To wish we had a different national anthem

[katmeouws]

Just listening to The Marseillaise, which I much prefer to "God Save the King". Cant we have something more appropriate to a 21st century democracy.

Are you watching the cycling? I was thoroughly enjoying the French anthem too.
Ours is dirge.

I was watching the cycling, I want team GB to win gold, but I dont want the anthem.

I agree, both about ours and the French one.

I like french one too!

Ours is wrong. It focuses on the current monarch, regardless of their merit or lack of it. It also assumes a belief in the Christian god.

It is only applicable to royalist Christians, is anti Scots, and has an outstandingly dull tune.

We need one which is about the country and its people, with an uplifting tune.

I can play the French one on the chromatic harmonica.

Land of Hope and Glory?

The Italian anthem is a banger tbf.

I really enjoy the Welsh anthem

It is, it’s like a sort of potted opera.

My anthem though, the Welsh one, is just the best. Jelly knees, hairs standing up on back of neck

m.youtube.com/watch?v=AM4mIlYKG9s

The problem is that everybody starts at the wrong time as there is no intro.

Land of hope and glory is good.

The USA one i find a bit boring.

Is it anti Scottish? It's a crap National Anthem but never noticed that before?.

Definitely, ours is boring and completely irrelevant.
It does nothing to inspire feelings of pride.
I like Jerusalem.

Ours is absolutely dreadful.

I think that would be a risk right now. We’d have Adele wailing some depressing shite.
We should choose something with more appropriate lyrics to reflect the current state of the country.
Highway to Hell.
Rape me
Disposable teens
Break stuff
Plenty of choice without resorting to any fabricated or irrelevant lyrics.

Kate Bush’s Oh England My Lionheart would do the trick. Or Tubthumping by Chumbawamba.

@Rosebel there is a verse which isn't sung these days: Lord grant that Marshal Wade, May by thy mighty aid, Victory bring. May he sedition hush, And like a torrent rush, Rebellious Scots to crush, God Save the King.

And apparently the whole song only became popular in England in 1745 when Bonnie Prince Charlie was having a go at the crown, so it was basically a rallying cry against the Scots.

Have you seen Billy Connelly's routine about replacing it with The Archers theme music?

Totally agree! Ours is awful. Flower of Scotland gives me goosebumps and I’m not Scottish 😂

Maybe we should have Send in the Clowns. Or Entrance of the Gladiators. Circus music seems appropriate.

Flower of Scotland is essentially anti-English though, although told from the pov of most of the Highland men being butchered at Culloden so they had a bit of an excuse.

It's not fair to compare our national anthem to the French one ... les Marseillaise is amazing!

The Italian anthem is pretty good too: it goes on for a long time. Just when you think it's over, they come back with a bit more. But it's very enjoyable. The German anthem is pretty good, too.

Jerusalem is safe - uplifting, non-racist overtones, lovely words.

Land of Hope and Glory - talks of British Empire, colonialism, God making us mightier yet - not appropriate today.

Perhaps we could keep it as a Royal anthem, to be used at state occasions. Bit like that one they use in the US when the President is about.

I don't think we ought to use Jerusalem. It might have 'non-racist overtones' but is essentially a Christian hymn using Christian imagery. Not very inclusive is it? I like it but don't think it's quite right.

@Rosebel there was a line in the original version about crushing the rebellious scots but that was scrapped a long time ago.