Help! Give me the QUINTISENTIAL British song!

XTC’s “Towers of London”

There’s always Yakity-Sax by Boots Randolph., also known as the Benny Hill Show Theme.

Nothing says “England” like that! :smiley:

London Calling!

For me, personally, it’s ‘Waterloo Sunset’ by the Kinks…

cheers

He is an Englishman from H.M.S. Pinafore by Gilbert & Sullivan

PS I have known people who think ‘The Monty Python Theme Song’ is Britain personified, but that is, of course, John Philip Sousa’s Liberty Bell…(try lecturing to a bored class on Athenian naval policy whilst the school band, in the building across the way, is practicing ‘Liberty Bell’ over and over and over again…)

cheers!

‘Parklife’ – Excellent

London_Calling – can’t sing :wink:

Waterloo Sunset – also a good choice

One more from me; ‘Mad Dogs and Englishmen’ by Noel Coward.

Teddy Bears’ Picnic?

“I can see for miles”

The Who

?

JuanitaTech, try Easy CD. It’s freeware as well.
Also, if you just need a snippet, can’t you go to Amazon or Buy.com and look up Rule Britannia and save the free bit of song they allow you to listen to? Or at least put the link in PowerPoint so it will play when you need it to? I’ve never tried it, but . . .

Can some explain to me what the whole deal with Jerusalem is? It probably doesn’t help that my entire experience with that song is Monty Python and a short bit on DS9.

cups and cakes by spinal tarp

“Alright” by Supergrass. Kinda like a little brother to Blur’s “Parklife.”

er, well, uh, Emerson Lake and Palmer did a version.
hope that clears things up

If anything, I am now even more confused as I have no idea who Emerson Lake and Palmer are.

Asterion, is this what you had in mind ?
Jerusalem
(aka And Did Those Feet In Ancient Times)
Words by William Blake (1757-1827)

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England’s mountain green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England’s pleasant pastures seen?
And did the countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among those dark satanic mills?

nothing to do with dog kennels or bed mattresses, as you can clearly see.

ELP rocked ! about half the time anyways

<S>

Ray Davies also has ‘London Song’ although obviously that’s only about London…

Before the pod people stole his brain, Paul McCartney has ‘Helen Wheels’…

cheers!

The Dr. Who Theme!

I trust that was useful.

Seriously tho’ go with G&S,
He is an Englishman
as suggested by ArchiveGuy

Not sure about the “whole deal”, but anyway… AFAIK…
William Blake – he of “Tyger Tyger…” fame etc, wrote a short poem Jerusalem, which was set to music by one Charles Parry. The poem appears to refer to folklore that has Christ visiting England during his life (possibly with Joseph of Arimathea – who in some tales is said to had returned to England bearing the Holy Grail after Christ’s death)… hence the lyrics that Skillet38 posted. The second verse goes:

Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!
I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England’s green and pleasant land.

(Websites I checked claim it’s out of copyright).

It became a popular anthem in England and one recent poll I saw had 51% of britons wanting it as the National Anthem, considerably ahead of other options.

I would use Lichtenstein’s national anthem.
Or Abide With Me.

Info on ELP.