Can America Change Its Tune?

As a composer, I often ponder what makes a great song. By my definition, it is composed of a melody that is catchy and easily sung, along with a lyric that tells a story, has relevant meaning, is understandable, and has meter with rhyme.

In the 18th century, a club of amateur musicians, gathered regularly in London to perform concerts. By day, these musicians were barristers, doctors and other professional men. They named their club the Anacreontic Society, after the 6th Century B.C. Greek poet, Anacreon, whose poems celebrated women, wine and entertaining.

Imagine a private club of lawyers and doctors, secretly getting together with their 18th century garage band, and it’s not a stretch that drinking occurred at their meetings, even though the primary purpose of the Society was to promote an interest in music.


The club’s official song earned a reputation as a drinking song, due to the drinking nature of the lyrics. The chorus of the song suggests Bacchanalia: ”And long may the sons of Anacreon entwine the myrtle of Venus with Bacchus’ vine.”

Not only was the song associated with alcohol due to its bawdy and imbibing lyrics. It was commonly used as a sobriety test. If you could sing a stanza of the notoriously difficult melody and stay on key, you were sober enough for another round! Perhaps Lindsay Lohan should have to sing it before she gets behind the wheel again.

Odds are, everyone has sung this British drinking song at least a few times in their lives. It became known as "The Star-Spangled Banner" during the War of 1812, after attorney Francis Scott Key wrote “Defence of Fort McHenry” after the night of September 13, 1814.

Key visited the British fleet in Chesapeake Bay to secure the release of a doctor, who had been captured after the burning of Washington. The British held Key overnight during the shelling of Fort McHenry, a fort defending Baltimore.

As the sun came up after a 25-hour bombardment of Fort McHenry, Key saw an enormous American flag flying proudly through the smoke, and was inspired to pen the words: “Oh say can you see, by the dawn’s early light.” Ironically, Key, who also penned the phrase, “land of the free,” owned slaves.

Key’s brother, on hearing the poem, realized it fit the tune of “The Anacreontic Song.” A century later in 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed a Congressional Bill into law, officially designating “The Star-Spangled Banner” as America’s national anthem.

But what makes a great anthem? The criteria of a great song come to mind: a melody that is catchy and easily sung, with lyrics that reflect the attributes and ideals of a nation. When Congress was considering the favored "Star-Spangled Banner," some were lobbying for "America the Beautiful," and even some wanted, "Yankee Doodle."

Objections to "The Star-Spangled Banner” go to its lyrics that glorify war, as well as its difficult melody, neither catchy nor easily sung. So why doesn’t America change its tune? Our flag has changed. So have our laws. Even our currency has.

Since 1931, there have been efforts to change the national anthem. One that got the most support was the Irving Berlin song – “God Bless America.” But as there are objections to God in the Pledge of Allegiance, “God Bless America” runneth over with religion. And if we’re to enforce separation of Church and State, ignoring for a moment the words – “In God We Trust” on our currency and in our courtrooms – then making sure that God stays out of our National Anthem merits consideration.

Of course, that puts “The Star-Spangled Banner” back into the running, since it has no reference to God. But which would we rather glorify? God or War? Or can we eliminate both from the national anthem?

Some supported the Woody Guthrie song, "This Land is Your Land,” written in 1956. It’s certainly devoid of religious references, and also glorifies our country.

Similarly, the song “America” makes no reference to God and glorifies our nation at its best. “My country,' tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing; land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrims' pride, from every mountainside let freedom ring!”

Unfortunately, the melody is derived from the British anthem, “God Save the Queen.” Interestingly, the song did serve as a de facto national anthem for much of the 19th century… but because its origin was not American, it was cast aside!

Then why not cast aside a national anthem that is based on a British drinking song? If we’re going to have a drinking song’s melody for our anthem, how about this (sung to "99 bottles of beer”): “Proud to be here in America. This is the land of the free. Our country is truly the best in the world, where everyone wants to be in the world.”

I’m an advocate of “America the Beautiful,” written in 1893 by Katharine Lee Bates. “Oh beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain. For purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain. America, America, God shed his Grace on thee. And crown they good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.”

That sentiment of brotherhood from sea to shining sea, certainly sits better than a glorification of war. And the melody is much more accessible to the masses.

Now granted, “America the Beautiful” mentions God in its lyric, but as I’ve said, “In God We Trust” is on our currency and in our courtrooms. So perhaps a desire for separation of Church and State is not enough reason to reject “America the Beautiful.” After all, the reference to God is non-denominational.

It's widely believed that Atheists aren’t thrilled with any reference to God. How do Agnostics feel about it? They’re undecided. But if we replaced God with the genderless “Higher Power” or “The Creator,” how much more cumbersome would the lyrics be? “America, America, may the Higher Power shed his or her Grace on thee.”

For that matter, we could adopt a song I heard called “Long Live America.” I believe the chorus aptly reflects our country. “This is my America, a beacon for mankind. Land of opportunity that everyone can find. Welcome to red, white and blue. Long Live America, my friend, it belongs to me and you.”

A national anthem should be melodic, so that any citizen can sing it. The words should represent the highest ideals of the country, and not glorify bombs bursting in the air. “The Star-Spangled Banner” fails on both counts.

While Francis Scott Key watched the relentless bombing of Fort McHenry, a great British General named Robert Ross, was leading British soldiers on land toward Baltimore. An American sniper shot General Ross. It is thought that if Ross had not been killed, he might have captured Baltimore, changing the course of the War of 1812, preventing our flag from being seen in the dawn’s early light…

Were it not for the sniper’s bullet that killed General Ross, America might be singing an entirely different tune at sports events.