How about Smack My B*tch Up? (God Save The Queen)

Member Name: skittle

Product:	God Save The Queen
Date:	14/11/07 (95 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It's got History

Disadvantages: It is a bit boring

To tell the truth, I’m not a particularly patriotic person, I’m also not particularly proud of our Monarchy, but that’s not to say that I want them all beheaded and their wealth redistributed to the Country, not at all. I’m happy that they do an excellent job as figureheads for Great Britain. They pull in the tourists, act as unofficial Good Will ambassadors to other countries and most of all, they make the Americans green with jealousy. So personally, I’m very happy to keep our current National Anthem, if God exists, which I’m seriously not sure about, he/she/it has been doing a pretty good job of saving our queen so far, long may he/she/it continue.

In fact, the National Anthem is so closely intertwined with our National History and the Monarchy that you could almost call it an advertising jingle, and you wouldn’t change an advert when the product is still flying off the shelves.

When I first saw the title of this topic, my initial reaction was ‘why bother?’ God save the Queen (or King, if Charlie ever gets to take over) is a perfectly serviceable National Anthem that’s recognised the world over. It’s got the weight of history behind it, and Goddamnit, it makes me feel proud and (a bit) patriotic to hear it, and there isn’t much else that does, nowadays. Many (including the Royalist) would say that the National Anthem is sacrosanct to our National Identity – would you want to be the Prime Minister who’d be forever remembered as the one who’d scrapped God Save the Queen?

It’s often been rumoured that there was once a verse in the National Anthem that exhorted the crushing of the Scottish Nation, though I have never found any proof of it. Shame, that could’ve been quite fun, if it were true. And I say that as a person with one English parent and one Scottish.

The National Anthem is still played on Royal visits and at sporting events around the world. When you look at this issue from a purely logistical point of view, changing the National Anthem would mean that every single copy of God Save the Queen, whether it be a recording or sheet music, would need to be replaced with a copy of the new National Anthem. That would be a truly enormous job, and who would foot the bill?

Of course, if God Save the Queen were to be scrapped, what would replace it? Jerusalem is seen as a rebel rousing alternative, Land of Hope and Glory or Rule Britannia are other possible replacements. But do either of those really have the same Kudos as our present National Anthem? Would changing the National Anthem now set a precedent for changing it more often in future and to Hell with history? Do any of us really care? I don’t honestly know.

So, should we change the National Anthem? I can't think of even one really convincing argument why we should. Not one. I’m afraid that after thoroughly considering the alternatives, I’m still left with my initial reaction, why bother? Yes, I fully agree with the argument that God Save the Queen really is not a musical masterpiece, but does it really need to be? It is, after all, instantly recognisable as the Great British National Anthem, therefore doing it’s job, as I see it. And anyway, if it was changed, think of all of those poor footballers who’d have to learn the words for the new National Anthem, how would they cope? Oh yes, they’d just mumble like they always have…

Summary: I'm not convinced that anybody really cares enough to do anything about it