Who Has The Best National Anthem? | Golden Skate

Who Has The Best National Anthem?

Sam-Skwantch

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Dec 29, 2013
Anyone care to talk about our favorite national anthems and why we like them.

My all time favorite is the Russian National anthem! I just love everything about the way the music is structured and it just has such an epic sound.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=AOAtz8xWM0w

Anyone have any cool stories about a national anthem like amazing or special experiences hearing it. I'd love to hear some Anthems too that are maybe a bit lesser known so that maybe some of us who don't get to hear them very often.
 
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Funny, I was just thinking about this a few days ago and I stumbled upon an awesome playlist of national anthems on YouTube!

I personally love the Japanese national anthem --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teeOavr7yLg&index=47&list=PLV9du90-nOngPg_V4By29gvrovqAguGuN

It's not very long, not too showy and fanfare-y, but really beautiful and kind of solemn. It doesn't really feel like a national anthem at first listen, to be honest.

And of course, my national anthem, the United States anthem is fine, but it's very difficult to sing :laugh: you need a good range to belt that one out.
 
Funny, I was just thinking about this a few days ago and I stumbled upon an awesome playlist of national anthems on YouTube!

I personally love the Japanese national anthem --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teeOavr7yLg&index=47&list=PLV9du90-nOngPg_V4By29gvrovqAguGuN

It's not very long, not too showy and fanfare-y, but really beautiful and kind of solemn. It doesn't really feel like a national anthem at first listen, to be honest.

And of course, my national anthem, the United States anthem is fine, but it's very difficult to sing :laugh: you need a good range to belt that one out.

I've sung several Anthems in my day and I will say that the US Anthem is by far the most difficult to sing and despite its great lyrics. It is my least favorite from a musical standpoint.

Of the Anthems I've had the pleasure to sing. The winner go's to Russia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BItSoe-FyQ

Followed closely by Oh Canada. This is Sarah Mclachlan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IyxGO4v0yA

You know which song I really love is "God Bless America" especially when Celine sings it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LSarhZpnMs

If I had to pick one singer who made the US Anthem sound spectacular, it would be the late, Whitney Houston: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdcKLuRjIX0
 
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I'm hope I'm not saying anything rude, but I dislike American, Russian and French anthems a lot... It has to do with a fact that I hear these the most and I feel the ''I'm from this country, who is more!'' attitide. Fun fact: I always confuse American and Russian anthems, they are the same to me, I always forget which is which :biggrin:

But to the anthems I like. It's funny I talk about nationalism and I think the Czech anthem is the most beautiful. :laugh: But it's just not the fact that it's my anthem, it is unusaly calm and slow for an anthem, it has sort of lyrical quality. I'm putting the instrumental version (it sounds bad to mewhen it's sung) and only the first minute is sung. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn87PI9K99M

I also like the Slovak anthem, for different reasons, as I really get the feeling of a pround nation, that Slovaks are. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhUHgRDVmq0

At the Euros, I finally heard Icelandic anthem, and it 's Northem cold mood is also interesting. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5CJULotfUg

As for the more known ones, I really like the Japanese anthem for its intersting sound and the Brazilian one. I have to put the Brazilian link of the football match of the World Cup, sorry, but to really feel it, it's better that way! :laugh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV_ZwQ19MoY
I find it quite weird that they start to sing later and even sing after the music finished and it's close to the nationalistic sound I don't like, but I think it's still nice.
 
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I really love Kimigayo (Japanese anthem) Its lyrics are the oldest among the world's national anthems, I always get shivers when I listen to it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29FFHC2D12Q

Dutch National anthem Het Wilhelmus has very special sound, also the oldest known national anthem (overall) in the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwBrR_G70RE

I really love Jana Mana Gana -the national anthem of India so lively and doesn't sound as standard anthem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtMF973tXIY

Ireland national anthem- very special, especially with lyrics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV7lGmgFovM
 
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Canada, Philippines, and Japan

I now have a softspot for India's national anthem. Thanks, Marin! :agree:
 
I have a CD of National Anthems, which I love. My favorites - O, Canada (I always sing along as an "honourary" Canadian), God Save the Queen, Advance, Australia Fair, The Marseillaise, the Spanish National Anthem (such a joyful melody - was SO thrilled to hear it in the Boston Garden when Javi won the World title this year). :hap10:

I get choked up whenever I hear the Star Spangled Banner for our American athletes and Hatikvah (The Hope) for the Israelis (Gal Fridman won the gold medal in wind surfing in Athens in 2004) :love:

I love the melody of the Russian National Anthem, and the Japanese National Anthem is very moving to me.
 
