# How do you like your National Anthem? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 12, 2008, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723 "2008-06-12T19:20:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723/21 "2008-06-13T03:24:08Z")
I sometimes play military music at my unit’s parades (that is to say, I’m standing up on the catwalk with a laptop plugged into the PA system’s mixingboard) and I like good-quality marching-band arrangements of _O Canada_. I’m not especially keen on the lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723/22 "2008-06-13T03:44:25Z")
I don’t like the one that is supposedly “mine” in the slightest. It’s that “God save the queen” one. On the bright side, I never have to hear it, I suppose. The time is past when it used to be played after films in the cinema and all that. And when the telly closed down for the night. I really must go and steal somebody’s else’s one some day. \ ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723/23 "2008-06-13T03:57:13Z")
[QUOTE=Made in Macau] Well, I’m Welsh, so obviously our anthem is amazing. Have you heard it? It’s like Gorecki’s 3rd - it makes people cry. I like it sung by a male voice choir while the players cry/sing, at the correct tempo (away fixtures always play too fast) with no camera shots of pissed crowd members failing to remember the words. The anthem is everything at a sports event - the outcome is decided by the singing of the anthem 99/100 - where Wales are concerned (and having seen Argentina’s anthem at rugby matches - I’d say for them too). I’m sorry if the OP meant USA only - they didn’t specify that. MiM [/QUOTE] You certainly win so far 🙂 (although France and South Africa have rather good ones too). Of course, the Welsh national anthem is particularly touching when sung by John Redwood. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723/24 "2008-06-13T04:05:55Z")
US National Anthem only benefits from having the audience sing along, bonus points if their singing along happens spontaneously rather than being prompted. Instrumental is OK for certain things, but to get the full effect, it has to be sung because 2/3rds of the punch of the song is in the lyrics. My personal favorite is when it is performed at the Ballpark in Arlington, Texas. for the line “By The Rockets’ Red Glare”, they launch red fireworks into the sky above the park. That part of the song makes the hair on my neck stand up every time. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723/25 "2008-06-13T04:11:16Z")
Anyone but Roseanne. It’s on YouTube. Probably safe for work, but not safe for the human ear. I’m not cruel enough to subject anyone to it, so I broke the link. If you listen to it anyway, it’s not my fault! [http://www.youtube.com/](http://www.youtube.com/) watch?v=DrFW2aYHVR8&feature=related My second favorite electric rendition of the Star Spangled Banner after Hendrix is the one by the group Boston. [Here it is.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHH41bLQ4q4) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723/26 "2008-06-13T04:19:04Z")
Sorry about the above post. I did break the Roseanne link, I swear. Then I added the Boston link and ran out of edit time to rebreak the first link. Well, like I said, SFW, but I apologize for the assault on your ears. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723/27 "2008-06-13T05:27:56Z")
[QUOTE=RaguLeader] US National Anthem only benefits from having the audience sing along, bonus points if their singing along happens spontaneously rather than being prompted. Instrumental is OK for certain things, but to get the full effect, it has to be sung because 2/3rds of the punch of the song is in the lyrics. [/QUOTE] My own loose (non-singable) rewrite: "Say, we’re worried - we know it’s pretty early in the morning, but could you tell us if you’ve seen that flag with the stars on it lately? The one that was out there late last evening? They haven’t taken it down, have they? “Quite a sight, watching it through all those explosions going on around it. We know, it’s just a symbol, but it’s a symbol of a lot that’s important to us. It means a lot to us to think that it’s still flying. It means that there’s still hope that this is the land of the free and the home of the brave.” “So tell us: is it still flying?” I agree that the lyrics make that song. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723/28 "2008-06-13T05:43:09Z")
[QUOTE=Civil Guy] My own loose (non-singable) rewrite: "Say, we’re worried - we know it’s pretty early in the morning, but could you tell us if you’ve seen that flag with the stars on it lately? The one that was out there late last evening? They haven’t taken it down, have they? “Quite a sight, watching it through all those explosions going on around it. We know, it’s just a symbol, but it’s a symbol of a lot that’s important to us. It means a lot to us to think that it’s still flying. It means that there’s still hope that this is the land of the free and the home of the brave.” “So tell us: is it still flying?” I agree that the lyrics make that song. [/QUOTE] And then let’s not forget the line: “And then the British were firing rockets and shit everywhere and it was like WHOASHITMISSILESOMGWTFRPG!” 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Them](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@The\_Them](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Them)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723/29 "2008-06-13T05:48:52Z")
