Favourite National Anthems

I for some reason was listening to Flower Of Scotland last night. not because I love Scotland, but becuase it's a magnificent emotonal anthem, although not their official one, I believe?

That got me onto Jerusalem, which is much more heart rendering than God save The Queen.

The French one 'La Marseillaise' is another I could listen to over and over, especially when sung by Mireille Mathieu.

Being a big rugby fan, I love the Rugby Championship as you get to listen to the New Zealand and South African anthems which are both really good.

The way the Saffer one builds up to a crescendo and the players belt out the last line is inspiring stuff.

Russia

Stella wrote:
which is much more heart rendering than God save The Queen.

Not that I feel particularly patriotic at the best of times, but God Save the Queen is incredibly dull. Too slow and uninspiring.

Just a personal thing, but it is lucky I am never going to be an international sportsman. I don't believe in God and don't have much, if any, love for the Royal Family. I would just have to stand there like a mute.

Like most of our Footballers  

I'm no rugby fan but do like the passion they show when singing their respective anthems.

Being part Canadian, I love O Canada.

Being part English, I love God Save The Queen (especially when my lad sings it with me)

I hate all the rest, except for when David Ginola sings the French one on Talksport.

How canyou be part Canadian and part English????

My fav is Brazil

Flower of Scotland and Star-Spangled Banner.  Honourable mentions to Eng & SA.

ONETWOFOREVER wrote:How can you be part Canadian and part English????

Parents from both countries.

The Welsh anthem is pretty good, especially when a packed Millennium Stadium is belting it out before a 6N match. I don't understand the language but it is stirring stuff nevertheless.

My old man is Scottish and has Flower of Scotland as his ringtone. He lives in England and when it rings he doesn't pick it up for ages so everyone can hear it and then when he does, he shouts in his Scottish accent just to prove his Jockness. He is a walking cliché.

The Italian one is actually rather good, it just goes on for far too long. Michael Schumacher ruined the German one.

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:My old man is Scottish and has Flower of Scotland as his ringtone.  He lives in England and when it rings he doesn't pick it up for ages so everyone can hear it and then when he does, he shouts in his Scottish accent just to prove his Jockness.  He is a walking cliché.

Guess the walking cliche is very different to the normal cliche who's lying down on a park bench or a bus stop with a can of Tennants Super clutched so tight you'd need a chainsaw to remove it.

Love Jerusalem.
Don't mind God Save the Queen.
Rather like Land of Hope and Glory.

Galted wrote:

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:My old man is Scottish and has Flower of Scotland as his ringtone.  He lives in England and when it rings he doesn't pick it up for ages so everyone can hear it and then when he does, he shouts in his Scottish accent just to prove his Jockness.  He is a walking cliché.

Guess the walking cliche is very different to the normal cliche who's lying down on a park bench or a bus stop with a can of Tennants Super clutched so tight you'd need a chainsaw to remove it.

That's the one. With a deep-fried apple and some haggis stuck between his teeth.

You know my dad?

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Galted wrote:

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:My old man is Scottish and has Flower of Scotland as his ringtone.  He lives in England and when it rings he doesn't pick it up for ages so everyone can hear it and then when he does, he shouts in his Scottish accent just to prove his Jockness.  He is a walking cliché.

Guess the walking cliche is very different to the normal cliche who's lying down on a park bench or a bus stop with a can of Tennants Super clutched so tight you'd need a chainsaw to remove it.

That's the one.  With a deep-fried apple and some haggis stuck between his teeth.

You know my dad?

  Don't think so - stayed round Neasden/Cricklewood/Kilburn/Willesden for quite a few years (were mainly Irish though a fair amount of Scots as well).  Was like living amongst a seal colony with them lolling all over the place.

I love the national anthem - its a skill on its own to get the pronounciation right for all four parts, but its such a beauty... Theres a very real chance Saffers would have rioted when FIFA tried to cut it in half to save time during the world cup.

I like Irelands Call, and The instrumentals for the Italian anthem,

Russian, French, Welsh

The Italian anthem is my favorite by a fair distance.

I like the Star Spangled Banner, especially when its sung at a major sporting event like the Super Bowl.

I always thought that Land Of Hope & Glory should be our national anthem, it's so much more powerful than GSTQ.

Go to an NHL game and hear the Star Spangled Banner followed by O Canada. It will give you shivers.

I hate LOH+G, it's a song for OAPs. GSTQ/K can be rousing, if Wembley isn't filled with 5 year old kids on a £1 ticket.

We should sing to Jerusalem at all sporting events. It gets the hairs tingling at the Cricket.

I went to a wedding recently where they had 3 hymns/songs. They were Jerusalem, Bread Of Heaven and finally You'll Never Walk Alone. It was like being at a rugby match, a football match and a wedding all rolled into 1. I'm surprised no one got any lighters out.

Being an Albion fan, we had The Lord's My Shepherd at ours. All I could hear was my brother singing it like he does down the Hawthorns

My favourite national anthems are the Marseillaise and the Italian anthem. I'd never given Hen Wlad fy Nhadau much thought, but I took my dad to watch Wales v Scotland in the Six Nations a couple of seasons ago and when it got to the line, 'dros rhyddid collasant eu gwaed' (for freedom they spilt their blood) I welled up and could barely sing the rest. Turns out it is a stirring anthem!

Another song I love hearing crowds sing is 'Abide With Me.' That makes we well up, but only at the Challenge Cup because they sing it properly. They don't really bother at the FA Cup final and what's worse, they usually hire some godawful 'artist' (or 'artists') to ruin it.