Which is the only nation competing to qualify for the 2010 World Cup that, when the two teams line up ahead of kick off, doesn’t have an anthem to call its own? Easy! Easy! England of course. Whatever the Scots, Welsh and at least half the Northern Irish’s view of the Royal Family, God Save the Queen is as much their anthem as ours, so why on earth doesn’t England get a tune that belongs to us?
Of course the Scots and the Welsh have decided that while God Save the Queen is good enough when the Union Jack is run up the Olympic Flagpole for their Gold Medalists Chris Hoy and Nicole Cook, when their football or rugby teams are competing in the colours of Scotland or Wales its time to belt out Flower of Scotland or Land of My Fathers. OK, so Northern Ireland has opted for no anthem of their own, though at Stormont they do at least have a Parliament they can call their own, a subject for another debate.
‘Happy and Glorious’ God Save the Queen goes, and ‘long to reign over us' a line later. Nothing could sum up English subjecthood better. Of course the Royal Family are happy, because they reign over us at our expense, but the argument for an anthem to call our own cannot be reduced to making the case for English Republicanism. However, a song that celebrates being ruled by others put in place simply by accident of birth, and which in not one stanza ever actually mentions England is surely not a fitting tune.
After World Cup 2002 the FA quietly ran a poll amongst England supporters on whether an alternative to God Save the Queen should be considered for international matches. With zero campaigning, and no alternatives offerred, an astonishing 36% voted for change. Nothing came of it, the opportunity to inauguarate the new Wembley with an anthem to call our own squandered, but there remains significant popular support whenever the argument is made not in terms of knocking God Save the Queen but simply pointing out that England should have its own anthem.
And the contenders? Well it would be very New Labour to commission Simon Cowell and Andrew Lloyd Webber to come up with ‘Anthem Idol’ wouldn’t it? It's just the sort of thing Blair-lite Cameron might favour too. But twenty-first century manufacturing of tradition could never match the heritage of the songs we have on offer to choose from.
Each will have their favourites. If I was asked to plump for a modern classic I’d choose The Jam’s English Rose. Haunting, full of longing for a country. But that's probably too up-to-date for most tastes. I Vow To Thee My Country has probably the best tune of the lot but I’m not sure that words written by a Yank entirely fit the bill - although music provided by a Swedish immigrant born in Cheltenham is rather neat. Rule Britannia is rousing enough yet is clearly a British anthem, not an English one in any obvious sense. Some will differ but I also find the singing of ‘Britons, never, never will be slaves’ more than a tad dodgy when the team we’re supporting on the pitch is made up of a fair number of players whose great grandparents were precisely that, slaves. Land of Hope and Glory fails for me on similar counts. Again, with no actual mention of England it is a celebration of the Britishness of Empire, not England. And do we really want a tune that marks England’s fate after Empire ‘By Freedom gained, by Truth maintained, Thine Empire shall be strong’.
No there's one runaway contender, presuming Cowell and Lloyd-Webber failed to find their anthem-factor. Jerusalem. Words by one of England’s greatest cultural figures, William Blake. Artist, poet, thinker. Music by an English composer. The words actually mention England. A bit too Christian? That might put off some, attract others. But of course the Jerusalem Blake was writing about was a better, brighter society we could call England. A bit political? Come off it, who doesn’t want a better England, the argument is only what we might mean by better.
Will it ever happen? I mean an anthem to call our own, not the better England! I entirely back the idea of an English Parliament but right now I would put the anthem, and a day off for St George’s Day too, right at the core of campaigning for England’s place in the break up of Britain. These are hugely popular issues, they carry none of the trappings of Westminster politics currently mired in scandal and disrepute. Yet they codify our difference, our independence and have the potential to appeal to all who call England their home.
Mark Perryman is the editor of Imagined Nation : England after Britain and co-founder of philosophyfootball.com. The company poduces a T-shirt with the words to Jerusalem forming a St George Cross, and on the back for fans of cult 70s sci-fi... well what other squad number could you give William Blake apart from ‘7’. Available from philosophyfootball.com
If we had to choose from contemporary songs, then my choice would be the Levellers' England My Home. But removed from that constraint it's Jerusalem by a country mile.
They started singing rule brittania about the same time people were being press ganged into the Royal Navy to die at Trafalgar.The Queen recently handed a regionalised England over to the Lisbon Treaty knowing full well a referendum was promised and the likely outcome of a referendum would have been No. Maybe she wants to be Queen of Europe.So dump GSTQ she is a traitor.. I have no problem with I vow to thee my country even written by a Yank, the tune to their anthem is an old English drinking song after all.If a Swedish immigrant born in Cheltenham wrote the music that's great and shows how multi culti we are.I wish new labour would treat us English like Swedes and not turnips.
