There will be a lot to miss about the Olympics this summer, with the postponement of the games, originally slated to begin in July in Toyko, to 2021. The pomp and pageantry; the nobler expressions of human endeavour and achievement, on field and water; the pride in being part of something that transcends conflict, race and religion. And—damn it—the national anthems. Strident, alarming, whimsical, hilarious, sometimes mildly disturbing—but invariably entertaining. First incorporated into medal ceremonies in 1924, they have an illustrious history with the games (despite Prince George William of Hanover, a loopy cousin of HM Queen Elizabeth, attempting to abolish them, along with every other symbol of nationalism, during his tenure as chairman of the International Olympic Committee in the late 60’s). Some poor soul will probably have already begin assembling recordings of the anthems of the more than 200 participating countries. Now they’ve got another year to complete the task; in the meantime, we’ve got a crib sheet to tide you over.
Who says they’re the most laid-back people in Europe? Having essentially ceded two wars to Austria (or three, depending on how you’re tabulating) in the 19th and 20th centuries, it’s probably not so surprising that Il Canto degli Italiani is basically one long (if admittedly pretty upbeat) axe-grind, with Italy’s not-so-gemutlich former oppressor as the primary target. That’s what you get for enlisting a hotblooded 20-year-old to write it (the Genoese Goffredo Mameli, who penned the lyrics in 1847 to accompany music by Michele Novaro).
Points for: surprising—and surprisingly creative—bellicosity.
Ace lyric sampling: “Already the eagle of Austria has lost its feathers/ the blood of Italy and the Polish blood drank with Cossacks/But its heart was burnt.” Whoa, whoa—con calma, eh?
Actual national anthem: Bella Ciao, the partisan resistance classic that has taken on new meaning sung from countless windows throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
It’s God Save The Queen—for now. At 94, Elizabeth Regina has reigned for so long that most of the world, let alone the Commonwealth, has forgotten that, eventually, there’s going to be a lyrical switch-up here. Glorious and victorious will still feature of course—just with a different Windsor, and set of chromosomes, in the picture. We are most pleased.
Points for: wit, pithiness, gender fluidity.
Ace lyric sampling: “Confound their politics/frustrate their knavish tricks/on Thee our hopes we fix/God save us all”. Any country that works the word ‘knave’ into its national anthem has our vote. So to speak.
