National Anthem: Will We Change?

In My Humble Opinion
1

In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, you’ve probably noticed that we hear a lot of “God Bless America”, almost as much “America the Beautiful”, and virtually nil “Star Spangled Banner”.

This has engendered a raging debate in my household. My beloved spouse feels it inevitable that Congressional legislation will be enacted, to change our National Anthem. I think that we don’t go around changin’ stuff willy-nilly. We have a bet as to whether a change will be made within 10 years. Easiest money I’ll ever make.

I’m curious as to what dopers think: not so much whether or not GBA is a better song than SSB, but whether we’ll get around to changing.

2

WILL we? Probably not. As you said, it would take a lot (an act of Congress, perhaps?) to change it. Besides, we’d lose the entertainment factor of watching non-singers strain for the notes on “Rocket’s Red Glare”.

SHOULD we? Probably. For the previously mentioned entertainment factor. Also because, while the warlike tone suits during current circumstances, it seems a bit much during peacetime. I’d like to see it changed to America the Beautiful, with the Ray Charles’ version considered the National Version.

3

Which one has amber waves? I like that one.

4

America the Beautiful. They’re of grain.

5

I love the Star Spangled Banner! It’s great drama and can only really be appreciated when sung by a large group. GBA and ATB are nice too, but they don’t tear my eyes up just hearing them.

6

We need a new song. Something without God in it.

Something similar to the French National Anthem. “La Marsellaisse”. I always spell that wrong. “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” instead of “Bombs bursting”.

I would like something like “Waltzing Matilda”, but that’s just my preference. I don’t even think the Australians use that anymore. I heard some horrible, pompous song announced as the Australian National Anthem. I almost puked. “Waltzing Matilda” is perfect.

7

There has long been a push to make “America the Beautiful” the national anthem, on the grounds that it is less martial and far more tuneful than “The Star Spangled Banner”. It had mildly popular support in the 60s and 70s but never seemed to go anywhere.

I’ve never heard of any serious movement to make “God Bless America” the national anthem. There’s a qualitative difference between a passing “God shed his grace on thee” and a mention of God in the song title and as the focus of the primary refrain.

8

[nitpick] “Waltzing Matilda” has never been Australia’s national anthem, although at one time it probably held a sort of ‘national song’ status. I’d say a fair section of our community doesn’t even know the song in its entirety these day, let alone realise it’s about a thief who shot dead three policemen.

Our current national anthem (since 1970-something) is “Advance Australia Fair” which replaced “God Save the Queen”.[/nitpick]

9

Perhaps what we need is a “fight song”, y’know, like high schools and colleges have, seprate from their school songs. Back in the day, I linked pinkies for “R-E-B-E-L-S”, and waved politically incorrect flags for “Dixie,” more recently “The Eyes of Texas” and “Texas Fight” took their place. We already have SSB for the anthem, GBA or ATB could be our offical “fight” song (although I’d advocate The Battle Hymn of the Republic, too…)

10

I say just keep it as it is. That doesn’t mean we can’t have other patriotic songs-like Britain having God Save the Queen AND Rule Britannia.

11

I prefer “America the Beautiful” to “The Star-Spangled Banner.” It’s about us at peace rather than war, the tune and lyrics are beautiful, and most people can hit most of the notes most of the time.

But I don’t know- maybe we shouldn’t mess with tradition.

12

Heh heh. I’m gonna take a wild guess and say you don’t know what the words to La Marseillaise actually are.

The chorus:

To arms citizens
Form you battalions
March, march
Let impure blood
Water our furrows

That’s friendly. :slight_smile: Great song, though.

13

I direct everyone to this thread: Should we change our national anthem? My personal vote is not to change it, of course. I love it how it is. But more than that, consider this gem posted by manhatten:

Who can argue with logic like that? (Details on why it is a bad poem about war written by a lawyer to the tune of a drinking song and stolen from our enemies can be found in the above linked thread.)

