I hate to say it, 1st because it’s fictional & 2nd because of what the state is, BUT
“Oceania, 'Tis For Thee” from the 1985 film of Orwell’s 1984 is absolutely lovely!
That’s going to be hard to beat.
I like how in contrast to the USA or France’s anthems (which are rousing, spirited, and bloodlusty- perfect for a military march), Hatikvah instead sets a slow, determined pace, hinting at a grief-filled past while still keeping its eyes firmly planted on a hopeful future. It emphasizes perseverence over quick glory, and the melody matches that sentiment.
Finlandia sounds really nice-- is there a lyrical version as well?
I’m voting for the African anthem.
I thinks it’s awesomely beautiful. In the film of Paul Simons Graceland concert the entire stadium sings it at the end. Very moving.
Can’t speak to the tune of Hatikvah, but on some level it fails as a “national” anthem. Israel likes to contend it’s a pluralistic democracy, but the lyrics are anything but pluralistic:
As long as deep in the heart,
The soul of a Jew yearns,
And forward to the East
To Zion, an eye looks
Our hope will not be lost,
The hope of two thousand years,
To be a free nation in our land,
The land of Zion and Jerusalem.
How must Arab Israelis – who represent, after all, a fifth of the population – feel about singing that as their “national” anthem?
This is a problem generally with national anthems, I find, which is that sometimes history has moved on and left the anthem out of touch with current reality. The Marseillaise is a great tune, but the words are staggeringly inappropriate for today. “Let the blood of the impure bathe our tracks”? Please.