I heard on the radio news this morning the sounds of “The Star Spangled Banner*” coming from the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.
Pretty impressive.
*Yes, I know that’s no longer the official title of “The National Anthem.”
Darn – I thought this thread was going to be about the stun setting on hand-held phasers.
(Nonetheless, it does sound kinda heartwarming that the Brits played our U.S. national anthem in an official or semi-official capacity. Especially after that whole American Revolutionary War thing.)
It was a British tune…
Hawk: So’s the tune to “My Country 'Tis of Thee.”
Yes, but somehow I doubt they had a 19th century drinking song in mind when they played it… then again, I have been hoisting a few each night this week in honor of those who died…
Watching C-SPAN this morning, was also pleasantly surprised to see that both “The Star Spangled Banner” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” were played at St. Paul’s cathedral in London during the memorial service there.
Monty said:
Pardon? When did that happen? What’s the new name?
“National Anthem.” I’ll dig up a cite once the net starts working faster, okay?
Saw a small piece of that a couple of nights ago, underneath the yacking of some of CBS’ “talking heads”. They finally blotted out the picture (and the Star Spangled Banner just before the UltraHigh notes 
) in favor of E. Bradley (60 minutes fame) and yak, yak, yak.
There was a thread not too long ago that asked: “What movies made you cry?”
Even though listening to the Star Spangled Banner underneath the commentators’ yak-yak and watching it being sung in the background of a group of “talking heads”, tears came to my eyes.
Ethilrist wrote:
<nitpick>
18th century
</nitpick>
To Anacreon in Heav’n where he sat in full glee
A few sons of harmony sent a petition
That he their inspirer and patron would be
When this answer arrived from the jolly old Grecian:
“Voice, fiddle, and flute
No longer be mute!
I’ll lend ye my name, and inspire ye to boot.
And beside, I’ll instruct ye, like me, to entwine
The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus’s vine.”
(And lets y’all think that these words are some high-and-mighty marble statue mythological nonsense, I’ll have you know that “to entwine the myrtle of Venus with Bacchus’s vine” is a euphemism for “to get into women’s pants by getting them drunk on wine.”)