Michael Kinsley
The Washington Post
“‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ has to go,” said Michael Kinsley. As a national anthem, Francis Scott Key’s “notoriously unsingable” song is highly flawed. The melody, stolen from an old English drinking song, “spans nearly two octaves, when most people are good for one, max.” The first eight lines constitute “one enormous sentence,” with no good place to catch your breath. In the entire first verse, the only vaguely American ideal is “land of the free”; the rest is just “bombs and war and bloodshed.”
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Fortunately, there are plenty of good alternatives. “My Country ’Tis of Thee,” for example, combines a simple melody with such true American sentiments as “sweet land of liberty.” The “beautiful, inspiring lyrics” of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” are neatly contained within one octave. Irving Berlin’s optimistic, energetic “God Bless America” would also do nicely. So would Woody Guthrie’s catchy, egalitarian “This Land Is Your Land.” Other suggestions are welcome. “Anything would be better than those ‘bombs bursting in air,’” especially since they usually arrive off-key.
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