I want one of those T shirts.
Or could England keep God Save the Queen and we get a new UK anthem?
A new UK anthem - Things can Only get Better?
Mark is right that Jerusalem is the runaway popular choice. I don't believe that we need to look any further. And it's an easy one to sing even for the non-musical like me. Belted out by a top soprano or tenor it is superb and stirring for non-Christians, also like me.
The argument that it is too Christian doesn't hold much water for me, an agnostic. Blake was a very anti-establishment Christian, and to the line "Did his feet?" the answer was supposed to be "No". It was satirical. He was taking the mickey out of the British Israelites who believed that the British were the chosen people.
Indeed why has England not got its own anthem. Thank you Mark Perryman for exposing this tragedy.
Two excellent choices have been put forward, in Jerusalem and Land of Hope and Glory. Both composed by Englishmen, and both rousing pieces of music.
Now the question is how can either of these tunes be adopted by the establishment ?
Or a medley, like South Africa?
The land of my fathers is dear to me
When will we see your like again
Sound her victorious happy and glorious
Homeward tae think again
Nah, maybe not...
I've always suspected that English fondness for Jerusalem derives purely from the phrase 'England's green and pleasant land' - a connection with territory which is notably absent from God Save the Queen.
Jerusalem, without a doubt. Don't worry about what the Scottish Raj want, just sing it out loud at every opportunity and they will soon get the message. Maybe the CEP and others should hand out the words to English supporters at all English sporting events, maybe they can be encouraged to sing it over the present national anthem, the message may get through. Now there's a thought.
And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen?
And did the Countenance Divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic Mills?
Bring me my Bow of burning gold:
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of fire.
I shall not cease from Mental Fight
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green & pleasant Land.
Here are some links to a few versions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFrVrBQh_50
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKaJ4b0XYmI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ0oCmDXrVk&feature=related
Wonderful.
I just had a thought. It might be a good idea for CEP to contact all English Premiership Football clubs, and ask them to hand out the words before matches and to get the supporters to sing it. Now that really would be a coup as it would get a worldwide audience.
I vow to thee my country was not written by a Yank. It was written by Cecil Spring-Rice an Englishman of Irish descent who was ambassador to the United States.
Jerusalem should be the English anthem though.
I have always been in the "Jerusalem" camp, but as a fan of The Jam for over 30 years I like the idea of "English Rose" being adopted too as it is a fantastic song and wouldn't have any of the religious baggage that "Jerusalem" could be accused of having. As for it being too recent "Flower of Scotland" was composed in 1967, only eleven years before Paul Weller wrote "English Rose". I would still say that "Jerusalem" would win any poll to choose an English national anthem as it is the more rousing tune and more widely known but I definately think that "English Rose" is a worthy candidate and should definately be up for selection. Here is a link to the song for those of you that haven't heard it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8Y_yTJKxsw
Yes, I agree about the religious part, I'm an atheist but it doesn't bother me, I just like the words and it brings tears to my eyes when I hear it. Any anthem has to have universal appeal so it gets my vote.
The English national anthem. Now there's a hot political potato. There is no doubt about it that the Establishment see this as the thin end of the nationalist's wedge.
If England was ever given one then it will be seen as official recognition that England too is a proud, unique and historic nation (just like Scotland) - and not an amorphous blobbage of regional flotsam or worse still, Britain-Lite.
And once that recognition is gained, watch everything else fall. An English Parliament would happen faster than you could say "Nation not Regions" - because an anthem is the ultimate embodiment of nationhood. It's the cultural glue for pride, recognition and the celebration of all things good about a country. That is why Labour has fought so hard to keep GSTQ as our default anthem.
When the appalling David Lammy was a junior (English) Culture Minister, I sent him a letter asking why England was the only country in the western world without a national anthem. I still have his reply. It is a tribute to snake-oil evasion of the worst kind. Three pages of the most contemptuous waffle. Pestilence, flood, disease and the awakening of the anti-Christ are all promised by Lammy if England where ever to have her own national song. (not strictly true, but you get the gist).
And then, there's that opportunistic cretin James Purnell. When he was Secretary of State for (English) Culture, I asked him as the man responsible for culture in England why he wasn't championing our own national anthem - especially as Wales and Scotland both had one. The reply was a joke. Purnell said that we had Chaz 'n' Dave so we didn't need one..... But he also said that he valued the union higher than anything - and implicitly agreed that an anthem for England would wake the lion from the Raj induced slumber...
If any of the sporting bodies had any man vegetables between them they would be playing Jerusalem before every England event. But they don't. To a grey man they are nowt more than eunuchs in blue blazers, doing the government's bidding and biding their time for the inevitable Knighthood.
