The Worst Songs in the World

The Terrible Truth About National Anthems

David Pate

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English

Dundurn Press
11 December 2024

Music: styles & genres; General & world history

The best-known songs in the world are violent, sexist, and religious - so why do we celebrate national anthems when we should be rewriting them?

The story begins in a London theatre in 1745, where the modern idea of anthems started out as triumphant expressions of national superiority. They glorified violence, claimed the support of God for their country, and mostly ignored women.

David Pate says it's time to dump lyrics about cutting throats, watering fields with blood, building walls with the bodies of enemies, and celebrating the sound of machine guns. From the author's own youth as a schoolboy in Scotland when he was caned for refusing to sing ""God Save the Queen"" to the ubiquity of anthems in sports and as weapons for extreme patriotism, The Worst Songs in the World looks at the origins of many of the world's anthems, including the movie theme song that became China's national anthem and the English tune used for ""The Star-Spangled Banner.""

This wide-ranging, deeply researched narrative combines politics, personalities, humour, and vivid storytelling to argue for what we should all want: better national songs.

By: David Pate
Imprint: Dundurn Press
Country of Publication: Canada
Dimensions: Height: 215mm, Width: 139mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 297g
ISBN: 9781459754560
ISBN 10: 1459754565
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 11 December 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Overture 1: Living for Music 2: To Arms! 3: Humming Along 4: Badly Played and Monotonous 5: God Loves Lots of Countries 6: Changing Times 7: Making Room for Women 8: The Verses We Don’t Sing 9: Abandoned Anthems 10: Don’t Mess with My Music! 11: Everyone Wants an Anthem 12: Who Owns Your Anthem? 13: Rebel Songs for a Cause 14: A Kinder, Gentler Way 15: The Soundtrack of Nationalism Final Verse Acknowledgements Notes Index About the Author

David Pate was a veteran journalist who stood to attention for dozens of national anthems and thought most of them were terrible. Born in Scotland, he worked for numerous media outlets, beginning as a reporter for the Tullamore Tribune, and then as program editor for RT, Ireland's national television and radio broadcaster. He spent the rest of his career at the CBC.

Reviews for The Worst Songs in the World: The Terrible Truth About National Anthems

Offers a fascinating and thoughtful interrogation of the too often violent events that give rise to patriotic sentiment in our world, showcasing how anthems divide us even as they promise to bring communities together. By amplifying the discordant nature of anthems across the globe, Pate gives us the opportunity to think differently and suggests a more tuneful path to human connection and global harmony. * Mark Clague, author of O Say Can You Hear?: A Cultural Biography of The Star-Spangled Banner *