Unofficial "National" songs that young and old know

Cafe Society
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I was listening to three versions of Arirang on my way home and thought of the topic question. Ask any Korean and the vast majority of them will know the traditional version of Arirang and probably other local versions. The lyrics vary, but they all are some variation of a woman having lost or bemoaning the weakness of her love.

Likewise anyone of Japanese heritage is like to know at least the melody of Sakura, Sakura, even if like me they don’t know the lyrics. There are variations of the musical treatment, but as far as I know, the lyrics never change.

Edit: Thinking about it, I think Arirang and Sakura Sakura are national songs, but not officially like say the Star Spangled Banner

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I’m sure there are plenty both young and old would recognize but not know the lyrics (or maybe even the titles) to. “Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean” and “The Stars and Stripes Forever” come immediately come to mind.

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I also wonder how many Brits can sing anything other than the chorus to “Rule, Britannia!”

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America (aka My Country, 'Tis of Thee) and America the Beautiful come to mind.

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Ditto for “Off We Go, Into the Wild Blue Yonder” (the USAF anthem), “Anchors Aweigh!” (US Navy), “The Marines’ Hymn” (USMC), and “The Caisson Song” (US Army).

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For Scotland, “Scotland the Brave” likely qualifies.

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For Canadians, “The Maple Leaf Forever,” which has been superseded by “O Canada”:

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How about “Men of Harlech,” “British Grenadiers,” “Heart of Oak,” “Life on the Ocean Wave,” and (my favorite) “RAF Quick March”?

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For Israelis, it’s undoubtedly “A Walk to Caesarea (Eli, Eli)”, written in 1942 by poet and WW2 resistance fighter Hannah Szenes, with music by David Zahavi. It’s very short:

My God, my God,
may it never end –
the sand and the sea,
the rustle of the water,
the brilliance of the sky,
the prayer of man.

(Mods - it’s not copyrighted).

It’s been covered hundreds of times. Here’s one version:

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In Australia it would have to be Waltzing Matilda, at one point it was in the running to become our national anthem but lost to Advance Australia Fair

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I think these should qualify as well (the first is also the melody to an Anglican hymn):

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I’d’ve picked this one:

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Damn difficult to sing the verse, though many will recognise it. There’s always “Jerusalem”.

Strictly speaking we have no “official” national anthems or songs - it’s all just custom and practice. But Scotland and Wales have several alternatives used by different organisations for different purposes at different times, either “national” or (especially in Wales) familiar hymns: “Scots Wha Hae”, “Flower of Scotland”, “Cwm Rhondda”, “Calon Lân”. Come to think of it, the English FA Cup Final used to have community singing which always included “Abide With Me”.

And in Cornwall, there’s “The March of the Western Men”, and a fair number of other songs identified with more local or regional areas, such as “Ilkley Moor” or “Blaydon Races”.

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From Scotland to Ireland:

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Here’s a few more for you; the first was played at the London Olympics:

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I think most if not all Filipinos regard “Bayan Ko” as a second national anthem. Here’s Lea Salonga singing it as only Lea Salonga can:

Wikipedia includes lyrics in three different languages:

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Here’s a few more for you;

Billy Connolly’s often said that if we need a new national anthem, it should be the theme tune for The Archers:
https://youtu.be/CKVGFP93bPg

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This is my favorite Russian folk ballad. It’s a thinly disguised love song about a mountain ash who pines* for a tall oak, with whom she can never be together:

Why do you stand swaying, slender ash,
with your head bent down so far?

What an awful fate, to sway alone
for all eternity!

*Pun intended. :slight_smile:

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An inspired choice! :v:

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I wouldn’t call those “National Songs”, but rather “Service Songs”. Also, this one’s actually called The Army Goes Rolling Along .