> [@](#): > > How do you like your National Anthem? Sung by someone other than me. You wanna hear a song get butchered? Just wait’ll _I_ do it. Actually, “The Star Spangled Banner” is not a song I much like, but it makes so many people happy, and it doesn’t cost anything to be polite. Y’know, it might sound great if it was sung by an opera singer. Just a thought that occurred right now. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723/30 "2008-06-13T05:57:00Z")
[QUOTE=The Them] Sung by someone other than me. You wanna hear a song get butchered? Just wait’ll _I_ do it. Actually, “The Star Spangled Banner” is not a song I much like, but it makes so many people happy, and it doesn’t cost anything to be polite. Y’know, it might sound great if it was sung by an opera singer. Just a thought that occurred right now. [/QUOTE] Well, there is [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k28FWM9OC5Y) version from towards the end of the movie _Southland Tales_. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723/31 "2008-06-13T06:14:41Z")
God Save the Queen hasn’t been the same since they took out that verse about crushing the rebellious Scot 🙂 Though the Sex Pistols version is cool 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723/32 "2008-06-13T17:24:49Z")
Instrumental - preferably by a good marching band. Mike Rowe of the show “Dirty Jobs” sang it at a minor-league ball game (his dirty job was as a groundskeeper), and he was VERY good. Nothing weird, good, strong voice, [and he hit all the notes](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTRJ2MeSG2Q) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723/33 "2008-06-13T17:40:12Z")
[QUOTE=lawoot] Instrumental - preferably by a good marching band. Mike Rowe of the show “Dirty Jobs” sang it at a minor-league ball game (his dirty job was as a groundskeeper), and he was VERY good. Nothing weird, good, strong voice, [and he hit all the notes](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTRJ2MeSG2Q) [/QUOTE] That’s not surprising. One of Rowe’s “real” jobs (as opposed to “dirty”) was singing professionally for the Baltimore Opera. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723/34 "2008-06-13T17:52:46Z")
[QUOTE=cochrane] That’s not surprising. One of Rowe’s “real” jobs (as opposed to “dirty”) was singing professionally for the Baltimore Opera. [/QUOTE] And hocking crap for QVC. Have you ever seen him selling the Cat Bag? I think it’s on YouTube. It’s fantastic. Weirdly enough, my boyfriend just met his brother (or, well, a guy who says he’s his brother). He works at the weird used book store that’s in the semi-castle-shaped-building at the flea market on Highway 1. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723/35 "2008-06-13T18:01:18Z")
I like it simple and traditional. When someone tries to add too much it never seems to work. In fact it can become unpleasant to endure. I really hate to admit this because I’ve never had much use for him and still hold him responsible for that horrible 80s earworm but maybe the nicest job I’ve ever heard done on the Anthem was by, of all people, Billy Ray Cyrus. Yes, that _was_ a very painful admission to make. ---
**Author:** ![Buckler\_of\_Swashing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Buckler\_of\_Swashing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buckler_of_Swashing)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723/36 "2008-06-13T18:29:50Z")
I like instrumental versions of the Australian anthem, but I dislike any sung version even if I like the voice of the singer. I just find the lyrics so incredibly and needlessly extravagant. They make me cringe. Although, bonus point for use of the word ‘girt’. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723/37 "2008-06-13T21:57:33Z")
USA, SSB. Traditional arrangement, sung by everyone. Soloist or group leading okay. Key no higher than B. It’s usually played too high for everyone to sing to, so that or lower is better. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723/38 "2008-06-13T23:58:25Z")
I like the Star Spangled Banner either sung or instrumental, so long as people don’t try to hit every note in their range when they’re on the fermatas (FreeEeEeeeEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEE SHUT UP AND MOVE ON). Though I’d much prefer America the Beautiful to be honest. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2008, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723/39 "2008-06-14T02:58:10Z")
For comedy value, my favorite version of The Star-Spangled Banner was sung by Bleeding Gums Murphy on The Simpsons. “Oh-oh say can you–I’m asking–can you seeeeee?” It took about 28 minutes to sing. (Mercifully, they didn’t show the entire performance.) ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2008, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723/40 "2008-06-14T07:00:31Z")
[QUOTE=lieu] I like it simple and traditional. When someone tries to add too much it never seems to work. In fact it can become unpleasant to endure. I really hate to admit this because I’ve never had much use for him and still hold him responsible for that horrible 80s earworm but maybe the nicest job I’ve ever heard done on the Anthem was by, of all people, Billy Ray Cyrus. Yes, that _was_ a very painful admission to make. [/QUOTE] For me , it was Jewel singing the SSB , that and watching the boston pops on july 4 doing it instrumental. Declan [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-national-anthem/452723.md?page=3)