-Psi Cop

14

It is not merely a song about war. It is a song about endurance through crisis and hardship.

And the rockets’ red glare,
The bombs busting in air
Gave proof through the night
That our flag was still there

Maybe you can’t dance to it, but those words send a chill down my spine.

15

People saying it’s about war are missing something very important: It’s about the beginning of our country. It’s not about war in general.

I also do not find it difficult to sing at all, and I’m not a vocalist. You just can’t expect to sing it like an opera singer.

I say leave it, and I believe it will remain the anthem for a long time.

16

i always thought that having a “drinking” song as our national anthem was rather appropiate.
consider where most of the founders of our country spent their time.
the pub.
where did the marines charge out of to fight, fight, fight, for liberty?
the pub.
where do you sing drinking songs?
the pub.

see! perfect! also the high notes are easier to hit when you are where?

the pub!

17

Just a moment here, “God Bless America” is an overly sweet, simple-minded ditty produced by a Tin Pan Alley production team (albeit a very skilled one) for the lowbrow vaudeville stage. It is deliberately set to a tune so simple and undemanding that the late Lawrence Welk could sight-read it on the accordion, even in his present deceased state. It is fluff. It is Kate Smith stuff with about as much substance as replays of Ozzie and Harriet. It is right in there with “When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain.”

“America the Beautiful” is a travelogue. Its lyrics are no more than a trip across Nebraska. It says nothing about resolve and principal and courage. It describes pretty scenic. It is a real estate developer’s brochure, not a national song of strength and unity and pride.

“The Star Spangled Banner” is a hymn of stern resistance to unwarranted aggression by a foreign power and of a grim determination to defend and uphold the principals of the republic. A lawyer wrote it, you say. Fine. Lawyers wrote the Constitution (while, I am constrained to say, physicians were sticking leaches on George Washington); a lawyer wrote the Gettysburg Address. So what?

It’s the tune of an English drinking song, you say. I’ve done a fair amount of drinking to the tune of “Rock of Ages.” It hard to sing, you say. No it isn’t, it’s just hard to sing with out effort, but so is the chorus from Beethoven’s 9th, and that doesn’t keep the EU from using it.

It says that this nation will endure the worst that is thrown at it and will continue as the home of a free people. No blather about the Lord God’s protections or purple mountains. It is our Marseilles, our Deutschland Leid, our God Save the King/Queen. Turn 70,000 people lose on this puppy on a fall afternoon and you have a moving experience.

We should, maybe, play “God Bless America” at the reveille formation at one of those old western Army posts, the trumpet dying to the notes of ”…through the night with a light from a bulb,” in the gray dawn as the sunrise cannon booms across the parade? Fifteen thousand young men and women should brace and salute as one while the band tootles on about amber waves of grain?

We might as well make “Jeremiah was a bullfrog, was a good friend of mine” the national anthem as what has been suggested here.

18

I was a proponent of changing it until two weeks ago.

I have the same feeling. Plus when you add:

Oh say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
Over the land of the free and the home of the brave

the meaning of the song is most appropriate as our anthem–no matter what may come, this is and will be a free and courageous country. So for these lines alone I would vote to keep this song as our anthem–the entertainment value is just a bonus ( pretend you are an opera star when you sing it, it helps, take it from a non-opera singer).

But I would try to teach people not to cheer immediately after it ended–a moment of grace and respect, then “Play Ball!”

19

Our nation was born in battle. A few years later, so was our National Anthem.

Keep it.

And if you people won’t, there will always be those of us that will.

20

How exactly is it about the beginning of our country? It was written about a battle that occurred during the War of 1812…not exactly the “birth of our nation”, eh? I suppose most people like to think it’s about the beginning of our country…but it’s a War Song nonetheless.

I’m a big partisan of Woody Guthrie’s This Land is Your Land…but only if we require people to sing (or at least learn)the “forgotten” verses about food shortages and welfare lines…

Hey how 'bout Neil Young’s Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World???