Star-Spangled Banner melody ripped off From English drinking Song 200 Years Ago

[msongs]

melody is from a gentleman's' drinking club theme song.

[milestogo]

1. Well its really hard to sing, so maybe thats because you're supposed to be drunk.

[Igel]

2. And "This land is your land" is a slightly modified Baptist hymn.

As far as tune goes.

"How Great Thou Art" is from that nationalist "hymn" "Finlandia" by Sibelius. Don't know where he got his melodic material--often such things are based in folk tunes.

My favorite hymn, it turns out, was taken over as Nazi Germany's anthem--had I been in Germany humming it, I'd have been subject to arrest. It was written in the late 1700s. I still think of it as my favorite hymn, without the warped words the Nazis provided to an otherwise neutral tune.

[Backseat Driver]

5. DH's HS's anthem, to his great displeasure, also used "Finlandia"

[Backseat Driver]

3. Blame CANADA!

[whistler162]

7. Well of course when someone is to be blamed

either blame your mother or Canada whichever one can't reach out and thwack you upside the head.

[COLGATE4]

4. That's been going on forever

Don't forget that our 'My Country 'tis of Thee' is actually the British National Anthem 'God save the Queen'.

[malaise]

6. Interesting

Quite a few national songs in the Caribbean were ripped off from Britain as well