Hello all, and welcome back to another edition of What I'm Listening To! The summer is upon us, and so are the Summer Olympic Games. I love watching the athletes compete against the best in the world, and having a sense of pride when our country wins. The best part of the trophy ceremony is when they play the national anthems of the medalists. So, with that in mind, I decided to make a list of my top 5 (subjective and in no particular order....except the first one) National Anthems!
"Star Spangled Banner" - USA
I recently went to a West Michigan White Caps game, where the American Flag went on the big screen, everyone took off their hats, stood up, and either sang or gave reverence for our national anthem. This anthem slaps. The lyrics are so well written, and the music itself is so beautiful. A perfect song for our nation.
"O Canada" - Canada
I'm a little French Canadian on my Dad's side, and I love to watch hockey. So, yes, this is definitely on my list of favorites. The thing I love about this song is that there is a French speaking version because of Quebec, and an English version. That's what makes Canada unique in the influence that both France and English colonialism gave. I hear this song, I want to go have a Labatt Blue and go fight a moose.
The Complete National Anthems Of The World (2019 Edition), Vol. 2
"National Anthem of the USSR" - The Former Soviet Union
Growing up, I loved watching movies like "The Hunt for Red October", good old fashioned Cold War movies. In watching these, I would sometimes hear this riveting national anthem play as the Soviets were plotting in Russia. Communism aside, this song absolutely bangs. I don't even know the actual words to this, but listening to it sung by the Red Army Choir, you just get a rough, patriotic rendition. You can tell they were very proud of their nation (albeit if they weren't they were..."taken care of").
The Best of the Red Army Choir
"Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" - South Africa
When I was in college, the men's World Cup was played in South Africa. It was a great World Cup, one in which the US actually did ok. This was also where the infamous vuvuzelas came into prominence. Lots of horn blowing! This anthem was created after the racist apartheid government was finally dismantled. This is a beautiful song, and really encapsulates love after the horrors of the previous decades. RIP Nelson Mandela!
"La Marseillaise" - France
This song is one where the lyrics go hard, as this song came about during the French Revolution. The French are known for their croissants, but this song brings you back to a more unstable time in their country. A stirring rendition, this track is about as patriotic as you can get (besides ours, of course).
Hope you all enjoyed listening. Until next time, and GO TEAM USA!!!
