John Williams comes in 5th place on poll for who should write a new national anthem for USA

[indy4 160]

http://thehill.com/c...anthem-composer

Williams beat Jay-Z and Madonna.

[Koray Savas 2,260]

An odd poll since it'll never happen, but to my knowledge Williams have never written lyrics.

[Datameister 2,586]

Leslie Bricusse would do the lyrics, and they'd be so saccharine that half the country would flee!

[BloodBoal 8,711]

[indy4 160]

Or Williams would pull lyrics from some poem about trees and translate them into Sanskrit.

[Sandor 918]

An odd poll since it'll never happen, but to my knowledge Williams have never written lyrics.

Uhm, Williams wrote the lyrics for the gospel songs in Rosewood I believe, as well as Immolation from Schindler's List...

[indy4 160]

An odd poll since it'll never happen, but to my knowledge Williams have never written lyrics.

Uhm, Williams wrote the lyrics for the gospel songs in Rosewood I believe, as well as Immolation from Schindler's List...

The lyrics for "Immolation" are from Hebrew texts that a religious official gave Williams.

[Sandor 918]

An odd poll since it'll never happen, but to my knowledge Williams have never written lyrics.

Uhm, Williams wrote the lyrics for the gospel songs in Rosewood I believe, as well as Immolation from Schindler's List...

The lyrics for "Immolation" are from Hebrew texts that a religious official gave Williams.

Ah... In the piano-book it says: Music & Lyrics by John Williams, hence my misunderstanding.

[indy4 160]

He did select the specific text he wanted out of several given to him by the religious official, so I guess it's not entirely untrue...

[King Mark 3,975]

Regular people outside of this board know who John Williams is?

[BloodBoal 8,711]

[Wojo 2,458]

The US has perfectly serviceable patriotic songs in "God Bless America" and "America the Beautiful" that we wouldn't "need" someone to pen a "new" national anthem, because there's nothing wrong with the one we have. "Too hard to sing?" Boo hoo.

I think Springsteen leans too far to the left to write a good anthem that the whole country could get behind. Even "Born in the USA" is an anti-Vietnam War song; Reagan misunderstood the lyrics when he attached it to his reelection campaign.

Yes, km, people outside this board know who John Williams is. The poll probably showed a picture of Star Wars or Jaws to jog people's memory. If you said "presenting John Williams, award-winning composer of Always, Heartbeeps, and John Goldfarb, Please Come Home," most people outside this board would go "bah bah bah" with naive ignorance.

~*~

One thing is guaranteed for sure. Ain't no way Stevie Wonder would start a song with "O say can you see..."

[Sandor 918]

One thing is guaranteed for sure. Ain't no way Stevie Wonder would start a song with "O say can you see..."

Hahaha... You're really funny... Hahahaha... Not.

[Wojo 2,458]

I was not seeking your acceptance.

[Jilal 681]

Yeah, but they think his music is pompous, too sugary, "in-your-face" and sounds repetitive.

Actually, it's no different from most people's opinion here.

I just read a statement like that 1 minute ago.

('bombastic')

[JoeinAR 1,957]

Alan Jackson should write the new Anthem.

Where were you when America got a New Anthem....

[Kendal_Ozzel 36]

How the obvious choice, Skrillex, did not place on the poll is beyond me.

[Luke Skywalker 2,385]

Some people in the US want a new anthem?

Heck, if the one you have maes me want to be an american, and Williams rendition even more so.

I wish we had one as deeply rooted and loved as the one you have.

I dont mind the spanish anthem, specially then newer official symphonic version, but everytime they think of puting some lyrincs nothing materialises, and half the country hates the music anyway.

[Brónach 1,330]

I wish we had one as deeply rooted and loved as the one you have.

I dont mind the spanish anthem, specially then newer official symphonic version, but everytime they think of puting some lyrincs nothing materialises, and half the country hates the music anyway.

I hate it.

The USA one is cool. I don't care about the lyrics though.

[Wojo 2,458]

I wish we had one as deeply rooted and loved as the one you have.

Ah luv mah country lolz

[Neimoidian 15]

"O say can you see..." Boom-tzzz

[Muad'Dib 2,059]

Fiction becomes reality...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1BoUo-woGU&feature=relmfu

[Brónach 1,330]

Les Luthiers are brilliant.