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France, Russia, Italy, GB.

France- it's very inspiring, you believe that you should be able to beat everyone!!

Russia- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BItSoe-FyQ - ★ Russia Anthem 2010 Гимн России (a capella) [BEST VERSION] ★ At Vancouver closing ceremony. Goosebumps!

Italy- happy, funny, inspiring


And I would like to talk about our Hungarian anthem . We call it Himnus (Hymn). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cisX40UmfIY with english subtitle. We are proud of it always, the people, the foreign people often say this is one of the nicest musically. But I don't like it too much because it's one of the saddest in the world. Read the text! We are always crying, we always look back into the past. The Hungarians are nostalgic of the glorious past and lament our losses. We are one of the most depressive, dissatisfied nations of Europe. This anthem is typical. If an athletes hears this anthem remember for this unlucky history and will lose the match before the start. This is a little bit exaggeration but you understand what I wanted to say.

That is a faster, new version at the OG.
 
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I've liked the Russian anthem for a while, but it really became my favourite after hearing the perfromance at the Sochi Opening Ceremony. It really made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up on end.

Germany's anthem was always my favourite, and is now a close second. Although, funnily enough, my favourite recording of it is actually from when it was the Austrian national anthem (probably because that is the original version of the song!)

I have always loved the French anthem as well. I love the traditional arrangement but, for me, this version is the definitive recording.

Another anthem I love is the Italian anthem. Although, I have to admit, I am not too keen on the recording that all the videos on YouTube seem to use! (Too many voices - it makes it sound a mess!)

Also love the Brazillian anthem. Although, again, there's too many voices on the recording used in many of the videos on YouTube.

Love the New Zealand anthem too. And I even got to hear it being played at the motorbike race I was at on Saturday! Here is Hayley Westenra singing it at the 2011 Rugby World Cup Final.

And the Australian anthem! Here is Delta Goodrem singing it at the 2007 Melbourne Cup.

But, I still think it was funny when Chris Vermeulen won a World Superbike race in Laguna Seca back in 2004, and they played "Waltzing Matilda" by mistake...

Also love the Scottish anthem. Here it is being sung during a podium ceremony at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.

"Jerusalem" is used for England at the Commonwealth Games. I love it too! Here it is being sung at the Last Night Of The Proms in 2009.

Funnily enough, I don't like our anthem. "Danny Boy" just isn't national anthem material! But, here it is being played during a podium ceremony at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

For me, National Anthems are supposed to be rousing. But, a lot of them are dreary and depressing. The Northern Ireland anthem I just mentioned falls into that category, and so does the overall UK anthem.

I find it more enjoyable to listen to jaunty little numbers like the Italian and the Brazilian anthems.

Anyway, I think that will do for now.

CaroLiza_fan
 
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I like Polish Anthem. It's called Mazurek Dąbrowskiego (eng. Dąbrowski's Mazurek) :biggrin: The author of lyrics is Józef Wybicki, but melody author is unknown, but as the name suggest, it's a type of Mazurka (Chopin has written some of those). The lyrics are strictly related to Polish history. Apart from it, Marseillaise :love: Both are battle songs :)
 
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Love USA anthem, of course, because it's home...
BUT, Russia is a close second... I can not hear it without seeing Sean Connery in the Hunt for Red October (one of my top 10 favorite films!) It is heard in both the opening and closing credits...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AWPBr4L1eyE

Also, Poland (Mum) & Scotland (Dad) - anthems I love for family reasons.
 
