# What country has the best national anthem? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 30, 2001, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-best-national-anthem/74195 "2001-07-30T03:57:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Oncle\_Biere\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Oncle\_Biere\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oncle_Biere_1)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2001, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-best-national-anthem/74195/1 "2001-07-30T03:57:04Z")
What country has the best national anthem? I heard the greek one at a soccer match recently, and it has a very catchy melody. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2001, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-best-national-anthem/74195/2 "2001-07-30T04:10:42Z")
I always liked the old Soviet anthem. Or didn’t they bring it back with modified words? ---
**Author:** ![teppei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/58956e/32.png) [@teppei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teppei)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2001, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-best-national-anthem/74195/3 "2001-07-30T05:00:05Z")
I can honestly say that I like the US nat’l anthemn best. It might have something to do with what I do for a living, but I dont’ think so. It really is a beautiful song. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2001, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-best-national-anthem/74195/4 "2001-07-30T05:19:53Z")
I have a theory that it takes a revolution (or at least a couple of good patriotic wars) to get a decent national anthem. I’m rather partial to both the US and French tunes… whereas ours (New Zealand) sounds like a Victorian dirge. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2001, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-best-national-anthem/74195/5 "2001-07-30T06:21:04Z")
I’d have to say “La Marseillaise”. It’s the only one besides “O Canada” that manages to choke me up. Especially in that scene in _Casablanca._ And note to the United States - it might be helpful to have a national anthem that doesn’t exceed a normal person’s vocal register. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2001, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-best-national-anthem/74195/6 "2001-07-30T07:47:58Z")
Anyon who dont lik the AMerican antem can talck to the busness end of my shottgun. Wat are y ou, one of them foriners? ---
**Author:** ![Mekhazzio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b38774/32.png) [@Mekhazzio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mekhazzio)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2001, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-best-national-anthem/74195/7 "2001-07-30T08:52:25Z")
Another vote for the old Soviet anthem. It’s just so rousing it makes you want to join in, with volume. SOYUZ NER…anyway 😃 Now I just need to find out what the words mean. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2001, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-best-national-anthem/74195/8 "2001-07-30T08:59:53Z")
To answer the OP: the best national anthem is that of the Netherlands, of course. 🙂 (Well, it’s a nice one, anyway. It IS the oldest used national anthem in the world, though. That’s pretty cool in its own right.) Other ones I really, really dig are the national anthems of Canada, France (of course, they’ll switch to the German national anthem in a heartbeat if the situation requires it :D), Italy, the old Soviet Union, and admittedly, the United States as well. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2001, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-best-national-anthem/74195/9 "2001-07-30T09:40:12Z")
I love La Marseillaise and the old Soviet anthem. Both are proper rousing national anthems. I also really like the Italian national anthem. It’s ever so slightly silly, which I find very appealing. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2001, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-best-national-anthem/74195/10 "2001-07-30T09:56:12Z")
Hmmmm. Wasn’t the French one the one that talked of Marching On until an impure blood drenches our soil? There’s beauty for you. I prefer the rockets red glare myself. ---
**Author:** ![Spiny\_Norman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Spiny\_Norman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiny_Norman)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2001, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-best-national-anthem/74195/11 "2001-07-30T11:40:49Z")
> [@](#): > > Hmmmm. Wasn’t the French one the one that talked of Marching On until an impure blood drenches our soil? Bunch of sissies. The Danish national anthem praises bashing in Swedish brains: “King Christian stood by tow’ring mast, In mist and smoke. His sword was hammering so fast, Through Gothic helm and brain it passed Then sank each hostile stern and mast In mist and smoke” - small wonder we’ve lost all of our wars. S. Norman ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2001, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-best-national-anthem/74195/12 "2001-07-30T11:50:20Z")
Well, I’m American, and I kinda like our anthem, even if it does remind me way too much of having to stand at attention at the local Air Force Base theater before seeing a movie. I’ll give another vote for the old Soviet anthem and “Oh Canada” (catchy song). ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2001, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-best-national-anthem/74195/13 "2001-07-30T11:55:06Z")
Big on the mist and smoke, those Danes. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2001, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-best-national-anthem/74195/14 "2001-07-30T12:01:45Z")
Ye _Gads_, Spiny! And that’s STILL the official version to this day?? Man, them Vikings sure got _cojones_. 🙂 Compare that Skull Slaying Epos to this (the two most sung verses of the Dutch National anthem, 1 and 6 out of a total of 15 (!) verses): > [@](#): > > William of Nassau, scion > Of a Dutch and ancient line, > I dedicate undying > Faith to this land of mine. > A prince I am, undaunted, > Of Orange, ever free, > To the king of Spain I’ve granted > A lifelong loyalty. > > A shield and my reliance, > O God, Thou ever wert. > I’ll trust unto Thy guidance. > O leave me not ungirt. > That I may stay a pious > Servant of Thine for aye > And drive the plagues that try us > And tyranny away. Now, what’s interesting is the line about the loyalty to the King of Spain. That’s pure sarcasm for you. The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands was _severely_ at war with Spain at the time. Some history: > [@](#): > > The Dutch national anthem was written between 1569 and 1578. Based on older songs, the Wilhelmus takes the form of an acrostic on the name of William of Orange, the leader of the Dutch revolt against Philip II of Spain. The lines were probably composed by a Dutch exile in Germany and polished by the poet and diplomat Philip van Marnix, Seigneur of Sint Aldegonde. > > The first and sixth verses are usually sung on national occasions. In the first verse, Prince William vows that he will remain true to his country unto death; in the sixth, he prays to God for strength to rid the land of tyranny. In periods of oppression especially, these verses have had a powerful appeal for the people of the Netherlands. In all fairness, the song has only been the official national anthem since 1932. Before that, it had a function comparable to _Waltzing Matilda_ in Australia: if you wouldn’t know better, it WAS the national anthem already. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2001, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-best-national-anthem/74195/15 "2001-07-30T12:33:17Z")
