Could you please tell me what is exactly objectionable about those two songs? Yes its true that the Nazis appropriated those songs for their use but they also did the same for almost all of the rich cultural heritage of Germany. Its not as if I suggested something like the “Horst Wessel Lied”. And I don’t find my fascination “unhealthy” any more than people fascinated by the Japanese samurai.
When I was at UCLA, Bill Conti (of Rocky soundtrack fame) bestowed upon us a brand new UCLA Bruins fight song.
I thought that with a few little tweaks to the lyrics, it would serve as an alternate U.S. National Anthem that PERFECTLY captured the spirit of The Star Spangled Banner:
*We are the U.S.A.
We’ve got more guns than you
We’ve got more missiles, and
We’ve got more bombs, and
Tanks and airplanes too.
Don’t daaaaaaare try to oppose us,
Don’t tellllllllllllllll us what to dooooooo –
If you try,
We’ll say “Bye bye!”
'Cause we’ve got more nuclear warheads too!*
And We Will Rock You in times of war…
I’d replace *SB with “We Won’t Get Fooled Again.”
Ah. That would be the song in which a guy who has never served in the military in any form brags that he would “gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today”? Okay.
For the US, I’d go with “America the Beautiful”, because of one of the later verses:
Oh Beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears
Patriotic songs don’t talk about the future often enough. It’s all very well and good to be proud of the past, but if you don’t have a vision for the future, what’s the point?
For Norway, I really don’t see a reason for swapping out the national anthem, although I would like to teach people to sing it more up tempo. This is not a funeral dirge, folks, it’s actually a rather happy song. And of course we should drop verses, what is it?, three through six or something, which are just historical name-dropping, but no one actually remembers those anyway. But if we should ever have to change it, I’d recommend “Norge i rødt, hvitt, og blått” (Norway in red, white, and blue). Not only does it have a snappy tune in a march tempo, but the lyrics were written specifically as a not-very-subtle eff-you to the Nazis, and you gotta love that. Drop the last verse, written after the war, however. I’m sure it sounded great in 1945, but since then it has become unbearably corny.
Randy Newman’s “Political Science”.
There’s an old Bill Bailey sketch about National Anthems. Bits of it are on you tube.
The suggestion I would take from that is Henry Mancini’s Pink Panther theme. Except I think Everyone should change to it so that we can all saunter out at the Olympics as a united planet for once.
See, Qin, the fact alone that you have to ask that question is telling of your lack of perspective in this case. I don’t think I have to teach you about the two great wars of the 20th century and who the baddies were. The drive to fight these wars for Germany was rooted in extremely exaggerated nationalism and militarism, fueled by songs like the ones you want as our current anthem. We, as a nation, have fortunately overcome this absurd nationalism, and we don’t want to sing those songs any more (the ones that still want to are people like the members of the National Socialist Underground you needlessly pitted some time ago). The majority of our people, including me, is proud of that fact, and getting told by a 15 year old American boy to resurrect those loaded songs is ridiculous.
America is not militaristic or nationalistic? The Fog is greater than I had expected. Ask yousrself what nationalistic cause we put our military into action for over the last 9 years… only disengaged peripherally, yesterday. We wield our nationalism quite effectively into a Land that is thousands of miles away in Eurasia, that has no direct influence on our country except for increasing the Opiate trade… who’s foolin’ who? We are terrified and recouing from the Arab Spring. Our fascist capitals are being capitulated.
God Save The Queen is bad for the simple reason the Queen QEII can’t sing it
Not mine, but for England I recommend the previously mentioned “Jerusalem,” but probably more likely, Oh England, my Lionheart by Kate Bush.
I dislike Australia’s national anthem (boring and hard to sing tune, and truly stupid lyrics), but I can’t immediately think of a replacement.
Was this directed at me? If so, I don’t get it, as I was exclusively talking about Germany. I’m well aware of American nationalism and militarism, but I think that is a different subject for a different thread.
For Ireland I’d go with Dearg Doom or going back to the source Marcshlua Ui Neill. Or maybe Léimígí Thart, better known in English as Jump Around.
I think Jerusalem would make a splendid English anthem but would suggest The Hard Times Of Old England.
For Scotland I’d go with Scotland’s Story or the more famous Letter From America.
For Australia I quite like I Am Australian.
Sun Arise?
Down Under by Men at Work?
It would make the Olympics more entertaining.
I thought it already was the U.S. national anthem. If not, I second the nomination.
On another matter, I like the idea of Flower of Scotland, but the lyrics are mediocre and the melody worse than mediocre. Am I the only one who feels this way, or is this the real reason the idea of Scottish Independence hasn’t taken off?
I don’t like it either. It seems tricky for pipe bands to play as well, which is less than ideal for something that needs singing at internationals.
for the usa i think Billy Connelly : National Anthem - YouTube
No anthem, I say. Just 60 seconds of total silence, John Cage style. That should be enough to unnerve anybody, and it’s a better tune than our current anthem, to boot.