What is the best national anthem?

**Spartiate** · 12-27-2007 07:36 AM

Say what you want about the Soviet Union, but have any of you ever heard its national anthem?

That song seriously kicks ass.

**Mes Tarrant** · 12-27-2007 07:38 AM

Ha!

We should have a national anthem face-off competition thingie.

**Spartiate** · 12-27-2007 07:43 AM

Originally Posted by Mes Tarrant

Ha!

We should have a national anthem face-off competition thingie.

Heh, I knew you'd be the first here

...

I don't think any others stand a chance. They should play this in our schools and sporting events, because, even if it's not my anthem, it makes me feel a hell of a lot more patriotic.

27 · 12-27-2007 07:47 AM

I like 'Oh Canada'

The 'Star Spangled Banner' is lame. It's about one stupid battle. Why is it our national anthem?

**Mes Tarrant** · 12-27-2007 07:49 AM

Originally Posted by 27

The 'Star Spangled Banner' is lame. It's about one stupid battle. Why is it our national anthem?

I don't know.

**Universal Mind** · 12-27-2007 07:55 AM

Our national anthem sucks. We should change it to "Freebird".

EDIT: I just listened to the Soviet national anthem, or at least the few seconds of it I found it within myself to tolerate. It sounds about like the worst music in the history of humanity-- a room full of white protestants singing. As far as I have been able to tell, national anthems in general are pathetic.

**Xox** · 12-27-2007 08:56 AM

Uhh I don't see why you love the Soviet Union's anthem SO much. It's not even all that..

Anyway, I've heard better.

**Mes Tarrant** · 12-27-2007 08:59 AM

How dare someone not like my anthem.

That reminds me, the Ukranian national anthem is really powerful too!

Xox, post some then...

**FreeOne** · 12-27-2007 09:42 AM

soviet's national anthem is way better than americas

i hate our anthem.

**Xox** · 12-27-2007 09:47 AM

Originally Posted by freefire

soviet's national anthem is way better than americas

i hate our anthem.

Yes, I agree with that.

**Siиdяed** · 12-27-2007 05:02 PM

Gooooooooooooooood Save The Queeeeeeeeen

**Half/Dreaming** · 12-27-2007 05:08 PM

Originally Posted by freefire

soviet's national anthem is way better than americas

i hate our anthem.

terrorist

I have to say, the Soviet National Anthem eerilly reminded me of a Catholic Mass.

**Kushna Mufeed** · 12-27-2007 05:09 PM

National anthems suck ass. So do nationalists.

**CryoDragoon** · 12-27-2007 06:50 PM

Here's a cultural lesson for you guys:

The Dutch anthem, 'Het Wilhelmus' ('the william') is the oldest national anthem ever, as it's written in 1574 (which makes it 434 years old).

Now once upon a time in the Netherlands... There was this man called "Willem van Oranje" (William of Orange, William the Silent), who at first followed the rule of the spanish conqueror "Filips II". This king was ruthless, especially when it came to religion: there could be only one... Not protestants AND catholics, as it were at the time, only the catholics were to be allowed as a religion. The rest were heretics. Our Willem, however, didn't quite agree with that, and later, when the king sent, from spain, another spanish ruler: the duke of Alva/Alba, a most merciless and ruthful man, to put things right again (the protestants had... 'protested' against the catholics in what we call the 'Beeldenstorm' (the 'iconoclasm'). At this point Willem went into full protest... with an army that is...

This song's lyrics contain the dilemma Willem went through: Should I remain loyal to the Spanish King (as he WAS, in fact, his councilor), or should I fight for the people of the Netherlands?

He chose for the latter, which, in the end, ended in the eighty years' war, and ultimately in the freedom of the dutch people.

Also: when this song was written by a friend of Willem, rumour goes they went to visit the german noblemen and the royal houses, where they'd sing the anthem in order to gain allies in the battle against the spanish conquerors...

Now the entire song is 15 stanza's long, I believe, and takes about 15 minutes to perform...

Luckily for you guys, I've found the 'usual' version: only 2 stanza's are sung...

Now I, personally like the song pretty much...
Though you won't see me crying when they play it (mind you!), you've gotta admit:
It does have a quite catchy melody, no?

It may take a while to load, so bear with it... Just click on the 'play' icon after a while if it doesn't automatically start....

The instrumental version...
http://www.national-anthems.net/windowsmedia/NL

And the vocal one...
http://www.national-anthems.net/windowsmedia/vocal/NL

But I must say... That USSR anthem's pretty cool too ^^

Ah, and the anthem of the EU also, ofcourse :p

**Spartiate** · 12-27-2007 11:07 PM

Originally Posted by Universal Mind

EDIT: I just listened to the Soviet national anthem, or at least the few seconds of it I found it within myself to tolerate. It sounds about like the worst music in the history of humanity-- a room full of white protestants singing. As far as I have been able to tell, national anthems in general are pathetic.

I'm sorry to inform you that no national anthem will ever have electric guitar in it

.

Originally Posted by Xox

Uhh I don't see why you love the Soviet Union's anthem SO much. It's not even all that..

Anyway, I've heard better.

Like...

Seriously, best anthem.

Ever.

**Alban** · 12-27-2007 11:26 PM

As a fan of anything that comes bursting forth from the Russian soul I had to go for the Soviet Union's.

My mum used to have this old record of the Red Army choir when I was a kid and I was obsessed with it...
yes I was odd.

As for the others of countries I've lived in, the old South African anthem sounded like it had been written by Dutch Farmers from the 18th century,

God Save The Queen always sounds like it's being sung by an army of the undead trying to be nationalistic about Undead Kingdom,

and the Thailand national anthem...

at least it makes me chuckle.

**Siиdяed** · 12-27-2007 11:55 PM

Originally Posted by Alban

God Save The Queen always sounds like it's being sung by an army of the undead trying to be nationalistic about Undead Kingdom,

Welcome to Britain.

**Universal Mind** · 12-27-2007 11:56 PM

Originally Posted by Spartiate

I'm sorry to inform you that no national anthem will ever have electric guitar in it

.

I don't care what they use, as long as they stop sounding like pathetic church hymnals.

**Mes Tarrant** · 12-28-2007 12:02 AM

The EU has an anthem??

Seriously? Where have I been...

Here's a version of the Ukrainian one: http://youtube.com/watch?v=55I7Vwlr3SM

**Siиdяed** · 12-28-2007 12:03 AM

Urgh. The EU anthem...it...just...urgh.

**Spartiate** · 12-28-2007 12:28 AM

Originally Posted by Universal Mind

I don't care what they use, as long as they stop sounding like pathetic church hymnals.

I actually prefer choirs to individual singers, since I have never heard an anthem sung in solo that I liked.

Originally Posted by Mes Tarrant

The EU has an anthem??

Seriously? Where have I been...

Here's a version of the Ukrainian one: http://youtube.com/watch?v=55I7Vwlr3SM

I didn't like that one actually, reminded me of some danse

.

**CryoDragoon** · 12-28-2007 12:29 AM

Originally Posted by Siиdяed

Urgh. The EU anthem...it...just...urgh.

ugh... you... person with bad taste, you!!!

**Sekhmet** · 12-28-2007 05:14 AM

I have always thought the national anthem of Japan is beautiful, but I stop short of saying it is the best.

**FreeOne** · 12-28-2007 05:43 AM

im not a terrorist! i just hate our stupid anthem. it sucks @ss thats all there is to it. Its not so much the words, i like the story in the anthem, i just think the tune can be improved a bit.