What should be the national anthem of the United States?

[NurseJackie]

Last edited Sun Feb 3, 2019, 11:44 AM - Edit history (1)

The Star Spangled Banner was based off some bawdy British drinking song. The current anthem is difficult to sing, it glorifies war, and other verses are a bit racist.

Although I liked Whitney Houston's version, not many people can sing like Whitney could. Maybe it's time for a change.

Edited to Add: "God Bless America" (Kate Smith)

39 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	Star Spangled Banner -- https://youtu.be/ls1YVhcLD2c?t7
	5 (13%)
	Hail Columbia -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?vhJIW5FTvdWQ
	0 (0%)
	My Country 'Tis of Thee -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?vq0WxjmRz3m4
	1 (3%)
	America the Beautiful --https://www.youtube.com/watch?vyAmydqJmDtY
	19 (49%)
	God Bless America -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?vEq2h-J63moo
	0 (0%)
	Twist and Shout -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?vb-VAxGJdJeQ
	0 (0%)
	MacArthur Park -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?viplpKwxFH2I
	0 (0%)
	Indian Love Call -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?vHBuk1HXcz1k
	1 (3%)
	Never Gonna Give You Up -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?vdQw4w9WgXcQ
	3 (8%)
	Something else
	10 (26%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[brooklynite]

1. People tend to forget that AMERiCA THE BEAUTIFUL references God...

...the STAR SPANGLED BANNER does not.

[treestar]

4. Go with the first verse only

That's all anyone will know.

My County Tis of thee works for that.

Star Spangled Banner Verse

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

[MyOwnPeace]

8. "America" - My Country 'Tis of Thee

shares the tune with many other countries, specifically the United Kingdom (God Save the Queen).
I much prefer "our own" 'America, the Beautiful' - and it is much easier to sing than the Star Spangled Banner.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Save_the_Queen

[treestar]

11. That's a good point

The first verse only has one reference to God

O beautiful for spacious skies
For amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!


Which is pretty simple and not particularly hyper-religious.

[orleans]

33. i always thought this should be the anthem

although i'm not crazy about the god part

[treestar]

35. Yes, like other anthems it

merely praises the country and its beauty, which is an anthem's charter. Like O Canada and Advance Australia Fair - those are good ones. Nothing bellicose, just how much the people love the country.

[McCamy Taylor]

57. Agree. It can not have God in it.

[comradebillyboy]

2. I'll vote for Battle Hymn of the Republic despite it's excessive religiosity.

[Srkdqltr]

3. Wanted to vote for Mcarthur Park but

I thought I should take this seriously.

[treestar]

5. LOL

Or Never Gonna Give You Up

I would say "Born in the USA" but then the naturalized citizens would feel left out.

[crazycatlady]

6. until Trump leaves office-- Highway to Hell

[treestar]

12. +1

[Doreen]

28. Yup

[Bayard]

7. Write something new

That's inclusive for everyone.

[treestar]

37. That's a good idea

Then it could meet all modern expectations.

[MyOwnPeace]

38. O-M-G!!!!!!

How could you EVER get ANY group of people to agree to a brand new one?

There would be fights about the words, the tempo, the style (ex: rap, tarantella, polka, country, classical, folk, jazz, blues, swing, rock, etc, etc!!!!). Man, this could go on and on and on.................

[treestar]

40. Someone would hate it, that's for sure.

It would have 29 verses to accommodate every interest group.

[MyOwnPeace]

43. "It would have 29 verses to accommodate every interest group."

And you'd still catch hell for leaving out someone!!

As our "dear leader" said, "there's good people on both sides!"

[Bayard]

55. Wouldn't have to have 29 verses....

To cover immigrants and Native Americans, the hope of all coming together to form a great country.

[Atticus]

9. "You've Got A Friend", James Taylor. nt

[NurseJackie]

10. "This Land is Your Land" is often suggested...

... but I don't know.

