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The National Anthem
I have a somewhat minor pet peeve. I say minor because in the grand scheme of things neither I nor society will do anything substantive about it, so my best bet is probably to suck it up and move on. Perhaps after writing about it I can lay it to rest.
It came up recently while I was working out at our Wellness Center. A program on television was playing America The Beautiful, and I remarked to a lady I have known for 40 years that I thought that should be the National Anthem instead of The Star Spangled Banner.
She replied, rather huffily, I thought, “Some people think God Bless America should be the national anthem.” At that point I decided, wisely, I think, to back off before an argument sprang up.
Now I realize that The Star Spangled Banner is a very nice, patriotic song, but an anthem it is not. According to Wikipedia, “An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries.”
The Star Spangled Banner celebrates the flag, which itself is a symbol, not a group or a country. (I suppose one could say it celebrates the country in an indirect way, but that’s a stretch).
Another problem that has bothered me is that, as Wikipedia puts it, “. . . with a range of 19 semitones, it is known for being very difficult to sing.” Almost any musically challenged citizen who has tried to sing it can testify to that; even trained celebrities have offered rather strained renditions at NFL games.
Also, it just doesn’t sound like an anthem. Originally the tune was a popular British song written by John Stafford Smith for the Anacreontic Society, a men's social club in London. Perhaps it’s just me, but an anthem in ¾ time just doesn’t sound celebratory .
God Bless America also does not pass the anthem test. Although written in 1918 by Irving Berlin for a Broadway play, it was not used, and lay dormant until 1938, when Kate Smith asked him for a patriotic song for use in her radio show. Berlin made a few adjustments to the words, and its popularity soared to the point where it’s still popular today.
Again, it’s not an anthem – it’s actually a prayer. It asks God to give America special guidance. But for what? Guide her through the night with a light from above. What does that mean? Who knows? It’s typical tin-pan alley stuff.
America The Beautiful celebrates America in her physical beauty, her history, and her accomplishments. It’s a beautiful melody, and it’s easy to sing. It’s a perfect National Anthem.
As I said, that’s just my opinion. What’s yours?
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My books, “There Are Only Seven Jokes” and “The Spirit Runs Through It” are available in paperback or Kindle at Amazon.

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