The other great lost talents from that era (who could also knock out a national ditty on commission over a dirty weekend) are Dave Mason and Sean Kelly.

If the world was perfect, Dave Mason would now be International Investment Advisor for the Kingdom of Bhutan and Sean Kelly would have written all the music for a killer series of hard-nosed Aus crime movies based on Gary Disher’s Wyatt - the eantipodean Parker.

However if we really want a singalong national tune that truly reflects our place in the world…

All this has been said and done on the Tribal Mind or related blog over at Fairfax & over there you’ll discover Great Southern Land was about South Africa.

Out of the options offered I like “I am Australian”

Seriously, it passes the brass band of ordinary ability test with outrageous oom-pah oom-pah ness and will bring tears of mirth to anyone who can understand English. What more does one need?

Mythology and romance are precisely what a national anthem require.

FWIW, I’m no particular fan of brass band music generally, but if you ever listen to anything by Empire Brass, you might become a convert. There’s some samples at their website but they don’t entirely do it justice.

And still not the actual lyrics!

Great Southern Land has it in the bag lyrically, but wouldn’t translate to choir or brass band*, and is musically a bit depressing.

I am, you are, we are blah-blah blah-blah - syrupy meaningless motherhood statements anyone?

I Still Call Australia Home is pretty much ideal - outward-looking enough for a globalised world, but unflinchingly parochial at the same time.

*(someone may have mentioned this already) For how long are we going to use that benchmark? Is there no chance that guitars and drums will become the de facto backing some time down the track? How long does rock and fucking roll need to keep doing the hard yards before it gets some respect? We probably have to wait until nobody is left alive who remembers life before it (sorry to any such relics reading).

I really appreaciate your giving it some (belated!) thought. I agree that the verses are trickier, but I think the key is that a relatively hushed opening is OK as long as there’s the promise of a rollicking chorus when you get there. Perhaps one verse is enough — and for something like a medal presentation you could just skip straight to the chorus — but I thought the arrangement in my clip had the right approach, with flutes for the first verse, and a bass clarinet or sax or whatever it is (and a rising tempo and some backing) in the second verse and so on.

John

Your suggestion is as hilarious at #90 as it was at #20. Please remind me again in due course.

Nor did I say “I am Australian” couldn’t be done as a band piece. I would somewhat dispute that it can be done as a ‘rousing’ band piece, though I don’t doubt there are there arrangers out there that could do it if they really put their mind to it.

I know we have different tastes in tunes, if you really like AAF. However, orchestral arrangement should be a more objective matter, and since you claimed to some expertise, which I don’t, I was hoping you might be able to enlighten me with a bit of analysis rather than arguments from authority (your own). I contended that I am Australian could be transformed into a rousing anthem - indeed it’s a de facto one already at events like the Schools Spectacular and other mass school events, where it seems to elicit a much stronger response than the official anthem. You and Robert were saying it couldn’t be done as a band piece. I found a clip that shows it can be done: even if it’s just a first attempt and not well performed, it is the kind of thing I had in mind.

The music had to be one reason Napoleon’s troops were so good.

On which basis I take it we should go for God save the Tsar?

The Star-Spangled Banner has too big a vocal range for crowd singing - it’s fine for a professional, but try hearing a football crowd strain for the high notes in “the rockets red glare …”. Maybe the Yanks should adopt the Battle Hymn of the Republic instead (dreadful music, but easy to sing and some of the lyrics are good).

The Marsellaise is, of course, simply wonderful right from its opening (”Arise, children of the nation, the day of glory is here. Tyranny has raised its bloody standard against us …”). But you need all the original verses (eg the bits about “But for whom do they prepare these chains? For us and for our children!”). Mind you, the other well known French revolutionary song - Ca Ira (”This will be”) - is also a fun song counselling the hanging of all aristocrats from lampposts. The music had to be one reason Napoleon’s troops were so good.