Interesting Stories Behind The British National Anthem, God Save The Queen

Queen Elizabeth (Source: Antara)

JAKARTA - The national anthem of each country has its own story. One of the highlights to discuss is the British national anthem titled God Save the Queen.

As we know, until now the supreme leader of the commonwealth of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or often called the United Kingdom (UK) is a queen. Therefore, the song is addressed to the queen.

It is different if the supreme leader of the UK or the head of the commonwealth is a king. Some parts of the song will be changed according to the status of the leader.

The song is multinational because it includes four countries incorporated in the UK, namely England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. In recent years, the British national anthem has even been dilemma, which is when the British parliament votes.

Pros and cons of the British national anthem

In the Olympic games or other events that make the UK give one representative, the song God Save the Queen becomes the national anthem sung.

However, in an event where all four countries send their respective representatives —the football or rugby World Cup for example—the two countries have other national anthems to sing.

Wales has a song called Land of My Fathers, while Scotland has a song called Flower of Scotland. The countries that continue to sing God Save the Queen as the national anthem are England and Northern Ireland.

Related to this, in early 2016 the song God Save The Queen threatened to no longer be sung in sports events as the national anthem of England. This is based on proposals put forward by a number of British MPs.

Earlier, David Cameron, the former British Prime Minister, also revealed that the English state has its own national anthem like Wales and Scotland.

Meanwhile, a Labour legislator named Toby Perkins said that the new British national anthem would confirm the concept that the UK is a union of four countries with their own identities.

He revealed that the song titled Jerusalem was considered the right choice as the new British national anthem. The songwriter is Willian Blake, an 18th-century poet.

However, the idea received opposition from a number of parties, one of whom was Jacob Rees-Mogg, a legislator, he assessed, the adoption of the British national anthem, not the UK, would make the UK government divided by supporting individual nationalism.

The royal family also spoke up. Margaret Rhodes, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, said the proposal was a disrespectful act. The United Kingdom doesn't support it.

"We all always have the pleasure of singing God Save The Queen. I see no reason to change that," Rhodes said.

"Her Majesty always said, she only reigns as long as the British people want her, but I think what they think tends to be disrespectful. That's a ridiculous idea."

Melody of English nationality song

The song God Save the Queen uses melodies by British solo-instrumental composer John Bull. Uniquely, the same melody was used by other countries as their national anthem melody.

Some of these songs were Heil Dir im Siegerkranz, 1870-1922 (Germany), Rufst du, mein Vaterland (Switzerland), even the United States in God Save George Washington. Some other countries that used John Bull's melody as the melody of the national anthem were Russia, Denmark, and Sweden.

Today, the country that still uses the same melody as God Save the Queen is the national anthem of Lichtenstein. If the English national anthem is heard without lyrics, the people of Lichtenstein can be fooled.

Lyrics of the English national anthem

"God Save the Queen"

God save our gracious Queen,

Long live our noble queen,

God save the Queen;

Send her victorious,

Happy and glorious,

Long to reign over us:

God save the Queen.

Oh Lord, our God, arise,

Scatter her enemies,

And make them fall

Confound their politics,

Frustrate their knavish tricks,

On Three our hopes we fix,

God save us all.

Thy choicest gifts in store.

On her be pleased to pour;

Long may she reign:

May she defend our laws,

And ever give us cause

To sing with heart and voice

God save the Queen

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