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What should be the US National Anthem?

What should be the US National Anthem?

  • Total voters
    52
Luna Tick

Luna Tick

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Not everyone likes the Star Spangled Banner. For one thing, it's hard to sing. It starts low and goes way up. It's also a song about war. That's why some people are in favor of us switching to America the Beautiful or some other song. However, for all its faults, the Star Spangled Banner is a catchy tune that stays in your head, and we've always been able to find singers who can handle it. I have mixed feelings. I like the song, but I wouldn't be mad if we switched to America the Beautiful. Vote what you think.
 
Luna Tick said:
Not everyone likes the Star Spangled Banner. For one thing, it's hard to sing. It starts low and goes way up. It's also a song about war. That's why some people are in favor of us switching to America the Beautiful or some other song. However, for all its faults, the Star Spangled Banner is a catchy tune that stays in your head, and we've always been able to find singers who can handle it. I have mixed feelings. I like the song, but I wouldn't be mad if we switched to America the Beautiful. Vote what you think.
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I don't have a really strong preference, but I wouldn't mind changing the National Anthem to America the Beautiful. The Star Spangled Banner is harder to sing and yes, has lead to some embarrassments when it is sung publicly.
 
The star spangled banner is too hard to sing. America the beautiful is alright, but it's not awesome enough. God bless America would cause an enormous ****storm. Therefore, it should either be America **** Yeah! or we should come up with something new. Maybe we could let Ted Nugent write something.
 
This country was built because of events like those described in the Star Spangled Banner. I think it's fitting.

America the Beautiful is fine, but it sounds like a touristy advertisement.
God Bless America has the whole religious aspect to it that would send the secularists into fits.
America **** Yeah is just stupid.

Perhaps if we feel we should get rid of the SSB, then we should have a scholarship contest where the citizens vote on anthem submissions entered by children ages 5-18. Winnings would be put into trust to be used specifically for college education. It would encourage pride in country, get kids thinking about America and what the country means to them, and create a sense of unity among the citizenry...a unity that is sorely missing in today's divide-and-conquer style of politicking.
 
I voted write a new one, to really capture the feel of the nation this one replaced. Something about gross consumerism, lack of principals, and morbid obesity. Should probably include diabetes, too.
 
Luna Tick said:
Not everyone likes the Star Spangled Banner. For one thing, it's hard to sing. It starts low and goes way up. It's also a song about war. That's why some people are in favor of us switching to America the Beautiful or some other song. However, for all its faults, the Star Spangled Banner is a catchy tune that stays in your head, and we've always been able to find singers who can handle it. I have mixed feelings. I like the song, but I wouldn't be mad if we switched to America the Beautiful. Vote what you think.
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I say stick with the Star Spangled Banner.

Hard to sing is not a valid reason for removing it, imo. In fact it is a silly reason.

A song about war…To my understanding, it was written at the dawn of our country’s existence – we would not exist as a country were it not for battles and warfare, specifically the Revolutionary War in this case.
Thus, I do not consider that a negative aspect, but rather a positive aspect of the song.
It reminds us of our history.


Also, I for some reason like singing it to myself while driving home from work on occasion...:2razz: Then again, changing the national anthem wouldn't prevent me from singing the song...heh
 
I like America the Beautiful. It's about actual good things about this land. It's reasons why we want to be here. It's real reasons why the US is a special place. The Star Spangled Banner is just a childish song about killing people. This country isn't about a flag. It's about the land and the people living on it.
 
Lokiate said:
The argument for changing the national anthem is because it's too hard? No wonder this country has failed.
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If we don't sing well enough, we're going to fail as a nation. Got it.

The Mark said:
I say stick with the Star Spangled Banner.

Hard to sing is not a valid reason for removing it, imo. In fact it is a silly reason.

A song about war…To my understanding, it was written at the dawn of our country’s existence – we would not exist as a country were it not for battles and warfare, specifically the Revolutionary War in this case.
Thus, I do not consider that a negative aspect, but rather a positive aspect of the song.
It reminds us of our history.

