Let's get patriotic, or...

[MFS]

Hi
Maybe a weird sidetrack or perhaps something a few more than I are found of
As the sports fan I am, I often get to listen to different national anthems during different events and some are memorable while some falls into oblivion while they are played.
And these are musical creations as much as any other genre, though seldom aired in radio channels and never found in any charts as far as I know (correct me if I'm wrong)

Which anthem do you consider the best?

Out of 196 (maybe fewer depending on which source you use) independent countries in the wold I guess I haven't heard a third and in memory I keep even fewer, perhaps 20-30

But out of all I've listened to I have a couple of favorites and they are
USA - Star spangled banner (That woman deserves being remembered, voice of the century)
Canada - Oh Canada (US gets a bonus turn in this one - Alanis do have a pretty voice as well)
Russsia - http://youtu.be/p2tBg5P2jfk
Sweden - [video=youtube_share;XlHaschCX2s]http://youtu.be/XlHaschCX2s[/video]
UK and former DDR (East Germany before the union) was two favs during my childhood.

[Inna Selez]

Scottish anthem!!!

[video=youtube;7vkYiCdn834]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vkYiCdn834[/video]

[MFS]

Do you like that song as a musical creation, Inna, or is it that particular performance of it? Wouldn't hold it against you if you go with the latter alternative - it's quite majestic when such powerful crowd sings along and Amy is doing a good job on it also...
You don't happen to have a similar clip on the Hungarian Anthem?

Scottish anthem!!!

[video=youtube;7vkYiCdn834]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vkYiCdn834[/video]

[Inna Selez]

I just really like how Amy singing here plus I enchanted a bit with Scotland. And name of the anthem very adorable. Hungarian anthem has good lyrics, but music. Like one my friend from abroad told - it sounds like church song. Here it is

[video=youtube;_N3gfzk-5bw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N3gfzk-5bw[/video]

[MFS]

You get a completely different experience of it listening to it here compared to when played and sung by the audience during all those football games our nations have met. I find it a bit different in style than ours. Sounds more like a classical piece of music but as such I liked it.
But a funeral act, not sure I agree but definitely suitable for ceremonies in general

[bob_32_116]

The Marseillaise has to be one of the most stirring tunes used as a national anthem, albeit with rather bloodthirsty lyrics.

[MFS]

An old viking needs help here. You mean stirring, as in moving or touching or something else?

And what's the story behind Advance Australia Fair, if there is any?

[bob_32_116]

An old viking needs help here. You mean stirring, as in moving or touching or something else?

And what's the story behind Advance Australia Fair, if there is any?

"Stirring" as in emotional, full of energy and enthusiasm.

And I don't know if there is any "story" as such behind our anthem. It's not a war rallying song or a revolutionary song, if that's what you mean. I suppose it was just written by someone as a celebration of things Aussie.

The phrase "girt by sea" comes in for a lot of criticism as being a bit clunky, but personally I love it - it adds a touch of humour, and fits in with the Australian way of poking fun at stiffly formal solemn ceremonial things. The song itself is OK as far as national anthems go; there are better ones, but there are worse ones.

[CRAZY-HORSE]

bob_32, how would you feel if this was our National Anthem because as you know, the idea of it gets bandied around every once in a while:

[video=youtube;ZOlPCmFG2pc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOlPCmFG2pc[/video]

[bob_32_116]

bob_32, how would you feel if this was our National Anthem because as you know, the idea of it gets bandied around every once in a while:

It would do fine - but I think the current one is fine too, and as they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. One problem with that song is that it needs both verses to be complete, and it's the nature of anthems that when they are sung, very often only the first verse gets sung.

As Iva Davies pointed out, just because a song is a good song does not make it a good choice for the anthem. He is quite proud of "Great Southern Land", but he does not think it would work at all well for a national anthem.

At least we got rid of GSTQ, which apart from being the anthem of a foreign country, is a bloody awful song.