[TexasBushwhacker]

42. This Land is Your Land is my choice n/t

[Clash City Rocker]

54. Mine as well

[LuvNewcastle]

71. My choice too.

[Raine]

76. That used to be my choice but

not so much anymore ... I'm just not feeling it and haven't for a long time

[rampartc]

78. i was going to answer "this land is your land"

Last edited Mon Feb 4, 2019, 06:29 AM - Edit history (1)

it is a catchy tune, aspirational, non-warlike, and woody guthrie plus
the conservatives hate folk music that might imply nonprivatized ownership of OUR commons.

[PJMcK]

79. You're mistaken

Carol King wrote "You've Got A Friend." She released it on her "Tapestry" album. JT covered it as did many other artists.

[Atticus]

82. Count not the day lost. Thanks. nt

[PJMcK]

84. No sweat

And no disrespect intended.

Part of my business is protecting songwriters' rights. I like to make sure they get credit and paid!

Have a good week, Atticus.

[Cirque du So-What]

13. ...

Caution: naughty language and marionette violence.

[rownesheck]

22. That's it!

I love this song (and movie). I'm voting for this one!

[oldlibdem]

56. America, fuck yeah!

How is this not our national anthem?

[JenniferJuniper]

15. This Land is Your Land

As I went walking I saw a sign there
And on the sign it said "No Trespassing."
But on the other side it didn't say nothing,
That side was made for you and me.

[GoCubsGo]

20. Yes.

Even without that verse.

[Fiendish Thingy]

30. Another vote for "This Land Is Your Land" , the most egregious omission from the poll

I prefer this version, in a medley with "I hear them all" (listen to the words closely ):

https://m.

[SeattleVet]

59. ...and another vote for "This Land is Your Land"

This land is your land
But it was my land
Until we sold you
Manhattan Island
From the redwood forests
to the gulfstream waters
This land was stole by you from me.

[johnp3907]

16. American Music.

https://m.

&feature=youtu.be

[shockey80]

17. The End by the Doors.

[Codeine]

18. Why is "Hammer-Smashed Face" never an option?

Cannibal Corpse just don’t get no respect.

[NurseJackie]

19. You know, I was thiiiiis close. But decided against it at the last minute.

Sorry.

[ProudLib72]

60. Holmes, you gotta include the vid so everyone can make an informed decision

[Codeine]

62. Ya gotta admit, a stadium full of drunken

NFL fans all death-grunting “Brutality now becomes my appetite/Violence is now a way of life/The sledge my tool to torture/As it pounds down on your forehead!” in unison would be pretty epic, and perhaps a more accurate reflection of our national character as well.

[BlueTsunami2018]

77. It would have to be the radio Disney version.

Some people just can’t handle real music.

[UniteFightBack]

21. I really like God Bless America but I'm an atheist. nt

[Goodheart]

25. One of the verses of the Star Spangled Banner says "in God is our Trust".

[Sinistrous]

23. Well, after stumpy declares his state of "emergency"

and then decrees he is president for life, I would not be surprised if the red hat brigade chooses the "Horst Wessel Lied" as the new anthem.

[Goodheart]

24. I used to be in the "America the Beautiful" camp, but I have changed my mind.

It's got to be "The Star Spangled Banner".

Our national anthem is not a war song. It's one about proudly defending ourselves and our ideals, and forever enduring despite all dangers.

More and more as I hear "the home of the brave" it's likely to bring tears of pride and gratitude to my eyes, and as Lady Gaga and Whitney Houston have proved it can be performed much more beautifully amd movingly than anyone could "America the Beautiful".

I speak to a lot of people from all over the world online, and interestingly they all say we have a beautiful and stirring anthem.

(I say all this knowing full well about Francis Scott Key's position as a slaveholder.)

[jberryhill]

26. Walk This Way

[democratisphere]

27. Michael Franti & Spearhead - "Hole In The Bucket"

[Joe941]

29. You forgot the best option...

https://m.

[NurseJackie]

31. It certainly is a majestic anthem.

[DBoon]

36. I prefer this one

Something about watering the fields with the blood of aristocrats.

