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Which nation has the best words and music, for your taste?

I'm partial to the Russian anthem. The music is stately and beautiful, and the sentiments in the lyrics are for the most part the same.

Alas I think my own country's anthem is a downright embarrassment: an old British drinking tune that's impossible for most people to sing well, married to lyrics focused on a single, and not necessarily pivotal battle in a war that we kind of helped start, ourselves. Why they didn't pick America the Beautiful is a complete mystery, to me.

Soviet Union/Russia.

Although, I am partial to my own, naturally. It's just not very epic. Although it has a good theme to it and the lyrics make sense and are more grounded than the general "Our country rocks, our country rules, our country's awesome, your country drools" ideal of a lot of national anthems.

Err...well...MUSICALLY speaking, I've always found russias to be depressing. I'm not a big fan of Minor Keys. That said, Spain's National Anthem is awesome to my ears. and the US National anthem is super-cool precisely for the reasons you mentioned before.

Also, I see A&P in our future...yes, it's coming...it's HIPPER! and he's got his finger on the move button...

Kanastrous wrote:Alas I think my own country's anthem is a downright embarrassment: an old British drinking tune that's impossible for most people to sing well, married to lyrics focused on a single, and not necessarily pivotal battle in a war that we kind of helped start, ourselves. Why they didn't pick America the Beautiful is a complete mystery, to me.

You know, my grandfather always says the same thing about our national anthem and America the Beautiful, and I completely agree.

Except the part about it being a British drinking tune. That's insulting to our great country and you should be ashamed of your lack of patriotism. It's a German drinking tune.

The Soviet Anthem for sheer power
The Hatikvah for it's beauty.
The Marsellaise for the coolness factor.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

fgalkin2 wrote:The Marsellaise for the coolness factor.

Not only that, but it made for one of the most memorable and powerful scenes in Casablanca, when Victor Lazlo leads the entire club in a stirring rendition of it which drowned out the Nazis singing their anthem.

Defiance in the face of evil. There's your coolness alright.

Discombobulated wrote:
Except the part about it being a British drinking tune. That's insulting to our great country and you should be ashamed of your lack of patriotism. It's a German drinking tune.

Whoops; so noted.

fgalkin2 wrote:The Marsellaise for the coolness factor.

The duelling Marsellaise-Die Wacht am Rhein scene in Casablanca is the most stirring performance of the song, ever...

Soviet Union

We have a national anthem? The mind boggles

Rule Britannia, on the other hand, is very gung ho and patriotic and doesn't have any verse about smoting the Scots.


*Checks* Ah! Apparently we do have a national anthem. It sung by The Sex Pistols.

I also have to say Soviet Union. But I like most slavic hymns. Polish, Czech and Slovak are great too. And if the song i heard once was Japanese hymn, then i like it also.

Strange how sometimes hymns really reflect some kind of national psyche. It is true at least about those i mentioned, they somehow fit their respective nations.

Soviet union ftw.

Also, everything in minor = ace.

Patrick Degan wrote:Not only that, but it made for one of the most memorable and powerful scenes in Casablanca, when Victor Lazlo leads the entire club in a stirring rendition of it which drowned out the Nazis singing their anthem.

Weren't they singing the "Wacht am Rhein" instead of "Deutschland über alles?"

It's been a long time since I saw that movie, but I thought it was the former.


To the OT: La Marseillaise.

And to all you who just spelled it wrong: Shame on you.

Yeah, in Casablance it's Wacht am Rhein because (this is funny) the producers wanted to use the Horst Wessel, which was basically the Nazi anthem - and it was copyrighted. So rather than risk distribution problems in neutral countries (of course the Allied nations wouldn't have given a damn) they used Wacht am Rhein because it was in the public domain.

That's what I heard, anyway.

To AMP with this music talk!

Soviet Union (don't know the name), and Israel (Hatikva). And I'm with Zuul on minor keys=win.

I've never heard the Israeli one, although I've heard it's good. Soviet Union's anthem was pretty nice, that is what they are singing on the Red October in that movie with Sean Connery, isn't it? "I think I hear singing, sir."

La Marseillaise is...nice.

God Save the Queen is quite good, and of course, I'm favourably disposed to listening to O Canada on repeat once in a while.

The 'Red October Hymn' was written for the film by Basil Pouledoris.

But is sure sounds like the Real Thing.

Oh Basil. Man, that guy wrote some nice music. Klendathu Drop from Starhip Troopers still gives me chills.

The Soviet one isn't bad, but man. God save the Queen! Any song with knave in it is automatic awesome.

NomAnor15 wrote:Soviet Union (don't know the name), and Israel (Hatikva). And I'm with Zuul on minor keys=win.

Thirding that. Israel's national anthem is the only one I know of in a minor key, and it's also my favorite. The Soviet one is also pretty cool.

The Star Spangled Banner's got an okay tune, though none of the verses lend themselves especially to an national anthem. The first isn't a particularly good choice, as it ends on a question; I think the second verse is better because the question is answered by the flag gloriously reflected in the sunlight etc. The third and fourth are more gung-ho, but in all honesty I have misgivings about encouraging the average, somewhat unhinged American to sing an anthem about killing the foe and conquering in the name of God and justice.

Though really, I think there could be a great U.S. national hymn on the tune of Chester, which is a lovely piece of music, is authentically American instead of cribbed from elsewhere, and has the appropriate Revolutionary pedigree. I'd just tweak the lyrics to emphasize the national rather than the hymn.