The only time Jerusalem is regularly played before an official sporting event in England is the Rugby League Grand Final at Old Trafford. But the RFL bottled out of using it during last year's world cup as England's anthem. They admitted to considering Jerusalem - then suddenly changed their minds and went for GSTQ. No doubt a word was had in their shell-like from the Britain-Lite culture office. And then there is the English Commonwealth Team. I and others have tried for the last 2 Commonwealth Games to get Jerusalem adopted as our national - sorry, 'Celebratory anthem' for the Games rather than the entirely inappropriate 'Land of Hope and Glory' - yet another British anthem. Our attempts have floundered as yet again the Commonwealth Team England management do what they are told by Brown's cultural Gestapo.
Anne Hogbin, Team England Chief Executive could not answer why she thought that LoHaG was more appropriate than Jerusalem even though it has extremely imperialistic lyrics (which I sent to her) as well as never actually being about England or even mentioning England by name.
I'd love Jerusalem to be our anthem - but the pc whores who infest Westminster will fight tooth and nail to stop it. They have regularly (totally wrongly) called it a hymn - and if they succeed in parking it in a songs of praise book then the chances of it becoming our secular anthem will seriously diminish.
One point that cannot be denied is that at the moment, Jerusalem is far and away the most popular choice as our anthem. The fact that we do not have it - nor would ever have if Labour had their way tells you everything you need to know about the basket-case democracy model we are being forced to stomach.
By the by - I thought that 'I vow to thee my country' was written by English diplomat and British Ambassador to Washington, Cecil Spring-Rice.
By the by the by - The music to the Star Spangled Banner was written by Englishman John Stafford Smith.
My old man's a dustman would be better than the dirge of God save the Queen as far as I'm concerned.
Musically I prefer I vow to thee my country to Jerusalem and if all the words matched the last line it would be a winner for me.
The main problem about Jerusalem is... Jerusalem. Metaphor or not, satire or not; there's nothing about Jerusalem that makes me want England to be more like it (than it already is).
My choice would be I vow to thee my country with some new lyrics.
Will only ever be one national anthem for me...
...and that is God Save the Queen. I am English and very much pro English parliament, real independence of the countries in Great Britain/United Kingdom and St. George's Day national holiday.
However, my national anthem is God Save the Queen and that will never change. It's just felt wierd to have Jerusalem belting out when the England cricketers take to the field. No Scots, Welsh or N.Irish feel God Save the Queen is there own. So lets just remember that it is Our Own! It also fits with our quirky nature to shout about something that is entwined with Scotland and that many wish to remove: the Queen.
Yes I'm sure something better could be come up with. If a majority of English people really do want to change the national anthem then so be it. That would be a sad day for me.
I'm not saying Jerusalem is bad or non-english. I had it played at my wedding for goodness sake :) It's a very important piece of music to me, it's just not the national anthem!
Like English Rose btw - not the natonal anthem either.
I'm all for tradition when it comes to an anthem and the only one which hits the spot is "Jerusalem".
godsavethequeen,
What do you think of the Andrew Rosindell ammendment?
Alfred has hit the nail on the head I feel, there is no doubt a concerted effort on the part of the government to keep the idea of an English national anthem off the agenda and the spineless suits at the FA, RFU etc. are happy to play along with this (wouldn't want to jeapordise the knighthood old chap) and are just as keen to stifle any debate. There are things we can do though. All sports have their fans organisations so couldn't we appeal to them to be proactive in encouraging English supporters to sing English songs when supporting England. If the people at the top are refusing to deal with the issue then a bottom-up solution should surely be found? They will soon drop "GSTQ" when 90,000 people are drowning out the band by singing "Jerusalem"!
Of course the Scots and the Welsh have decided that while God Save the Queen is good enough when the Union Jack is run up the Olympic Flagpole
I'm not sure that this is a decision made by the Scots and the Welsh, many of us would prefer the Olympics to treat the home countries as separate competitors as they are in the Commonwealth and other international sporting events.
The problem with Another Country and Jerusalem is that they are both quite difficult to sing, especially if you don't have a good voice. A national song that is fairly easy for even the tone deaf to make a good fist of is:
"There always be an England,
And England will be free
If England means as much to you
As England means to me"
Thanks for pointing that idea out Gareth.
I could accept that for when in direct competition against Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, yes. Bit of a question over the commonwealth and other broader competitions. Obviously I would want England to always compete seperately from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Therefore removing any need for a British anthem. During Olympics and World Championships I always put up a medal table with the respective countries seperately on my facebook page. I think however, in those kind of events, I would prefer God Save the Queen to be used despite being in competition with the Northern Irish, Scottish and Welsh as it is not direct 1 on 1 competition like a Football, Cricket or Rugby match.