[Muad'Dib 2,059]

Completely agreed, Chaac!

Just out of curiosity... Where are you from? I ask because Les Luthiers are mainly known in South America and Spain, so it would be quite interesting if someone from the USA (for example) knew about them

[Brónach 1,330]

Spain. I first heard them on a CD and it had me rolling on the floor.

[Muad'Dib 2,059]

Awesome! Nice to see another "Lutheran" around here!

[indy4 160]

Apparently the tune of America's national anthem was actually taken from a British drinking song.

[King Mark 3,975]

JW's national anthem would sound like across between Hymn to New England and Liberty Fanfare

[Wojo 2,458]

Apparently the tune of America's national anthem was actually taken from a British drinking song.

Uh, not apparently. That is where the melody came from.

"The Star-Spangled Banner" combined FS Key's 1814 poem "Defence of Fort McHenry" with the tune of a popular British song written by John Stafford Smith for a men's social club in London, "The Anacreontic Song" (or "To Anacreon in Heaven"), which was already popular in the United States.

It's a brilliant anthem and does not need to be replaced. I cannot think of anything lamer than asking Williams (and Bricusse, you know it would happen) to write a new anthem for an entire country. Wanna score a movie? Commemorate a statue that should be mined for copper? Honor a baseball team? Fine. Leave it at that. This poll was purely academic because the magazine needed something to write about; that's what polls and lists are for.

~*~

If only one of the Canadian hockey teams were still in it, we would hear that even more brilliant national anthem being sung, but alas, all those teams underachieved this year.

[BloodBoal 8,711]

[Jay 46,244]

hahaha

[Naïve Old Fart 13,025]

A new national anthem? Ha! What will the lyrics be: "America uber alles"? That's what they want, isn't it?

[Wojo 2,458]

A new national anthem? Ha! What will the lyrics be: "America uber alles"? That's what they want, isn't it?

You laugh, but Joseph Haydn's melody of "Über Alles" -- (the "Deutschlandlied" ("Song of Germany", "Das Lied der Deutschen," "The Song of the Germans," "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles" (literally, "Germany, Germany above all") -- was adopted as my university's alma mater in 1908 when it was the Austrian National Anthem.

In the right time and place, when I'm in the right mood, when I hear that melody, with or without hearing/singing the words, the tears will freely stream down my face, and I can tell you that it's not for love of Germany that I am so moved.

[Luke Skywalker 2,385]

Completely agreed, Chaac!

Just out of curiosity... Where are you from? I ask because Les Luthiers are mainly known in South America and Spain,

I wish we had one as deeply rooted and loved as the one you have.

I dont mind the spanish anthem, specially then newer official symphonic version, but everytime they think of puting some lyrincs nothing materialises, and half the country hates the music anyway.

I hate it.

Only a true spanish would hate the anthem, michael. it was obvious

Chaac, what do you hate about it?

The music per se or the disgusting historical setting it sadly has been forever associated with?

[King Mark 3,975]

I saw an article in a print newspaper about this

They mention the first 4, skip over Williams (do not mention him), them mention those other guys that came after him

[Not Mr. Big 5,011]

I saw an article in a print newspaper about this

They mention the first 4, skip over Williams (do not mention him), them mention those other guys that came after him

Heresy.

[MSM 194]

John Williams already wrote a an American anthem

[Neimoidian 15]

I wouldn't like any American to feel touched, but this song is a pure kitch.

[Marian Schedenig 11,695]

You laugh, but Joseph Haydn's melody of "Über Alles" -- (the "Deutschlandlied" ("Song of Germany", "Das Lied der Deutschen," "The Song of the Germans," "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles" (literally, "Germany, Germany above all") -- was adopted as my university's alma mater in 1908 when it was the Austrian National Anthem.

Musically, it's a much better hymn than the one we have now.

[Wojo 2,458]

I wouldn't like any American to feel touched

I'm not sure I agree with that. Sometimes I like to feel touched, and even downright need it.

[Brónach 1,330]

Only a true spanish would hate the anthem, michael. it was obvious

Chaac, what do you hate about it?

The music per se or the disgusting historical setting it sadly has been forever associated with?

The music, it just gets on my nerves.

[King Mark 3,975]

John Williams already wrote a an American anthem

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Too bad about the cheesy lyrics. The melody is quite nice. I always wanted to have an orchestra only arrangement of it