From Hong Kong to the US, it's the song that's more than a song.
National anthems are supposed to be rousing ballads of unity, sung in schools, sporting events, [childrenâs beauty pageants]( and [movie theaters](. But ever since the rise of the nation-state, theyâve also been contentious symbols of national identity.
In recent years, weâve seen how powerfully symbolic a national anthem can be, as US football players knelt during âThe Star-Spangled Bannerâ in 2016 to protest police violence against minorities. On the other side of the world, the fight over Chinaâs national anthem has become a flashpoint in relations between Hong Kong and Beijing.
Stand upâor kneel, if you likeâand letâs take a listen.
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[Quartz Weekly Obsession]
National anthems
June 03, 2020
Attention!
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National anthems are supposed to be rousing ballads of unity, sung in schools, sporting events, [childrenâs beauty pageants]( and [movie theaters](. But ever since the rise of the nation-state, theyâve also been contentious symbols of national identity.
In recent years, weâve seen how powerfully symbolic a national anthem can be, as US football players knelt during âThe Star-Spangled Bannerâ in 2016 to protest police violence against minorities. On the other side of the world, the fight over Chinaâs national anthem has become a flashpoint in relations between Hong Kong and Beijing.
Stand upâor kneel, if you likeâand letâs take a listen.
ð¦ [Tweet this!](
ð [View this email on the web](
by the digits
[4:]( The number of national anthems without official lyrics. Spain has argued over which words to add for years.
[4:35:]( amount of time it took Aretha Franklin to sing the US national anthem before a football game in Detroit in 2016âdouble the average length, and possibly the longest rendition ever.
[158:]( The number of stanzas in Greeceâs national anthem, âHymn to Liberty,â penned by Greek poet Dionysios Solomos and believed to be the [worldâs wordiest anthem](.
[6,000:]( The number of slaves rescued by the British in the battles that inspired âThe Star-Spangled Banner.â Composer and slaveholder Francis Scott Key included a lyric warning they would find â[no refuge]( in the âland of the free.â
THE WAY WE ðµ NOW
Never has the importance of a national anthem as a symbol been more evident than in the way a fight over Chinaâs is playing out in Hong Kong.
In 2017, [China enacted a law]( against disrespecting its anthem, âMarch of the Volunteers.â Performing âdistortedâ or âmockingâ renditions became a crime punishable by [up to three years]( in detention. The legislation required anyone at a public event to stand as the anthem was played and banned relegating it to background music or featuring it in ads, funerals, and other âinappropriate occasions.â
Beijing required Hong Kong to pass its own version of the lawâno doubt hoping to stamp out the booing of the Chinese anthem at sports games thatâs become common as mounting concerns about Chinaâs interference with the territoryâs legal autonomy have grown. Those fears sparked a mass protest movement in 2019, over a controversial extradition lawâand the birth of a song that for many in Hong Kong has become their true anthem.
WATCH THIS
âGlory to Hong Kong,â a rousing orchestral piece created by protesters, has been sung in chorus in malls, and played on the streets [on the harmonica]( sending Beijing a clear message. Hong Kong-based writer [Vivienne Chow wrote last year]( âWhen people identify with a song, you donât need a law to make them sing and love it.â
Suggestions for the lyrics were crowdsourced on LIHKGâHong Kongâs Reddit equivalentâand within weeks, the finished result had spread to the lips of thousands of protesters.
âMusic is a tool for unity,â the composer of âGlory to Hong Kong,â who wants to be known only as Thomas, [told Time](. âI really felt like we needed a song to unite us and boost our morale.â
Nevertheless, Hong Kong lawmakers began moving ahead in late May of 2020 with the anthem lawâand police shut down an effort by protesters to stop them. It could be voted on [as soon as June 4]( the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests.
Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
O say, can you see?
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In August 2016, then-49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeled in [protest]( of police violence against minorities during â[The Star-Spangled Banner]( inspiring a flood of US football players to do the same, and prompting a heated debate about free speech and national unity. US president Donald Trump reignited the controversy in 2017 when he [denounced Kaepernick in inflammatory terms](.