O Canada, but not just any version of O Canada

the legendary Roger Doucet sings in French and English

Folks may complain about "ugly Americans", but this version was played at all Philadelphia Flyers games with Canadian teamsin the 70s , where, I daresay, a small minority of the fans actually spoke French.

On the other hand, due to my Francophilia, to this day I know all words in French, but not in English. O Canada, terre de nos aieux, ton front est ceint, de fleurons glorieux..... (no accents or other marks on this keyboard, sorry)
 
Already mentioned... but outside of the American anthem, which I am obliged to claim as my favorite, I love the Japanese anthem the most.

There is something in the melody that has a quality of longing and deep emotion. If it has words, I don't know what they say, but I love the music.
 
"May there always be sunshine!" :clapper:

I'm sure this song is an anthem.
And it unites children of all the world.

May there always be sunshine!
May there always be blue skies!
May there always be mommy!
May there always be me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx9kd36HBDM in English
Four lines of this song are written by a little boy indeed, and his words are the best words in the song. (the Russian text is better than the translation, of course... but it is not so important)

Children, singing it in English, Russian, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Cantonese
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgHdTch-4YQ&t=0m25s

and adults... just a miracle!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0uMLfBENHM

We all know this song! (at least 4 main lines)
in Russian - chorus (2014)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcdfQsnUHuk
 
I would like to talk about our Hungarian anthem ... the people, the foreign people often say this is one of the nicest musically. But I don't like it too much because it's one of the saddest in the world.

Hungary? :rolleye:
This is a Hungarian Christmas song from the project "Lullabies of the World" by Elizaveta Skvortsova.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXY5_-Oz8lU
And before the song children tell about Hungary. The story is not sad! They say there are many celebrations in Hungary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zV-K_33tto&list=PLVddTrSDOd1-x4nZ2o_3LLo0A_skQRpwg

The lullabies of other countries (Russian animation)
http://happy-yagudin.livejournal.com/4586.html


To me the Hungarian anthem doesn't seem sad. (I mean the text in English)
I guess, adult Russians think about "suffering for all sins" too, when they hear the Russian anthem.

Our anthem is the Soviet anthem (though the text is new, of course).
Some Russians even feel shame, that they live with the Soviet anthem.
Now we sing about God, who guards our land, - we sing about God to the music of the Soviet anthem. (the soviet people were obliged to be atheists) We sing about our freedom... It means our people have been dying and dying.

The Russians are used to be always guilty.
(yes, we know, that there were cases, when we were guilty indeed)
The European crusaders were killing Russian christians...
The Europeans became the most civilized people, but... nothing has changed after that.
Other our borders are not better. Our border is too long, too many neighbours. (so if we had no problem in one place, we had problems in another place)
All adult Russians know, that the Russians were dying and dying...
The Russians respect Europe and learn from Europe. (for many centuries)

We want to learn from everybody, but... it was said long ago, that "Russia has no friends, only 2 friends: the Russian army and the Russian fleet."
These words mean only one thing: nobody will help us.

The Soviet people often had no food, but they were able to talk about "starving children of Africa". This is still something like a joke in Russia: "starving children of Africa". Not a funny joke. Many soviet people really believed they should help everybody (should help the class of workers in all the world). The Russians are mad.

It is possible to know all these things and not to be sad.
Many of soviet people were political prisoners, many were shooted. Many soviet people died during The Second World War. Almost in every family. After fall down of the Soviet Union, bandits were coming to businessmen, were shooting on streets...
Life goes on.
And the Russians are always guilty. :coffee:
 
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I really liked the anthem of Brazil !
(a very bad video, if you didn't see the Opening)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jv49rodQ2s

I was surprised, that the anthem can be so quiet: a man and the guitar...
We have many such songs in Russia. We call them the author song. Or the bard song. Such songs are our good poetry.
Sergei Nikitin (for example).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk_Tlj6AhAU&t=1m35s

I want to thank everybody who likes our Russian Soviet anthem.

Here is our anthem in English (English sound):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE1fxu6WDXA

a flashmob: people are singing on The Red Square in Moscow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReaGwvLtqOw
 
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