Best National Anthem

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
you should have , its a long way to the top if you wanna rock n roll, as your national anthem.

Yep, yep.
AC/DC would do just fine🙂

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
It's about the music.

Of course anthems praising the mountains of the Motherland are so much more interesting than calls to arms.

To me, yes. I love the Bulgarian one because it's all about the nature and it's explicitly so as former "call to arms" verses were removed.

Originally posted by Palynka
To me, yes. I love the Bulgarian one because it's all about the nature and it's explicitly so as former "call to arms" verses were removed.

It seems to be a song about love for the Motherland, always a good patriotic symbol. Nothing like invoking the Motherland to send out a -- call to arms.

National anthems, football anthems -- they serve the same purpose, they are all calls to arms in a sense (not sure about rave anthems). You might as well have said 'Yawn, another anthem'.

The Catalan song Els Segadors is the only anthem to date to have moved me, quite by chance, with its music (I didn't understand the words when I first heard it or know it was the Catalan anthem). Therefore it is categorically the best.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
what this Sassenach talk, perhaps you would like to visit the field of Bannochburn, it has the largest concentration of Englishmen anywhere is Scotland, and they are all six feet under the ground! For your information, a plaid is the proper attire for lancing Dutchmen through the gentiles with ones claymore! (deliberate pun intended)

Yes, a plaid is proper attire. So why do you slaves of the Sassenach all wear short skirts instead?

Richard

Originally posted by Shallow Blue
Yes, a plaid is proper attire. So why do you slaves of the Sassenach all wear short skirts instead?

Richard

cause chicks dig it! why else?

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
It seems to be a song about love for the Motherland, always a good patriotic symbol. Nothing like invoking the Motherland to send out a -- call to arms.

National anthems, football anthems -- they serve the same purpose, they are all calls to arms in a sense (not sure about rave anthems). You might as well have said 'Yawn, another anthem'.

The Cat ...[text shortened]... I first heard it or know it was the Catalan anthem). Therefore it is categorically the best.

You could invoke many other generally good things to call people to arms. Family, solidarity, democracy, progress, the list goes on. But the fact is that the anthem just praises the nature.

If you don't see the difference between talking about the beauty of the country's mountains and rivers and some crude bellic metaphor about sharpening sickles, I'd say you're choosing not to see.

Originally posted by Palynka
You could invoke many other generally good things to call people to arms. Family, solidarity, democracy, progress, the list goes on. But the fact is that the anthem just praises the nature.

If you don't see the difference between talking about the beauty of the country's mountains and rivers and some crude bellic metaphor about sharpening sickles, I'd say you're choosing not to see.

I don't see a functional difference between one national anthem and another. Sickles are no longer de rigueur accoutrements in Barcelona, are they? Yet the people take obvious pleasure in the old song. It's a good tune.

I also find your interpretation of that Bulgarian paean to the Motherland (precisely the same sentiments can be found in the old South African national anthem, Die Stem) simplistic to a degree that seems self-serving, but you're welcome to it.

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
I don't see a functional difference between one national anthem and another. Sickles are no longer de rigueur accoutrements in Barcelona, are they? Yet the people take obvious pleasure in the old song. It's a good tune.

I also find your interpretation of that Bulgarian paean to the Motherland (precisely the same sentiments can be found in the old So ...[text shortened]... l anthem, Die Stem) simplistic to a degree that seems self-serving, but you're welcome to it.

Simplistic? Right, then explain me why these verses were taken out from the anthem.

Countless fighters died,
for our beloved nation,
mother, give us manly strength
to continue their path.

Edit: And after googling, it seems there's a lot more to Die Stem beyond the natural beauty of the land.

Originally posted by Palynka
Simplistic? Right, then explain me why these verses were taken out from the anthem.

Countless fighters died,
for our beloved nation,
mother, give us manly strength
to continue their path.

Edit: And after googling, it seems there's a lot more to Die Stem beyond the natural beauty of the land.