[NurseJackie]

45. Yikes! So much blood! Bloody banners? Slitting throats? Impure blood watering the fields?

[DBoon]

46. Maybe Howard Shultz would get the message then

nt

[lindysalsagal]

32. Pink Floyd's Money

[NurseJackie]

34. It's a hit!

[BigMin28]

65. That was my first thought

A song should reflect our priorities. When it comes right down to it, money comes first, last, and always to alot of people here. Especially those that make the rules/laws.

[zeusdogmom]

39. I kind of like our Star Spangled Banner

If the event is singing it as a group, my 70+ year voice will be proudly added. People complain about how hard it is to sing ... not really. When we are told something is hard to sing, we believe that it is and choke up on it rather than just singing it. Granted there times the starting note is such that your vocal range is challenged a bit in parts of the song - either "too low or too high." Again many times a self inflicted perception. Be brave - go for it. Sing gently or switch octaves and it will work.

Truth - I love playing the anthem with my community band. A big, solid snare drum roll, the first chord and off we go. Gives me goosebumps every single time we play it.

The best though is at our local high school sporting events when the marching or pep band is not present. One of the students is chosen to sing the anthem - a cappella. No fancy stuff - just a clear young voice singing the anthem without vocal theatrics. Tears with those goosebumps.

[NurseJackie]

41. I admire your spirit! But clearly, these people shouldn't have tried.

[zeusdogmom]

47. Oh that was good for a laugh

Clearly not everyone should try to the solo bit. 🤣 Stick to group singing.

And yes I have seen adults make utter fools of themselves - usually trying to imitate some current "hot" singer. Seldom the HS kids though.

[Poiuyt]

67. Nobody did it better than Robert Merrill

He sang it the way it was supposed to be sung.

[zeusdogmom]

70. Yes indeed

[liberaltrucker]

44. "American Idiot"

[LuvNewcastle]

72. Perfect!

Too bad Green Day wasn’t the halftime show today. I’ll bet they would’ve done that song.

[Cyrano]

48. John Lennon's "Imagine"

[NurseJackie]

50. Nice!

[Efilroft Sul]

49. "Holiday," by Green Day

[BN1914]

51. America, the Beautiful - the Ray Charles version!

[roamer65]

64. Yes!

[MyOwnPeace]

66. Oh, yeah!!!

"Sing it, Ray!"

[Lucid Dreamer]

73. America, the Beautiful

I like the song.
Ray's version is the best.

[randr]

52. Dylan-Times are a Changin

Or Springsteen-Born in the USA

[struggle4progress]

53. Some suggestions

[McCamy Taylor]

58. "Look for the union label"

[DFW]

74. Here about 0:40

[ProudLib72]

61. Maybe this one?

I admit to having a "thing" for Kathleen Hanna

[Tommy_Carcetti]

63. I'm a Marylander by birth so...

...I have to vote to keep it as it is.

Ooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

[Volaris]

68. American Idiot by Green Day...seems appropriate given who the current president got his job...

[NurseJackie]

69. Liberty Bell March (I'm sure someone could come up with lyrics!)

[DFW]

75. These days, I think we could use something with a message more like this

[PJMcK]

80. There are two problems with the Star Spangled Banner

First, it's fiendishly difficult to sing with its wide range, (musically, its tessitura) and awkward intervals.

Second, it's the only national anthem that begins with the words, "Uh, oh."

[Sancho]

81. I picked America the Beautiful, but I would like to nominate "This Land is Your Land"

Here's the Peter, Paul, and Mary version:

&start_radio=1&list=RDBGsz0eV-Ckk&t=38

[Vinca]

83. "Help!"

[betsuni]

85. ...

[lunasun]

90. ++ good one & I know this is a cool Motown classic but I thought of the money theme too from 90s

https://m.

Plus, it addresses the absolute worship and it gives a resistant call back

[betsuni]

86. And:

[NurseJackie]

87. Last time I saw this at the Kennedy Center...

... they CHANGED THE WORDS to "America". The line "Life is all right in America... if you're all white in America" was replaced with something else (that I can't recall... but it was changed, that much I do remember.)

[betsuni]

88. And this one.

[NurseJackie]

89. ...