The symbolic protest quickly spread to other arenas, with players kneeling at soccer, baseball, ice hockey, college volleyball tournaments, and more.
In 2018, the Wall Street Journal, together with Clemson University, [detailed how Russian trolls fanned the controversy]( in the wake of Trumpâs comments by sending thousands of tweets criticizing the protests. âThey clearly are using it as a wedge issue,â said Clemson communication professor Darren Linvill, who helped track the tweets. âItâs like we handed them a loaded gun.â
With the current unrest surrounding [the death of George Floyd]( at the hands of a policeman in Minneapolis, Kaepernick is being lauded for his actions four years ago. âSome truths make people uncomfortable until we hear them enough, and that is really all Kaepernick did,â Michael Rosenberg [writes for Sports Illustrated](. âHe told the truth and made people uncomfortable.â
pop quiz
Which of these are not actual lyrics from national anthems?
âWhen I see old glory waving, I think of all the brave men, who have fought and died for what is right and wrongââTremble, tyrants and you traitors, The shame of all parties, Tremble!ââO mother! The fragrance from your mango groves makes me wild with joy, Ah, what a thrill!â
Correct. This is Johnny Cashâs.
Incorrect. France sings about tyrants and traitors while Bangladesh pays homage to mango groves.
If your inbox doesnât support this quiz, find the solution at bottom of email.
industry secrets
How do you write a national anthem?
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Crafting a new national anthem is a pressure-filled job: You need to communicate a national identity, stir up pride, and make it catchy enough that people sing it repeatedly without rolling their eyes. Maybe thatâs why the practice [has stirred up accusations of plagiarism](.
It took [seven years]( for Germany to decide what its new national anthem would be after the end of World War II.
âSouth Sudan Oyee!ââthe national anthem of the worldâs youngest nationâwas selected by a committee and its melody was chosen in a â[Sudanese-style X Factor talent show.](
When South Africa was trying to craft its image as a democratic nation after apartheid, it looked to one of the [continentâs oldest freedom songs]( âNkosi Sikelelâ iAfrika.â The revision included Afrikaans, the lingua franca of the apartheid regime.
The composer of Bosniaâs national anthem was a Serb who entered his song on a whim, hoping the winnings would help pay off a hotel bill. His was picked and the resulting [controversy nearly ruined his life](.
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take me down this ð° hole!
Alex Marshall is the author of Republic or Death! Travels in Search of National Anthems, a fascinating book about the politics of national anthems. He [spoke with the Atlantic]( about traveling the world to discover the history of these songs, and why he hates âGod Save the Queen.â
[Click here for an anthem-inspired Spotify playlist.](
ð the more you know!
Record setters
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The oldest known national anthem melody belongs to the Netherlands. âWilhelmusâ was [composed around the 1570s]( and became the Dutch national anthem in 1932. Japan, which has one of the worldâs [shortest]( national anthems, holds the honor for oldest lyricsââKimigayoâ is based on a poem [dating back to the 10th century](.
Giphy
Poll
How do you feel about your national anthem?
[Click here to vote](
Itâs just another songIt reflects my pride as a citizen of my countryItâs a symbol of patriotism that shouldnât be used during protestsIf it were only catchier...
ð¬ let's talk!
In last weekâs poll about [jai alai]( 44% of you thought there were enough sports without it, but 35% of you were ready to grab a betting card and get spectating. ð§ Elizabeth wrote in to say, âAs a young teenager I was fascinated by a feature I watched once on the preparation for a match, as the players risked broken hands but wore so little padding on their hands to whip their arms and get that âcrackingâ sounds of the ball on the face of the frontón.â
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Todayâs email was written by [Jackie Bischof]( and edited and produced by [Susan Howson](.
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The correct answer to the quiz is âWhen I see old glory waving, I think of all the brave men, who have fought and died for what is right and wrongâ.
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