An 1816 edition of Francis Scott Key's famous song. COURTESY MARYLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
If you want to start an argument with a War of 1812 enthusiast, tell him or her that “The Star-Spangled Banner” needs to step aside as the National Anthem. Written on the deck of a Royal Navy warship at the Battle of Baltimore by poet and lawyer Francis Scott Key, the words of Key’s poem were paired to a catchy little tune called “To Anacreon in Heaven,” which was actually a popular early 1800s drinking song. The song was an immediate sensation and was sung at social gatherings and patriotic events for more than 100 years until Congress made it the official National Anthem in 1931.
But what a tongue twister of a song! Even trained singers will tell you that “The Star-Spangled Banner” is a real workout for the vocal chords. For the amateur, singing the anthem is a bit like trying to knit a sweater with a pitchfork — the results can be painful. And for most of us, it’s almost impossible to remember the lyrics, leaving us to hum along. The second stanza? Forget about it. And contrary to what a casual visitor might think after visiting a baseball stadium, the song does not end with “Play ball!”
It’s small wonder then, that efforts pop up from time to time seeking to replace the anthem with something easier to sing. There are several contenders for a new anthem, such as “God Bless America” or “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.” Even Lee Greenwood’s patriotic “God Bless the USA.” pops up now and again as a suggestion, kind of like a scraggler on the march to Washington in 1814. The song that seems best-positioned to replace the national anthem is “America the Beautiful,” mainly because of its appealing simplicity and peaceful lyrics. Just compare that song’s “and crown thy good with brotherhood” to “their blood has washed out of their foul footsteps’ pollution” (from the third stanza of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”). Which song can you picture being sung by a sweet-faced elementary school choir?
Back in September 2002, a fifth-grade class at Daly Elementary School in Elkhart, Indiana, made the national news when the students rewrote the lyrics of the National Anthem as a class exercise. “We changed the words so a younger child could understand,” teacher Adriana Burton was reported as saying. “They were reading the lyrics and said, ‘Gosh, what does this mean?’ ”
In an attempt to modernize the song, students broke out their thinking caps and a thesaurus. It was also a way to help explain the meaning of the original words to the children. The words “rampart” and “parapet” became “walls.” Stripes were not “broad” but “wide.” The words “perilous” and “gallantly” became “dangerous” and “bravely.”
Rewriting the anthem lyrics was actually a good exercise in expanding the Hoosier schoolchildren’s vocabulary. As reported in the South Bend Tribune and Elkhart Truth newspapers, the goal was to rewrite the poem/song with comprehension in mind, not rhythm or rhyme. The Elkhart Truth noted, “Burton said she knew the assignment had been successful when one of her students spotted a child on the playground wall and said, ‘Hey, Mrs. Burton, he’s on the rampart!’ ”
When asked if the song written by Francis Scott Key would ever be replaced by “America the Beautiful” or another contender, Sarah Scanlan, associate director for public relations and marketing at the Maryland Historical Society, said she had her doubts. Francis Scott Key’s handwritten original poem is kept on display at the society in Baltimore.
“For now, I think ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ is still that rallying song. ‘God Bless America’ is a beautiful song, for example, but if you want people to get up and go patriotically, ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ is still the best choice. The message is that freedom does not come cheaply. You have to be ready to defend it. “This poem expresses all of our patriotic feelings,” she said. “It just has that upbeat, marching, get-up-and-go tune. I think the song has withstood the test of time for all these reasons.”
So we’ll conclude by making a case for “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Literally written “by dawn’s early light,” the lyrics were jotted down on scrap paper by an eyewitness to what happened at Fort McHenry, on the spot. The song took on a life of its own, meaning it meant something to Americans of the time. And it endured … like the nation itself that had been tested yet again by war. When you listen to “The Star-Spangled Banner,” you have to admit to a certain stirring within. This is a fight song, pure and simple, so there could not be a better anthem for a nation that had to forge itself out of an idea and a people’s will.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Lucy Chittenden, Niagara 1812 Council. Niagara 1812 Council said: RT @warof1812 Is there a better song for the National Anthem? An interesting post on rediscover1812.com http://tr.im/F4gc [...]