Border Telegraph | News | The national anthem challenge

Wednesday, 7th January, 2009

Published: Wednesday, 5th April, 2006 11:14

The national anthem challenge

By Border Telegraph Newsroom

FOR any athlete, hearing your national anthem while standing victorious on the winner’s podium must rank as one of the most emotional moments of one’s career.

Even the hardiest of competitors have been reduced to blubbering wrecks once the opening bars strike up and echo around the stadium.

But for Scotland’s gold medallists at the recent Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, the strongest emotion must have been one of confusion.

Just imagine – you’ve got your medal round your neck, you’re all ready to start singing about sending proud Edward’s army home tae think again, and then.

Da-da-dada-da-da-da! Da-da-dada-da-da-da!

Scotland the Brave? But I thought Flower of Scotland was the national anthem! I don’t know the words to Scotland the Brave!

So what is Scotland’s national anthem? Which one is it?

That is exactly the question that First Minister, Jack McConnell, asked recently, when he called for a debate on what Scotland’s national anthem should be.

He said: “If you’re trying to choose a national anthem, then it has to work in a whole variety of different settings, and I think that’s the challenge.

“It has to work when the flag is going up the pole at the Games, it has to work when the crowd is singing it at a big sporting event, and it has to work in the school.

“But I can’t think of any of them that actually work in all of those circumstances.”

Mr McConnell nominated Highland Cathedral as his favourite, but also mentioned Auld Land Syne, Scots Wha Hae and Flower of Scotland.

So what should it be?

The Borders, of course, has a rich musical heritage. So who better to ask than the Borders people who are keeping that heritage alive, in whatever way, today.

Judy Steel is a well-renowned expert on James Hogg. With leading academics currently delving into the Ettrick Shepherd’s vast canon of songs, surely Hogg would be an ideal candidate to supply Scotland’s national anthem.

Not according to Lady Steel.

“I can’t think of any of Hogg’s songs that would do,” she said. “Some of them are quite well known, but I can’t think of any that actually struck that particular chord.

“My favourite for a national anthem for Scotland is A Man’s A Man. They sang it at the opening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.

“It was sung solo, and the MSPs joined in the last verse. It was very emotional.”

But what about the views of the musicians themselves?

Jesse Rae is internationally known for both his music and his patriotism. Not surprisingly, the question of Scotland’s national anthem is one he has pondered many times before.

He said: “Flower of Scotland is such a dour tune, and rhythmically it is so poor and difficult for people to sing along to. It was never meant to be an anthem.

“Scotland The Brave is cheery, and pipe bands can play it well. When you watch the French singing their anthem, it is so uplifting.

“But we need a new one altogether. It has to be written specifically, because you can’t adapt something.

“I have written a couple that I think would work well. It has to be rhythmic, simple, and everybody has to be able to sing along.”

Whatever our national anthem is going to be, it needs to be the popular choice of the people. We, after all, are going to be the ones singing it.

So who better to comment than someone who is in touch with the record-buying public every day, someone who has his ear to the ground.

Kelv Norris is manager of the Kozmic Lounge music shop in Galashiels.

He said: “AC/DC released a single in 1976 called Jailbreak, with a song on the flipside called Fling Thing. It is the Loch Lomond tune.

“You can imagine one guitar giving it big licks for Loch Lomond and thousands of people singing it like they do at a rock concert. It is either that or Donald Where’s Your Troosers!

“I don’t think people would go for it, but that is just a personal choice. But whatever it is, it needs to be something upbeat and interesting.”

Mr Norris may know what is going on at street level, but he’s just not down with the kids.

One person who is, however, is Earlston High School’s head of music, Jeff Thomson.

He said: “I asked pupils in a third year music class, and they unanimously said Flower of Scotland.

“They have just done a Scottish topic, and they feel that it is a simple song and they know the words. It is also associated with the Scotland rugby team.

“Myself personally, I think it is more like an anthem rather than Scotland The Brave, which is a march. It is a very straightforward melody, so it makes sense.”

So there you have it. Not one person in the Borders musical meritocracy can agree on what should be chosen to be Scotland’s national anthem.

But that’s democracy for you, and don’t think the Border Telegraph readers are excluded from that.

We want to hear from you. Whether you think it should be Flower Of Scotland or Franz Ferdinand, you can register your opinion at www.bordertelegraph.com

But whatever your choice is, don’t expect everyone else to be singing from the same hymnsheet.

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