# Who decides a song is an anthem? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 20, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-decides-a-song-is-an-anthem/241105 "2004-04-20T21:44:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Boppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@Boppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boppy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-decides-a-song-is-an-anthem/241105/1 "2004-04-20T21:44:39Z")
In today’s paper there’s a piece about Blender Magazine voting the song “We Built This City” as the worst rock anthem ever made. You hear other songs described as anthems too - eg Queen’s “We Will Rock You” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA”, and many others too. But who decides it’s an anthem as opposed to a song? Is this a decision made at time of writing … “Hmm that last one was a good little song, this next one we’re writing will be a rock anthem”? Or do we the populace dub it such when we hear it? ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-decides-a-song-is-an-anthem/241105/2 "2004-04-20T21:56:33Z")
I decide! If you have any requests, let me know. At the moment, I’m considering declaring every song on Hanson’s new album an anthem just to wreak havoc on the world. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-decides-a-song-is-an-anthem/241105/3 "2004-04-20T22:50:00Z")
Whoever’s writing about the song dubs it that. ---
**Author:** ![micco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f8ce5/32.png) [@micco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/micco)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2004, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-decides-a-song-is-an-anthem/241105/4 "2004-04-21T17:21:28Z")
I’ve known a couple of club bands who dropped songs from their playlists when they became anthems. They didn’t pass some objective test for anthemicity, you just know. When the crowd knows the words better than the bass player does, it may be an anthem. When you get 400 requests during a gig and they’re all for the same song, it may be an anthem. When half the crowd congratulates you and then goes to the bar after hearing that song mid-set, it may be an anthem. Obviously these were really popular songs and the bands were flattered they were so well received, but it got to the point that no one was listening to the other material. None of these songs had much in common so you could define something as an anthem when it was written or the first time you heard it. They simply evolved into anthems because they had a hook that everyone remembered. ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2004, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-decides-a-song-is-an-anthem/241105/5 "2004-04-21T19:31:32Z")
Patti Smith And Deep Purple decided for themselves. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2004, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-decides-a-song-is-an-anthem/241105/6 "2004-04-21T20:41:16Z")
Wbster’s defines “anthem” as - a psalm or hymn sung antiphonally or responsively - a sacred vocal composition with words usually from the Scriptures - a song or hymn of praise or gladness so, if it meets any of those definitions, it’s an anthem. Otherwise it’s a psalmon. ---
**Author:** ![Boppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@Boppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boppy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2004, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-decides-a-song-is-an-anthem/241105/7 "2004-04-22T01:40:12Z")
Hmm, so it’s not necessarily a good thing artistically but no doubt it is rewarding financially. Thanks to all for the input. Jo