To think England has one of the worst National anthems in the world?

[1066vegan]

I was reading the thread about the neighbours who want to follow the much loved/greatly dreaded Thursday clap with a neighbourhood singalong.

The Welsh and Russian national anthems were both mentioned and it got me thinking. I really love the Welsh and French national anthems (I live in 1066 country now but was born in Wales to Welsh parents so when it come to rugby or national anthems I'll always assert my right to call myself Welsh 😊), the Russian anthem is pretty rousing and the South African anthem is also great.

But dear God, the English national anthem is terrible. The words are about sucking up to royalty rather than love for the country. The origin of the lyrics and the usually omitted verse about the Scots make them even worse. The tune is a complete dirge.

Surely not many countries can have a national anthem that's even worse than God Save the Queen.

England doesn't have national anthem.

I knew the minute I saw the comment about the Welsh song there would be a thread bashing the National Anthem.

So, here's a proffered with a jaunty fuck off sung any way you like.

The Portuguese one is pretty cool as well but the Russian one is definitely one of my favourites.

I'm going to be humming that all afternoon now!

Agree that God Save the Queen is one of the worst.

Yeah, I don't like the UK national anthem, it's so dull. I wish England had its own anthem, too, I don't like how we just use the British one, as it makes us look like we're the "default" country in the union. I'd choose I Vow to Thee My Country over Jerusalem. It's much lovelier.

did you see the recent Blake exhibition at the Tate? A lot of his art was as weird as his writing.

Sadly not ... London trips are a military exercise with a spouse in a wheelchair.

But I have a few books of art and poetry. It wasn't just his art and poetry that were "weird". He was . Some ... interesting .. views. All of which were discreetly airbrushed out of the O level Eng. Lit. syllabus ...

We studied Songs of Innocence and Experience for A level - everything was just as airbrushed as it was for your O level.

I'd choose I Vow to Thee My Country over Jerusalem. It's much lovelier.

Different strokes and all that. However personally I'd find it hard to vow anything to any country, just to start a bunfight. Whereas I read Jerusalem as an aspiration to try and build what we think of as heaven here on earth. If you like the allegorical. Which presumably you do, since you're discussing a national anthem to start with.

Also "God save the Queen" is exclusionary to some surely ? No mention of which god ...

GSTQ is awful, so slow and drones on forever.

I agree with PP’s about the Italian national anthem, we need something like that, much more uplifting and full of ummph!

I'm not sure that criticising the national anthem is a "stick to beat the British with"...

If you wanted a stick to beat this country with, we've done far worse than use a shit song as our anthem.

In Wales we are very proud of our national anthem, and it gets sung a lot. Not just when the rugby is on. It’s definitely the best of the U.K. anthems, although Flower of Scotland is very rousing as well.

God Save the Queen is a steaming pile of shit.

It used to be Land of Hope and Glory at the Commonwealths, and I liked that.

Little known fact
The National anthem of Liechtenstein has the same melody as God Save The Queen

Ah ha I knew that from watching an England v Lichtenstein football match and it being played twice!

I adore the Marseillaise and will seize any opportunity to sing it, even though the lyrics are appallingly bloodthirsty and chiefly about watering your farmland with impure foreign blood.

The verse about the Scots gives me the rage.

Probably, needless rage. It was only officially included in the national anthem for about three months 250 years ago. It's temporary inclusion makes more sense if you look at it the context of the Jacobite rising of 1745.

The verse doesn't refer to all Scots, then or now, just the minority, led by Bonnie Prince Charlie, that were rebelling against the government.

I vote for 'I vow to thee my Country'. And I love the 🇮🇹Italian🇮🇹 National Anthem ❤️

@Mysterian I like it

I love the Italian anthem and some of the South American ones. I also love the Czech anthem which is very pretty.

Little known fact* - the Spanish anthem has no words.

• Unless you're Spanish obviously.

So given that words are not a prerequisite for a National Anthem, I too vote for The Archers theme.

And forgive my ignorance but do they sing anything different in NI?

England doesn’t have a national anthem, I knew that life in the UK test would be useful one day!

I think those who are rather waspishly pointing out that England doesn't have a national anthem are being slightly unfair. Anybody would assume it was the English anthem as it is the anthem sung by the England teams before matches, and during ceremonies, etc. I think they are also being very prickly in choosing to see it as some sort of England-bashing excuse when it's pointed out that it is, in fact, one of the most uninspiring, dull and awful anthems of all of them. There is nothing uplifting about the words, tempo or tune. It is desperately dull.

@PicsInRed can't believe nobody is going for your very valid suggestion 😂😂.

Just to clarify: 'Germany Germany over all, over all in the world' is not part of the German national anthem. This first verse was used by the Nazis and was banned at the end of World War II. Only the third verse is sung now: „ Unity and rights and freedom for the German fatherland ...“.

it is the anthem that is played at things like the Commonwealth games, when England win a medal

It is not and has never been. It used to be Land of Hope and Glory, and more recently Jerusalem.

The "Verse About The Scots" was not part of the original words and was never sung at any official function. It is as relevant as the Sex Pistols.

I like GSTQ. Good, simple tune by a good composer. The words are, on the whole, relatively inoffensive. Nobody ever sings the verse about the Scots, it would be utterly ridiculous. I really like Beethoven’s variations on the tune. It also has the virtue of being an easy tune to sing.

Land of Hope and Glory - good tune, horrible jingoistic words
I Vow to Thee My Country - good tune, awful cheesetastic words
Rule Britannia - good tune, horrible jingoistic words
Jerusalem - good tune, poetic but insane words

The above four tunes are also quite hard to sing.

Land of My Fathers - I love it, but then Welsh people sing well, and can do it justice
Flower of Scotland - cheap sentimental claptrap, there are many many many better Scottish songs.

I don’t expect anyone to agree with me

It's better than the bloody US one which no one can sing!

God Save The Queen is awful and I won’t sing it under any circumstances. Would much prefer Jerusalem.