Rugby anthems
England needs a new "official" anthem for the formal singing before the start of the Six Nations rugby matches. God Save Our Gracious Queen simply doesn't work in this competition any more where the other nations have all adopted individual anthems.
This is not to deny the British national anthem. It is simply to suggest that if each of the home nations is going to go its separate way for purposes of whipping up national fervour in rugby competition, the English should have their own response to other anthems such as Flower of Scotland and The Land of My Fathers (both, incidentally, about struggling for freedom from English oppression).
The answer would be to adopt an existing hymn or to have something new. Of the existing hymns my choice would be Jerusalem, which is less jingoistic than Land of Hope and Glory, a hymn that also suffers from being more representative of Britain.
Jerusalem is fitting also in that it refers to England. The tune isn't bad either. Indeed George V preferred it as an anthem to the dirge-like God Save the Queen. My only issue with it is that it smacks a little bit of the English public school.
God Save the Queen is going through a torrid patch just now. The way it is sung as a chant by English football supporters has debased its currency. Also it reflects a dated view of royalty and the role of the monarchy which is no longer about triumphalism.
So what about something new? How would a new anthem define Englishness? It's a tough question. The Irish have two anthems side-by-side. Could that be a runner for the English?
Are there any other existing alternatives? Swing Low Sweet Chariot, wouldn't work. While its connection with English rugby is well established it is not an anthem. What about suitable English folk songs? I can't think of one. Of course, we could always borrow something from the Irish who are having a bit of a miserable time just now. Maybe not.
Postscript: I came across this web site campaigning for a new English national anthem. Where better to experiment than in the Six Nations tournament?
Postscript two: Reading some of that site I see they quote the odious Sun columnist, Gary Bushell, voicing similar sentiments to those in this blog. I hope that's the first and last time I share an opinion with him. I'd like to make it clear that ordinarily I dislike nationalistic tendencies. But I do think they retain some legitimacy (and fun) in sporting competitions. That should not be an excuse, however, for rampant tribalism. At rugby matches I am as happy singing the anthems of the other teams as the English ones. Yes, I want England to win but I'm happy for other supporters (except the Welsh) when their sides win.
This is not to deny the British national anthem. It is simply to suggest that if each of the home nations is going to go its separate way for purposes of whipping up national fervour in rugby competition, the English should have their own response to other anthems such as Flower of Scotland and The Land of My Fathers (both, incidentally, about struggling for freedom from English oppression).
The answer would be to adopt an existing hymn or to have something new. Of the existing hymns my choice would be Jerusalem, which is less jingoistic than Land of Hope and Glory, a hymn that also suffers from being more representative of Britain.
Jerusalem is fitting also in that it refers to England. The tune isn't bad either. Indeed George V preferred it as an anthem to the dirge-like God Save the Queen. My only issue with it is that it smacks a little bit of the English public school.
God Save the Queen is going through a torrid patch just now. The way it is sung as a chant by English football supporters has debased its currency. Also it reflects a dated view of royalty and the role of the monarchy which is no longer about triumphalism.
So what about something new? How would a new anthem define Englishness? It's a tough question. The Irish have two anthems side-by-side. Could that be a runner for the English?
Are there any other existing alternatives? Swing Low Sweet Chariot, wouldn't work. While its connection with English rugby is well established it is not an anthem. What about suitable English folk songs? I can't think of one. Of course, we could always borrow something from the Irish who are having a bit of a miserable time just now. Maybe not.
Postscript: I came across this web site campaigning for a new English national anthem. Where better to experiment than in the Six Nations tournament?
Postscript two: Reading some of that site I see they quote the odious Sun columnist, Gary Bushell, voicing similar sentiments to those in this blog. I hope that's the first and last time I share an opinion with him. I'd like to make it clear that ordinarily I dislike nationalistic tendencies. But I do think they retain some legitimacy (and fun) in sporting competitions. That should not be an excuse, however, for rampant tribalism. At rugby matches I am as happy singing the anthems of the other teams as the English ones. Yes, I want England to win but I'm happy for other supporters (except the Welsh) when their sides win.
Labels: Flower of Scotland, Jerusalem, Land of Hope and Glory, Land of My Fathers
posted by Richard Donkin at
3:04 PM
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