Also, I for some reason like singing it to myself while driving home from work on occasion...:2razz: Then again, changing the national anthem wouldn't prevent me from singing the song...heh
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Actually, it's not about the American Revolution, but rather the War of 1812, a war which we did not win.
 
The Star Spangled Banner is mostly gobbeldy-gook sung to an old English drinking song.

"America the Beautiful" -- nice melody, not a drinking song, and American to boot.
 
Luna Tick said:
Actually, it's not about the American Revolution, but rather the War of 1812, a war which we did not win.
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Indeed so.
However, that does not invalidate my point about the beginnings of this country – we rebelled and fought a war against those who previous to that point ruled us – which is one reason that I do not consider "it's about war" a valid reason against using the Star Spangled Banner as the national anthem.
 
If its to be America the Beautiful, lets work on assuring that this is true in every aspect.
 
Paschendale said:
I like America the Beautiful. It's about actual good things about this land. It's reasons why we want to be here. It's real reasons why the US is a special place. The Star Spangled Banner is just a childish song about killing people. This country isn't about a flag. It's about the land and the people living on it.
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Actually, the Star Spangled Banner is about the British trying and failing to take over Fort McHenry. Any killed people was just incidental.
 
molten_dragon said:
The star spangled banner is too hard to sing. America the beautiful is alright, but it's not awesome enough. God bless America would cause an enormous ****storm. Therefore, it should either be America **** Yeah! or we should come up with something new. Maybe we could let Ted Nugent write something.
Click to expand...

America the Beautiful also mentions God at the end of the verse asking it to shed His grace on Thee (twice vs. 1, 4), mend thine every flaw (vs. 2), and may God thy Gold refine (vs. 4) which is just a little more than a blessing I think.
 
Another point - so far as I know, both the 2nd and the 3rd options suggested have some mention of God in them - that just won't fly these days, I seriously doubt you could get it switched to one of those.

And the 4th option goes a bit far in the other direction...:2razz:


Actually, if you think about it, the Star Spangled Banner is surprisingly secular, considering that during and after the time it was written many patriotic songs have included some mention of a religious figure.
 
I love The Star Spangled Banner. When sung correctly, it still sends chills down my spine.
 
Luna Tick said:
Not everyone likes the Star Spangled Banner. For one thing, it's hard to sing. It starts low and goes way up. It's also a song about war. That's why some people are in favor of us switching to America the Beautiful or some other song. However, for all its faults, the Star Spangled Banner is a catchy tune that stays in your head, and we've always been able to find singers who can handle it. I have mixed feelings. I like the song, but I wouldn't be mad if we switched to America the Beautiful. Vote what you think.
Click to expand...

The Star Spangled Banner is a damn ugly melody. It sounds like the sort of song that would be bleated out by a bunch of drunken British football hooligans, which of course it was at the time it was co-opted by Francis Scott Key, while detained on a British prison ship by a bunch of drunken British football hooligans.


...on the other hand America the Beautiful, now that is a pretty tune.


...still, I have long fancied Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" as America's national anthem:





...of course, this is also a song bleated out by a bunch of drunken British football hooligans. Nevertheless, it's a damn good song and it seems to capture the true spirit of America in a way that can neither the Star Spangled Banner nor America the Beautiful.
 
Some of you aren't into good Texas music and I understand that, but listen to this one by Kinky Friedman. Damned if the song isn't truer now than the day it was written. This would be my choice. Sold American.

 
tessaesque said:
Perhaps if we feel we should get rid of the SSB, then we should have a scholarship contest where the citizens vote on anthem submissions entered by children ages 5-18. Winnings would be put into trust to be used specifically for college education. It would encourage pride in country, get kids thinking about America and what the country means to them, and create a sense of unity among the citizenry...a unity that is sorely missing in today's divide-and-conquer style of politicking.
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That's not a bad idea Tessa!
 
Given the track we are on, we should have sponsors bringing us the National Anthem and a foreign band should write and perform it to keep in line with the outsourcing trend.
 
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