A great Anthem?

millponddave
Posts: 0
Joined: Fri Nov 13, 2009 5:46 pm
Status: Offline

Mon Feb 07, 2011 11:36 pm

I have to agree with Suziko. I think that America The Beautiful is much more moving.

Dave


haoli25
Posts: 0
Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2009 7:06 am
Status: Offline

Mon Feb 07, 2011 11:52 pm

tovo wrote:
...... Anyway, it's a nice tune about a thief who steals a sheep and then commits suicide to avoid arrest. Most Australians love it.




Whats not to love about that? :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Seriously though, Tommy Emmanuel has made me a huge fan of "Waltzing Matilda".


Bill


tovo
Posts: 0
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2009 4:35 pm
Status: Offline

Tue Feb 08, 2011 1:12 am

The Star Spangled Banner gives me shivers. It's interesting in two ways, I'm (obviously) not American, and not all Americans love it.

Again, this is NOT a comment on patriotism, I just personally find the tune moving.

Not sure a lot more can be said! :)


BigBear
Posts: 0
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 11:02 am
Status: Offline

Tue Feb 08, 2011 3:37 am

It's no great secret that I am extremely patriotic. And I think the Star Spangled Banner is an incredibly moving song that seems to fit this country to a tee. Especially in light of the place and time it was written in. The lyrics are called "Defence of Fort Henry" written by Francis Scott Key while he watched the British bombardment of Fort Henry during the War of 1812.

That being said, it is an incredibly difficult song to sing, especially for men as any sport fan who has suffered thru a botched performance can attest. As chris said, the Super Bowl yesterday once again proved this point. If the high and low notes don't get you the lyrics will!

There has been much controversy and discussion about changing our national anthem to America the Beautiful. It's a pretty song but not for a national anthem (IMHO). A good national anthem should make you want to stand up.

And Andy, I served in the Army (Combat Engineers) and I'm sorry you had a bad experience. Serving this country was the greatest honor of my life and I'd do it again tomorrow if they'd take my fat butt !! LOL! I don't think they take old geezers like me. :cheer:


willem
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2009 7:53 am
Status: Offline

Tue Feb 08, 2011 4:48 am

Our national anthem ''WILHELMUS'' can stir me at moments,its the moment that can give me a tear..the last years there are some discusions abaut some lyricks in it ''ben ik van Duitse bloed'' the people say i'm not german and can't have that blood..well i would say leave it that way and write a whole new and moving national anthem..


tovo
Posts: 0
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2009 4:35 pm
Status: Offline

Tue Feb 08, 2011 5:23 am

willem wrote:
Our national anthem ''WILHELMUS'' can stir me at moments,its the moment that can give me a tear..the last years there are some discusions abaut some lyricks in it ''ben ik van Duitse bloed'' the people say i'm not german and can't have that blood..well i would say leave it that way and write a whole new and moving national anthem..
Hey Willem glad you chimed in with an opinion on a different anthem. I think for most anthems, you need to be from that country to feel it's passion. It's for that reason I find the Star Spangled Banner unique. I also think the French anthem is quite stirring.


lueders
Posts: 0
Joined: Sun Jun 13, 2010 2:53 am
Status: Offline

Tue Feb 08, 2011 6:27 am

I agree with Susi & Dave on this... America the beautiful is a much better choice & I think many Americans feel that way. I also think the United States should have gone with Benjamin Franklin's idea for a flag: the big rattlesnake with the letters "don't tread on me." It just looks way more bad-ass! He wanted the emblem of the wild turkey instead of the bald eagle too...I dunno, not as fierce as the bald eagle but they're a lot smarter.

*RANDOM TANGENT ALERT: Another I thing I wish the United States had done is listen to good folks of Holland when they tried to help us re-engineer New Orleans. (A country that knows a thing or two about being below sea-level.) Yep, the Dutch tried to help us save New Orleans and we thought the project was too costly ....and then Katrina, happened like many predicted.


AndyT
Posts: 0
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 2:06 am
Status: Offline

Tue Feb 08, 2011 2:08 pm

Rick,
I'm proud of my time in the military. It made me realize something. I love my country but I fear my government.


tovo
Posts: 0
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2009 4:35 pm
Status: Offline

Tue Feb 08, 2011 2:38 pm

I realize this thread has the potential to really go off the tracks and descend quickly into an argument about patriotism. Not what I intended, although again I realize the title didn't help in that regard.

I start a lot of threads here I know. Sometimes I start dumb ones but it's never my intent to start nasty, argumentative ones. This one has not come to that at all, but it could. Sorry.


Chasplaya
Posts: 0
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2008 8:41 pm
Status: Offline

Wed Feb 09, 2011 1:07 am

tovo wrote:
I realize this thread has the potential to really go off the tracks and descend quickly into an argument about patriotism. Not what I intended, although again I realize the title didn't help in that regard.

I start a lot of threads here I know. Sometimes I start dumb ones but it's never my intent to start nasty, argumentative ones. This one has not come to that at all, but it could. Sorry.
The Scottish National Anthem 'Flower of Scotland' is very anti English if you look into the lyrics you don't need to look very hard either, its a song written by a guy who was a very strong Scottish nationalist but also a very talented instrumentalist. The song does stir up the nationalistic fervour of the Scots, but if you read history they did get a raw deal during the Jacobean wars. However, it should be noted that it wasn't a cut and dry thing there were Scots on both sides and English on both sides, so the song is generally about the monarchy at the time even although it was written in modern times. It was never written as an Anthem though just adopted as such. It was once discussed to change it to be more pc but the writer has since passed away and that thought lost traction.

So Tony I don't believe you can easily separate the patriotism from the musical value of the song

The Scottish Anthem can be played like a camp-fire song straight chords or it can be played like my first video. That's what I like about it. Plus I like to look at it as Scotland striving to be the nation it once was and rising through adversity to be great again and the sending of off the enemy is not about a person or country but the struggles life presents us with nowadays.


Post Reply Previous topicNext topic