Perhaps a good compromise, for myself personally, overall!
Jerusalem is the one for me.
"No Scots, Welsh or N.Irish feel God Save the Queen is there own."
Not true, many of us feel a part of the greater UK nation and that is the anthem of our nation.
Having said that, there is an interesting change that I've seen over the last 5 years following the N.Ireland international team abroad. Whereas during my childhood and teen years the Union flag would have been the flag most on display, now it's a mixture of specific N.Irish, Ulster and even wider Irish (eg Cross of St Patrick) emblems. There's also a debate on GSTQ that I never would have imagined happening in the past. I'm confident that within 5 years NI will have its own anthem for those sports which it plays as an individual entity and as a Unionist I don't have any problem with this at all.
GSTQ will always remain my National Anthem, but when I watch NI I'm not watching a Greater UK team. Similarly the England football team does not represent me or folk born in Scotland and Wales (although I still support any British team unless it's playing NI!)- you need something which sets you apart in those competitions where you are playing as an independent team
Yeah, it has to be Jerusalem, such a stirring song. I'd be jealous.
Yep - Jerusalem is the best tune. Unfortunately the words are bonkers... Yes, yes, I know the background to Blake's words, but an English anthem should really be about England and not the capital of Israel.
The solution is simple - just re-write the words. We do have a Poet Laureate, so let's ask her to give us some new words - what else is she there for, after all?
I had a bash myself a couple of years ago, so here's my attempt in case she's looking for ideas:
New England
And were our father’s long ago
Walking on England’s mountains seen?
And did they bravely fight and die
For England’s pleasant pastures green?
And came our friends from far and wide
To make us strong and cure our ills?
And was our nation great builded here
Among these green and pleasant hills?
England the home of Will Shakespeare
England the home of Stephenson
England the home of brave Churchill
England the home of Charles Darwin
They did not cease from mental fight
Nor let the time slip through their hand
And they have built this nation great
In England’s green and pleasant land
"We do have a Poet Laureate, so let's ask her to give us some new words". Except she's Scottish, of course.
Jerusalem is perfect. It evokes the idea of being exiles in our own land, just as the modern-day Palestinians have become strangers in Israel, or indeed the Promised Land of the Jewish people is something striven towards or yearned for through perpetual strife and an ancient history of exile. In the same way, our liberties must be fought for and won anew in every generation. On top of which, St. George is also the patron saint of the Palestinian Christians, having been a Palestinian himself.
Also, the Cross of St. George is associated with the Crusades: the fight for Jerusalem. No matter that this association might offend some Muslims; the symbolic links with Palestine could signal an England that is more inclined to sympathise and support the cause of the oppressed everywhere throughout the world, rather than being the imperial British oppressor and architect of the modern state of Israel, indeed.
In fact, the Jerusalem of the poem is something that is common to the experience and hope of all peoples, just as the real city of Jerusalem is sacred to all three great monotheistic religions. A perfect symbol, on the one hand, for a multi-cultural England; but also a reminder that for all our strivings and technological accomplishments, the 'real' Jerusalem is often to be found in a simple, indeed sacred, connection to place and to creation: our 'green and pleasant land' transfigured through the presence of the divine.
They'd have to get that infernal brass band to shut up, though, with their ceaseless renditions of GSTQ and Rule Britannia!
Didn't realise that oneil. I am surprised. Thanks for pointing it out. Doesn't change anything for me however. England is the nation I am from and my national anthem is God Save the Queen.
Lol re brass band. Have to say Rule Britania has lost any appeal to me so wouldn't mind them giving up that one. :)
I wouldn't want the debate about the national anthem to become a political hot potato in this country like it is in the north of Ireland. As much as I hate "GSTQ" and would never sing it under any circumstances (unless it was the version written by John Lydon-)) if that was the choice of the English people I would have to put up with it as our anthem as I do now. I would hope that people would be more sensible than to plump for an anthem that neither mentions nor is about England though, but they continue to sing it at various points throughout England football matches so who knows? Maybe as Britologywatch points out, someone should have a word in the shells of that infernal brass band and ask them to play something English instead!
It has to be Jerusalem, (which actually refers to an idea rather than the city). And as a humanist (atheist) I have to smile at the fact that Blake was actually referring to the Church when he made his "dark satanic mills" comment.
Although for a modern hymn I would second Gareth's suggestion of The Leveller's "England My Home".
Thought I'd revive this old post with a new suggestion. I was playing some old LP's earlier and put on the Kate Bush album "Lionheart". Side one ends with this amazingly haunting and beautiful song about the thoughts of a shot down Spitfire pilot as he contemplates his impending death as his plane falls to Earth:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1So6ok542jA