# We're recording the "official" version of the national anthem this weekend **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 19, 2006, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-recording-the-official-version-of-the-national-anthem-this-weekend/357355 "2006-05-19T02:09:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-recording-the-official-version-of-the-national-anthem-this-weekend/357355/1 "2006-05-19T02:09:37Z")
The choir has been asked to record the official version of _Advance Australia Fair_. This weekend we’ll be at Fox Studios laying down the track and making an accompanying DVD. Apparently it will become the standard version to be played at all official government events and will also be made available for distribution to schools, community groups etc. throughout the country. What a hoot! I’ve had to go off and memorise the words to the rarely sung second verse. I’d better make sure that I look appropriately patriotic whenever the camera is pointed in my direction. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-recording-the-official-version-of-the-national-anthem-this-weekend/357355/2 "2006-05-19T03:08:13Z")
But more importantly, is it in English? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-recording-the-official-version-of-the-national-anthem-this-weekend/357355/3 "2006-05-19T03:14:26Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > But more importantly, is it in English? 🙂 No, they threw in a word that is complete gibberish to see if they could fool an entire nation. Seems they did it. “Girt?” ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-recording-the-official-version-of-the-national-anthem-this-weekend/357355/4 "2006-05-19T03:43:04Z")
Ooh, impressive. 🙂 Is it fun looking patriotic? (Sidenote - I had no idea Oz also had a “rarely sung second verse”. Perhaps it’s some kind of rule. I trust it is not as nasty as the missing verse of the British song-thingy.) Best wishes for the big gig. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-recording-the-official-version-of-the-national-anthem-this-weekend/357355/5 "2006-05-19T03:47:11Z")
In the interests of fighting my own ignorance, I jsut Googled it. I note that Australia is " …land abounds in nature’s gifts Of beauty rich and rare …" Is there a bit where it remembers to mention oh, yes, and we have scary spiders and snakes too? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-recording-the-official-version-of-the-national-anthem-this-weekend/357355/6 "2006-05-19T03:48:08Z")
I pass on to you the knowledge that my Australian co-worker passed on to me, which is this: _Advance Australia Fair_ can be sung perfectly to the tune of the _Gilligan’s Island_ theme song. Now go in there and knock their socks off. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-recording-the-official-version-of-the-national-anthem-this-weekend/357355/7 "2006-05-19T04:10:57Z")
> [@Lamar Mundane](#): > > No, they threw in a word that is complete gibberish to see if they could fool an entire nation. Seems they did it. > > “Girt?” Don’t you go attacking our “girt”. We love our “girt”. 🙂 (Otherwise known as the past participle of the verb “to gird”, meaning to encircle.) > [@Sunspace](#): > > I pass on to you the knowledge that my Australian co-worker passed on to me, which is this: Advance Australia Fair can be sung perfectly to the tune of the Gilligan’s Island theme song. Given the less than serious attitude that choristers are taking to this gig, this resemblence may be appropriate. At rehearsal last night our musical director kept yelling out “This is a great honour. We’re supposed to be taking it seriously” as the rest of us spent the night altering lyrics and otherwise behaving like unruly schoolchildren. ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-recording-the-official-version-of-the-national-anthem-this-weekend/357355/8 "2006-05-19T04:11:30Z")
Wow. First I read **Q.E.D**.'s OP on joining Mythbusters and now this. Participation in what will surely become a well know and widely loved anthem. Very impressive indeed. Will we get a chance to order a DVD with signatures of you and the choir? Congrats! ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-recording-the-official-version-of-the-national-anthem-this-weekend/357355/9 "2006-05-19T04:23:38Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > Don’t you go attacking our “girt”. We love our “girt”. 🙂 (Otherwise known as the past participle of the verb “to gird”, meaning to encircle.) _points_ Ahahahaha! Yeah, like we can talk. “_Car ton bras sait porter l’epee_…” _snicker snicker snort from the eight-year-old-minded_ ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-recording-the-official-version-of-the-national-anthem-this-weekend/357355/10 "2006-05-19T04:47:35Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > Yeah, like we can talk. “_Car ton bras sait porter l’epee_…” _snicker snicker snort from the eight-year-old-minded_ Huh, my school never got to that one, I guess because “bras” was such an ordinary word. (If it had had a second verse talking about our ice floes full of seals, they never would have lived it down.) Instead, they just totally sibilated the fuck out of the “s” in “glorious_ **ssssss** _ and free,” like _assholes._ ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-recording-the-official-version-of-the-national-anthem-this-weekend/357355/11 "2006-05-20T07:15:00Z")
All done. It took just over two hours and was fairly painless. The orchestral arrangement was suitably grand and bombastic. We can all return to “non-patriotic” mode now. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-recording-the-official-version-of-the-national-anthem-this-weekend/357355/12 "2006-05-20T13:43:13Z")
Does this mean that Julie Anthony can now be safely disposed of? ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-recording-the-official-version-of-the-national-anthem-this-weekend/357355/13 "2006-05-20T16:03:45Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > All done. It took just over two hours and was fairly painless. The orchestral arrangement was suitably grand and bombastic. We can all return to “non-patriotic” mode now. Huh, I think they should have given you all medals or tea with the queen or the prime minster. Or free beer at least. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-recording-the-official-version-of-the-national-anthem-this-weekend/357355/14 "2006-05-20T16:39:07Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > Huh, my school never got to that one, I guess because “bras” was such an ordinary word. (If it had had a second verse talking about our ice floes full of seals, they never would have lived it down.) Well, I’m assuming most second (or third, or first, etc.) graders in your school actually knew “bras” means “arm”. Our school got the lyric sheets with the words printed to sing along, and, you know, bras. :rolleyes: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2006, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-recording-the-official-version-of-the-national-anthem-this-weekend/357355/15 "2006-05-21T07:08:30Z")
> [@hawthorne](#): > > Does this mean that Julie Anthony can now be safely disposed of? Presumably. 🙂 > [@Celyn](#): > > Huh, I think they should have given you all medals or tea with the queen or the prime minster. Or free beer at least. Unfortunately the recording studio only ran to free tea and coffee. But a large number of choristers went home via the pub next door, so the deficiency was well and truly remedied. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2006, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-recording-the-official-version-of-the-national-anthem-this-weekend/357355/16 "2006-05-21T07:23:02Z")
What, you didn’t sing it to the tune of _Working Class Man_? ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2006, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-recording-the-official-version-of-the-national-anthem-this-weekend/357355/17 "2006-05-21T08:24:39Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > What, you didn’t sing it to the tune of _Working Class Man_? Curse you! I only came in here to post that. 😃 It’s gotta be done in the Barnsey accent too, with the bits in italics coming out through the nose: “Australians _ahhll_ let arse _rejoi-oi-eeeeeaahhhh_ _Fwee_ are yungun _freee-eeee–yahhhhhhhhhhh_” You lose points if you can understand the words.