Greatest National Anthem

[Purple Tentacle]

You can think of this as a sat-ire of list threads, or you can take this thread at face-value... let's do the latter, it's more fun.

The Soviet National AnthemMP3 here is the greatest national anthem of all time.

So good they brought it back!  However the new version is shite with loads of caring and sharing lyrics.... give me communist lyrics any day of the week, those guys certainly knew how to rouse the masses to throw themselves at Nazi tanks.


I've also got a soft spot for the French National Anthem, cheery little ditty that it is, the German Nation Anthem always brings to mind an endless black stream marching through the Arc d'Triomph (and Michael Bastard Schumacher), and the American one is massively over-rated.

It's such a shame that we have the worst national anthem in the entire world..... one of the most depressing things about watching the Olympics (or paralympics if you're right-on) is that even the tiniest island in the middle of the Pacific has a better national anthem than a nation that once ruled a third of the globe.

So what's your favourite? Or do you simply want to big up the Ruskies? And would "Jerusalem" be a sufficient replacement for the dross we're currently saddled with?

[Jemble Fred]

I'd say the Welsh one's the best. And 'Land of My Fathers' is a great title, especially when spoken by Idris the Dragon.

[mayer]

i'd have to go with the French. i think the tune is triumphant but not overbearing.

i have to admit that my love for it may be associative. i can't seperate it in my mind from Casablanca, and that scene is often enough to reduce me to tears.

a quick Wikipedia glance throws up some interesting facts...

In 1917, after the collapse of the tsarist regime "La Marseillaise" became the national anthem of Russia, the Russian lyrics (Otrechemsya ot starogo mira) being very different from the French lyrics. It was soon replaced with The Internationale by the Bolsheviks.

and...

The song was part of a famous scene in Casablanca in which French resistance sympathizers used the song to drown out the Nazi soldiers who were singing "Die Wacht am Rhein". These two songs were juxtaposed in exactly the same way five years earlier, in Jean Renoir's 1937 film "La Grande Illusion."

just listened to the Russian one now (thanks by the way). it is rather fantastic.

[Jemble Fred]

I prefer Billy Bragg's version...

[Fuckwittio]

God knows, but I can tell you it definitely ain't the Irish National Anthem. An unendurable pile of shit in whatever language it's sung in. Not a very memorable tune.
We used to have to stand for it at the end of the night down the local disco or you'd get the shit beaten out of you. I never could see why I needed to stand respectfully for such a poor musical arrangement.

Was in Prague recently & can confirm that the Czech anthem sucks.

[fanny splendid]

The Irish national anthem always sounds good at the rugby, as does the beginning of the Scots one, but that tends to wander off as if it was thinking of something else...

My vote would go to the Soviet one, too.

[Jaffa The Cake]

the German Nation Anthem always brings to mind ... Michael Bastard Schumacher

Seconded. As an F1 fan, the only national anthems that come to mind are the Italian and German ones.

[Pinball]

"Advance Australia Fair" is truly awful, bland and dull. When the Aussie's chose it a few years ago, I'd really hoped they would choose the second choice - "Waltzing Matilda". What a tune that is!

Overall, I'd go with the French national anthem no.1, and Soviet Union no.2.

[Gazeuse]

I like the South African one...Sikelele Africa, or something...Very nice.

I know it's controversial, but I really love the British national anthem. When it's sung with welly, it's fantastic.

[mikeyg27]

The Irish national anthem always sounds good at the rugby, as does the beginning of the Scots one, but that tends to wander off as if it was thinking of something else...

The anthem with the best start only for it to wander off is the italian one .

Altogether now...

"FRATELLI D'ITALIA..."

[BetaKarraTene]

I'd have to plump for Radiohead's version...

Anyway, the only real chance I get to hear anthems is on football matches. You get to hear just how lame God Save The Queen is when compared to the Chilean national anthem which lasts for an ice age, but is still entertaining to hear and watch the players busting a gut to sing it.

[butnut]

I've said this before, but I really hate it when, for example, you have a country like Brazil with its own exciting musical culture and language, and yet you hear their national anthem which, from what I remember, is a really dull European style march. They should a be dancing crazy samba dances and the like (yeah I know it's a sterotype, but it still annoys me)

And does anyone remember the really, really bad standard of playing at the 2002 world cup? They really played some of the national anthems badly, bum notes, out of tune and sometimes out of time. I wonder if they're on the internet anywhere?

[fanny splendid]

I'd have to plump for Radiohead's version...

Heh heh, yes! What a fantastic song. I have an avi somewhere of them performing it live on some American? television program. Absolutely brilliant. The best modern band I have never seen live.

[Doctor Stamen]

Holland, Brazil, France, Spain and Germany all have wonderful anthems which piss on our own.  Italy's is the best though, with it's funny little intro, even though I tend to associate it with Ferrari these days and not the Azzurri.



Oooh, MIDIs

[Purple Tentacle]

Hehe, I forgot about "Oh Canada", irretrievably linked to Terrance and Phillip.

[Ambient Sheep]

As an F1 fan, the only national anthems that come to mind are the Italian and German ones.

:-)  Thank goodness I quite like the Italian one, if only due to being continually intrigued as to where the start of the bar is meant to be, because different GPs play it with different emphases ("DAH-dah-DE-dah" or "dah-DAH-de-DAH").

The French anthem is brilliant.  Remember having to sing it in French at age 12, as part of a school historical play (I was the 14th peasant from the left or something).

Brazil's is indeed bland beyond belief, I can't even remember how it goes, despite Barrichello having won a couple of races recently.

"The Internationale" is "The Red Flag" isn't it?  If so, yes, top tune too.

[falafel]

My dad teaches Kurdish/Iraqi refugees back home. He once asked them what the best national anthem in the world was.

"The British one".
"Why?"
"It's short."

[Ghost of Troubled Joe]

As much as I hate to say it, the French anthem is quality.

No way should we have "God Save the Queen" as our national anthem. What a god-awful dirge, tuneless and soulless. My votes go to Land of Hope and Glory, or (my preference) Rule Britannia. Something good, rousing, and uplifting.

[mitzidog]

I'm with Billy Connolly - we should change our National Anthem to the theme from The Archers.

new words required though. Perhaps a competition on Blue Peter, or any suggestions here???

For starters:

We're the brits and we're repressed
And we've lost our empire
One world cup in '66
And another last year......

[Gazeuse]

As much as I hate to say it, the French anthem is quality.

No way should we have "God Save the Queen" as our national anthem. What a god-awful dirge, tuneless and soulless. My votes go to Land of Hope and Glory, or (my preference) Rule Britannia. Something good, rousing, and uplifting.

I really really disagree with this.

It's chief virtue is pointed out in the post three above, but in any case it's a lovely and unusual tune with interesting prasing and a near perfect melody shape.

Of course it sounds tuneless and soulless when it's mumbled in an embarrased fashion, but hear it yelled out at Twickenham it's stunning.

[Jemble Fred]

What about 'Hey Jude', but change the lyrics to 'Britain's Great'?

Nah, nah nah nah, it wouldn't work.

[The Man With Brass Eyes]

The Soviet National Anthem is the greatest national anthem of all time... those guys certainly knew how to rouse the masses.

You said it straight away!  I was going to come in and say the very same thing.

Land of Hope N Glory to replace our dreary current one. (but most people think that is the National Anthem anyway).