Gotta vote for France and Canada, in that order. I, too, am not a big fan of the “Star-Spangled Banner” for its terrible melody (in my opinion, at least.) I always wished that “America, the Beautiful” had been chosen as our national anthem (as it almost was.) ---
**Author:** ![Spiny\_Norman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Spiny\_Norman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiny_Norman)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2001, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-best-national-anthem/74195/16 "2001-07-30T12:37:02Z")
- we have two anthems. The martial “King Christian” is also called the “King’s Anthem” and is primarily used for formal occasions - state visits and the like. But yup, it’s sung just like that. It goes on to praise two other naval heroes and in the final verse, it addresses the sea itself, in effect making whoever sings it ask for an honourable death in naval battle: “And lead me brisk thro’ din and rave, ¦: And fright and vict’ry to my grave :¦ in thee.” Lovely. Just the thing you want the cub scouts singing - or perhaps not. So an additional anthem was made, the somewhat more peaceful song, “Der er et yndigt land”, used for football matches and the like. The tune is completely unsingable for normal people, but the lyrics are as PC as it gets: “A lovely land is ours With beeches green about her Encircled by the sea Her hills and vales are manifold Her name, of old, is Denmark And she is Freya’s home” Somewhat boring, but the images are at least more comfortable 😉 S. Norman ---
**Author:** ![LordDenning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LordDenning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LordDenning)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2001, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-best-national-anthem/74195/17 "2001-07-30T13:45:25Z")
I think it’s really hard to be objective about this question, when your own state’s anthem is drummed into your head every day. I guess this might make you love a song or hate it, but what I seem to see is that it does cause people to feel more affection for a song rather than less (listen here, you Yanks). So, ignoring my own nation’s anthem, I cast my vote for the French anthem and the new Russian anthem (not the “old” one), which happens to be the same as the new(er) Soviet anthem (not the really old one). Following up on Coldfire’s comment re Waltzing Matilda: What were you Convicts thinking??? Which leads me to my brain fart du jour… Why do people choose such boring/hard-to-sing/forgettable songs for their anthems? If it were up to me, the following would be substituted: Commonwealth of Australia: Waltzing Matilda Dominion of Canada: “The Hockey Night in Canada Song” by Dolores Claman (we could hold a contest for lyrics.) Murrica: “This Land is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie (or maybe “The Power and the Glory” by Phil Ochs) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2001, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-best-national-anthem/74195/18 "2001-07-30T14:11:47Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by LordDenning \* > \*\* > Commonwealth of Australia: Waltzing Matilda > Dominion of Canada: “The Hockey Night in Canada Song” by Dolores Claman (we could hold a contest for lyrics._\* There’s no such place as the “Dominion of Canada.” The official name of the country is “Canada.” Nothing else. And the HNIC theme song does not need lyrics. It can simply be sung with the words “Da” and “Bom.” It’s best sung in two groups. Get your altos and sopranos in Group 1, and your tenors and basses in Group 2. GROUP 1: Da da da da da DAAAAAAAA! GROUP 2: Bom-bom-bom-bom! GROUP 1: Da da da da da DA-DAAAAAAA! GROUP 2: Bom-bom-bom-bom! BOTH: Da-da-da-da-da DAAAAAAA Da-Da-Da! DAAAAAAA da-da-da, DAAAAAAAAAAA! That song gets me all teary. Sniff. If HNIC won’t give us the rights to it, I would suggest “Rock and Roll, Part 2” by Gary Glitter, which is now colloquially known simply as the Hockey Song, and which has the advantage of having even fewer words than the HNIC theme song. Rock and Roll, Part 2 has only one word: “Hey.” It’s about four minutes long, though, which is disadvantageous. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2001, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-best-national-anthem/74195/19 "2001-07-30T14:23:01Z")
_Du gamla, du fria, du fj?llh?ga Nord! Din tysta, din gl?djerika sk?na…_ I dig the tune of the Swedish national anthem pretty nicely. Of course it’s not about bashing in Danish brains, either - but as I pointed out to a Norwegian friend of mine, Scandinavia without Sweden would be basically a map of Russia and Germany. 😛 I dig the _Marseillaise_ as well, even tho’ it’s lost a lot of its revolutionary meaning over the years. And for all us Murrkins, you’ve probably seen the Master’s thesis on the origins of the [tune](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_011.html) of our own national anthem. Of course, the tune that gets me choked up every time I hear it - no matter what language it’s sung in - is the _Internationale_. But most of you could probably have guessed that. And just for you, **Mekhazzio** : _The inviolable union of free republics Joined forever by Great Russia: Long the creation of the people’s will - The united, mighty Soviet Union! **Chorus.** Praise thee, our free Fatherland! Faithful bulwark of the friendship of peoples! The Party of Lenin, the people’s strength Leads us to the glory of Communism!_ As a side note, it seems that the words to both the Star-Spangled Banner and the old Soviet National Anthem fit quite nicely to the tune of “The Irish Washer-woman”. Great for parties! ---
**Author:** ![Phouchg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/41988e/32.png) [@Phouchg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phouchg)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2001, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-best-national-anthem/74195/20 "2001-07-30T14:29:04Z")
When that lady sang “Advance Australia Fair” w/the chorus at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics I had tears in my eyes. Really. And I’m not even Australian. Mexico’s “Hymn Nacional” is very catchy. You can hear it all across the radio dial at sunrise here in Southern California, since Mexican radio stations are required to play it at midnight, when they sign on, or after an address by the Presidente. Phouchg [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-best-national-anthem/74195.md?page=2)