# What Should Be the American National Anthem **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 8, 2010, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-american-national-anthem/552993 "2010-09-08T00:33:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-american-national-anthem/552993/21 "2010-09-08T11:22:02Z")
“America the Beautiful” is a much better anthem than “Yay look at the flag boom boom explodey.” In fact, in all the years since “Welp that’s our flag explodey boom boom” was named national anthem, we’ve had time to compose a number of halfway reasonable contenders. But **“America the Beautiful”** is the best, I think. And I like “To Anacreon in Heaven” (the tune of the “Star-Spangled Banner”). It’s very distinctive when played instrumentally. But still, “America the Beautiful”–also easier to sing, perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-american-national-anthem/552993/22 "2010-09-08T11:44:43Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > I’m going with “America the Beautiful” because it was written by a lesbian Lovely. I’m going with “Davenport Blues” because it was written by an Iowan. I would adopt “ATB” in a hot minute, but only because it is such a beautiful and powerful piece of work. Identity politics oughtn’t to enter into it. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-american-national-anthem/552993/23 "2010-09-08T12:13:00Z")
> [@Curtis LeMay](#): > > The Internationale (If the lyrics are tweaked a bit to limit class hatred. I think that would be kind of missing the whole point of _The Internationale_–like adopting _Amazing Grace_ but “tweaking the lyrics a bit” to get rid of all that God stuff. _America the Beautiful_ strikes me as kind of glurge-y. Besides, every despotic hellhole on Earth has beautiful _scenery_. I actually like _My Country, 'Tis of Thee_, but I suppose it would [cause confusion at the Olympics](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Save_the_Queen#Use_elsewhere), so I went with _The Star-Spangled Banner_. At least it has some history to it. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-american-national-anthem/552993/24 "2010-09-08T12:34:16Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > But still, “America the Beautiful”–also easier to sing, perhaps? Relative to SSB, yeah, but that’s not hard to accomplish 🙂 I’m imagining singing AtB and I can’t with my limited range – not that I can sing anyway, it’s just the high parts would still strain me almost as much as the SSB would. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-american-national-anthem/552993/25 "2010-09-08T13:00:44Z")
The internationale is kinda a weird choice. Its already the anthem of a particular movement and used to be the anthem of the USSR, seems kinda to try and co-opt it for the US. Agree America the Beautiful is too glurgy. I don’t have any problem with religious references in our Anthem, but Battle hymn of the Republic references God on almost every line, which is kinda over-doing it for an officially secular country. I’d stick with our current anthem. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-american-national-anthem/552993/26 "2010-09-08T13:35:47Z")
‘The Battle of New Orleans’ – I have an English sweetheart, so it’s appropriate, I think. 😃 Johnny Horton’s version [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/50_iRIcxsz0/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AG-AoAC8AGKAgwIABABGHIgSyhAMA8=&rs=AOn4CLA1PveM-AmSxMguX5xYFr2XaFOj8A "Battle of New Orleans, In 1814") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50_iRIcxsz0) ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-american-national-anthem/552993/27 "2010-09-08T13:55:20Z")
I like [Kinky’s anthem](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESNCWrks6vQ). ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-american-national-anthem/552993/28 "2010-09-08T14:02:31Z")
I’ve got no problem with the current office-holder, but if we were swapping it would be America the Beautiful all the way. Yeah, it’s got a little God in it, which is a drawback, but it also has “Confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law”. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-american-national-anthem/552993/29 "2010-09-08T14:14:14Z")
why no love for the Star Spangled Banner? ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-american-national-anthem/552993/30 "2010-09-08T14:39:55Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Oh SHIT I posted before the poll went up! I didn’t know The Internationale would be an option! Awesome choice. I liked your first answer better. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-american-national-anthem/552993/31 "2010-09-08T15:00:51Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > why no love for the Star Spangled Banner? It’s pretty hard to sing is the usual complaint. And it’s not really a great song lyrically. But I like it just fine and see no need to change. If we had to change, I’d go with “This Land is Your Land”. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-american-national-anthem/552993/32 "2010-09-08T15:05:14Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > I wasn’t aware that the “Stars and Stripes Forever” had lyrics, or was that a whoosh? An anthem doesn’t have to have lyrics, but the Stars and Stripes Forever actually does. From the refrain: > [@](#): > > Hurrah for the flag of the free! > May it wave as our standard forever, > The gem of the land and the sea, > The banner of the right. > Let despots remember the day > When our fathers with mighty endeavor > Proclaimed as they marched to the fray > That by their might and by their right > It waves forever. But assuming we’re getting rid of the current anthem, I’d go with either America the Beautiful or God Bless America. ---
**Author:** ![Rhodes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhodes/32/273_2.png) [@Rhodes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhodes)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-american-national-anthem/552993/33 "2010-09-08T15:06:33Z")
I love the Battle Hymn of the Republic, but do we really want a national anthem about paving the way for the coming of the Lord and its accompanying end of the world? America the Beautiful is nice, and I don’t think it is too preachy. “God shed His grace on thee” doesn’t sound any more literal to me than saying that someone is God’s gift to women. And “FSM shed Its grace on thee” just doesn’t seem like an improvement. But really, do we need to change our national anthem? My vote is to let it be. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-american-national-anthem/552993/34 "2010-09-08T15:13:34Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Never heard of the “Liberty Song.” Revolutionary War song set to Heart of Oak. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-american-national-anthem/552993/35 "2010-09-08T15:15:31Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > If we had to change, I’d go with “This Land is Your Land”. The tune to This Land is Your Land is kinda mellow as far as anthems go. Keep in mind the anthem gets played a lot without lyrics. Its a little hard to picture a good orchestral arrangement of This Land. Also some of the later verses are anti-private property, which for better or worse, isn’t exactly in the American spirit. > [@Woody Guthrie](#): > > ``` > There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me; > Sign was painted, it said private property; > But on the back side it didn't say nothing; > This land was made for you and me.[ > > ``` ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-american-national-anthem/552993/36 "2010-09-08T15:23:25Z")
_Friends in Low Places_ ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-american-national-anthem/552993/37 "2010-09-08T15:35:28Z")
Revolution 9 ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-american-national-anthem/552993/38 "2010-09-08T15:46:40Z")
The song I like best is “Battle Hymn.” And I really like “This land is Your Land.” But I picked “America the Beautiful.” It just feels right to me. Joe ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-american-national-anthem/552993/39 "2010-09-08T16:03:25Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Also some of the later verses are anti-private property, which for better or worse, isn’t exactly in the American spirit. Oh, trust me, I know the lyrics. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-american-national-anthem/552993/40 "2010-09-08T16:17:59Z")
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