Background: For those of you that don’t know, my wife is Canadian. She’s the lovely and talented Ginger of the North. It seems she’s had more of an effect on me than I realized.
Aaaaanyhow, today is the Fourth of July. I watched the Space Shuttle launch, and feeling patriotic, I came down to my computer to listen to patriotic songs. I listened to the National Anthem, and God Bless America. I listened to Lee Greenwood (today is probably the only day of the year where his song is appropriate and not glurge). I listened to America the Beautiful. And then I noticed Oh Canada sitting in my patriotic music folder. What the hell, I thought. It’s 3 days late for their day, but I like Canada, I’ll give it a listen.
And the strangest thing happened.
While listening to Oh Canada, I felt a swelling in my breast. I got a tear in my eye. I felt the exact same sense of patriotic pride I feel when I listen to the Star Spangled Banner.
WTF? I mean, I like Canada a lot (maybe more than I realized :eek: ) but WTF?? Maybe I should go for dual citizenship. :dubious:
I grew up on the border. Whenever a station signed off, we got treated to both anthems. Whenever there was a ceremonial event, we probably got both anthems. And yes, I’m very glad that 300 million of us have 30 million of you guys standing on guard up there in “the true North, strong and free” – and occasionally modeling how liberty and justice can be carried out so that we can learn it.
Ah, you’re just an old softie, Dave. Takes one to know one - I get misted up at the American national anthem, too. If you’re listening to anthems today, take a listen to Marvin Gaye’s version at some basketball thingy - it is one of the most beautiful vocal performances I’ve ever heard, anthem or not.
(I hope that link works for you - I couldn’t get it to play on my mac, but it looked like a valid download.)
Here’s another good song to feel good or patriotic, sort of. In the seventies the world was ganging up on the USA and many Americans weren’t doing well. This came out that year and was a popular song for a bit. The Americans (A Canadians Opinion) by Gordon Sinclair.
For the bicentenial 1976 July 4 Afternoon Delight by The Starland Vocal Band was playing across America. “Sky rockets in flight. Afternoon delight. Afternoon delight.”
Geez, Dave, I didn’t know that Ginger was talented, too. Lucky man.
I’m glad that our anthem got to you – usually it sounds dirge-like to me, and I have a serious case of anthem envy. (Which one do you think I sing in the shower more? Uh-huh.)
I must admit, though – I actually teared up a bit the first time that I saw this. Wow.
I once sang O, Canada in a parking lot in Iowa. Doing so made me feel all patriotic, almost as much as when I heard a friend of mine had convinced some people in Texas that Canada went communist back in the 70s, and the flag was White for snow, and Red for Communism.
I’m near Buffalo and go to Canada a lot. Once upon a time when channels signed off I too remember both anthems being played.
Now that video was cool as hell. I’ve been to a lot of football and hockey games and I’ve never ever seen anything like that. The singer who knew when was when and stopped singing to let the crowd take over was amazing.
The closest I ever saw was in January 1991 just before Gulf I (the pre-war warm up) for the Raiders at Buffalo AFC title game. They had a huge American flag on the field held up by a few dozen people. The Air Force did a fly over at the end of the anthem and the crowd went wild.
Funny how those things work. An American got under my skin. So I married her.
I’m Canadian, born and raised. My wife is American. We live in Canada. But it was me who tore the house apart looking for our American flag to fly on the Fourth of July. And it was she who insisted we fly our Canadian flag on Canada Day.
The anthems? I do remember when the US channels from Buffalo would have O Canada and the Star Spangled Banner as part of their sign-offs, but my wife (from Colorado, so she was obviously nowhere near the border) only ever got the American anthem. But having learned O Canada, she likes it pretty well too–even if it is most often followed by a hockey game.
Not sure who is under whose skin now. But hey–it’s always a good thing to get to know the neighbours, eh?
Thanks, Weirddave!