Simplistic because you seek to present the content as being exclusively concerned with nature, despite the piece being a fairly generic and obvious example of nationalist-romantic Motherland identification negatively sugarcoated with the removal of lyrics whose absence sticks out like a sore thumb, or perhaps a phantom limb. The potential for nationalist-Romantic interpretation persists regardless, given the hoary old Motherland motif in its dusty old late C19 coat, once fashionable from Dublin to Moscow.

As for Die Stem, the verses commonly sung initially invoke the land and close with a commitment to 'live and die for' the land (as many farmers effectively do); it can be read at face value without any political connotations whatsover. The spin put on them depends entirely on the ideology of the spinner.

So you can read the Bulgarian anthem as a paean to nature or discover in it nationalist-Romanticism of such depths as to bring tears to the eyes of BGNS militia, but you can't dogmatically proclaim that it's only about nature.

Similarly, you can read Els Segadors as a bloodthirsty battle cry or an allegory of the struggle for freedom, as you please.

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
Simplistic because you seek to present the content as being exclusively concerned with nature, despite the piece being a fairly generic and obvious example of nationalist-romantic Motherland identification negatively sugarcoated with the removal of lyrics whose absence sticks out like a sore thumb, or perhaps a phantom limb. The potential for nationali ...[text shortened]... dors as a bloodthirsty battle cry or an allegory of the struggle for freedom, as you please.

Well, l already admitted that many positive feelings can be re-interpretable in a negative way. I don't see what your point adds to that. The intent of the "authors" of the current version (or editors) explicitly made it a point to remove the said limb. So that, in itself, shows that the point was to remove the political connotations or things that could be interpreted as calls to arms.

You chose to ignore the spirit of its editors, but you call me simplistic. Whatevah!

Originally posted by Palynka
I quite like the Bulgarian one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7QwMkE-sws

Proud Balkan Mountains,
next to them the Danube sparkles,
the sun shines over Thrace,
and blazes over Pirin.

Refrain: (twice)
Dear Motherland,
you are heaven on earth,
your beauty, your loveliness,
ah, they are boundless.

Agreed - I would be proud to be Bulgarian if I got to sing this anthem (for the tune, I should add, not for the words, which already seem to be provoking some debate). Almost as stirring as Bulgarian folk music.

And... I have to admit, I think the Israeli national anthem is beautiful too. It's the minor key that does it, I think.

The best is really the only one that is unofficial and that's Italy's "Va Pensiero" by Verdi. YouTube&feature=fvst

Next is Germany's, written by Haydn. Music alone. Lyrics sux.

I quite like the Sami (who celebrate their national day today) anthem: YouTube

North under the Great Bear
Sápmi shines,
Ridge upon ridge,
lake stretching into lake.
Rocky cliffs, craggy peaks
point to the sky.
Streams laugh, woods whisper
precipice drops steely point
descends to stormy sea.

Frost bites hard in winter,
blizzards chased by crazy winds.
But we Sami love this
with all our heart.
Moonlight helps a traveler,
soaring borealis adds to joy.
Hoof steps, reindeer voices
in the brush-
over lake and tundra the sled glides
on.

When summer sun shines gold
on wood, on sea, on shore,
fishing boats glisten,
rocking wavy seas.
Sea birds sail a glittering harbor,
on silver streams-
steersmen yoiking.
Oars are shining,
boat poles flashing
from pools to rapids to falls.

Sápmi blood, oh Sami -
survivors of the
killing bands, cheating merchants,
wicked taxmen.
Hail, resilient Sami!
Hail, the root and branch
of peace!
No wars flared
and spilled the blood
of Sápmi's clan.

Our ancestors withstood
cruel aggression in old days.
Family members, again we must
combat oppression!
Children of the Sun!
No one subdues us
if we keep our golden language,
and hold our
elders' words of wisdom:
Sápmi for the Sami.

I gotta go with the French. Their army may not be much, but that anthem is pretty good.