anthem that you'd want examined in light of day. You'd think you'd do better just by chance. ..
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In my world travels I have heard many a national anthem sung in different countries mostly by school kids and I can report as an eye-witness—boring, monotone, every one of them.

Myriad said:
Most national anthems are musically out of date and should be replaced by rock anthems. For the U.S. I'd accept "Free Bird," "Born to Run," or "Livin' on a Prayer."
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I'd love a more modern anthem. I think Born to Run fits the bill. :D
 
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Spektator said:
First person?
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Grammatically it may not qualify as "first person," but the words are (mostly) in the form of a question asked by the speaker of the lyrics, which makes the lyrics sort of first person.

Of course, because it really isn't all that well put together, it starts out seeming to be an eyewitness asking if others see what he does, transitions into a declaration of what happened, and then back to a question implying that the person is not an eyewitness...so your estimation of its first-personality might vary.
 
Skeptic Ginger said:
Yeah, how about that storm in the Sierras, 5 feet of snow and winds ~150mph...

In my world travels I have heard many a national anthem sung in different countries mostly by school kids and I can report as an eye-witness—boring, monotone, every one of them.

I'd love a more modern anthem. I think Born to Run fits the bill. :D
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What, all of them?? Hell I root for a French team or driver to win an F1 race* just to hear La Marseille. Thats a great tune!

I guess the best thing I can say about "the boss" is like 90% of people have the vocal range to sing along :D
 
In Europe, The Americas, Australia and New Zealand, national anthems need to be abolished as nothing says yt nationalism like a bunch of wypipo belting out some ridiculous song celebrating their heritage or the colonies they established on stolen Indigenous land.

As soon as people learn that, systemic racism=western society, the closer we'll be to that fair and equitable world everybody wants. Brittney Griner had it figured out, Austria has it figured out and now the rest of the good progressive world needs to "take a knee" and dispense with this archaic tradition.
 
bruto said:
Grammatically it may not qualify as "first person," but the words are (mostly) in the form of a question asked by the speaker of the lyrics, which makes the lyrics sort of first person.

Of course, because it really isn't all that well put together, it starts out seeming to be an eyewitness asking if others see what he does, transitions into a declaration of what happened, and then back to a question implying that the person is not an eyewitness...so your estimation of its first-personality might vary.
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It handles tense worse than my seven-year old working on her first essays
 
lionking said:
I agree. It’s the best of those anthems I know.

Australia’s is crap.
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They recently changed it, but left in the word "girt".


(N.Z's (especially in English) is a dreadful dirge, so I'm not pointing fingers.)
 
bruto said:
Grammatically it may not qualify as "first person," but the words are (mostly) in the form of a question asked by the speaker of the lyrics, which makes the lyrics sort of first person.

Of course, because it really isn't all that well put together, it starts out seeming to be an eyewitness asking if others see what he does, transitions into a declaration of what happened, and then back to a question implying that the person is not an eyewitness...so your estimation of its first-personality might vary.
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In that case, the French national anthem is first-person also, albeit plural.
 
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