Anthem Insufficient (published 11/14/2007)

The article, "Our Nation's Favorite Song" by Geoffrey Nunberg, dissects the three foremost songs in the running for the title of national anthem. He cites the United States Congress of World War I, a Madison, Wisconsin school board and an unspecified number of people who support the opinion that "The Star Spangled Banner" is too militaristic.

The title of "God Bless America" is much too controversial, not to mention Nunberg's assertion that many Americans would prefer "their official anthem to be a bit mustier and more decorously phrased."

Nunberg's objections to "America the Beautiful" include the "overblown language," the song's focus on the American landscape circa the late 19th century and that "no other country tells its story as the history of a single regime," a fact Nunberg believes "ought to figure prominently in whatever anthem we sing."

Nunberg is at least partly correct: "The Star Spangled Banner," "America the Beautiful" and "God Bless America" are excellent songs in their own right, but none of them -- "The Star Spangled Banner" included -- reflect accurately enough what it means to be an American today. To be worthy of the title of the national anthem the song should reflect life in America today rather than represent this country's history.

"The Star Spangled Banner" is, when taken in the context of history, not overly militaristic as it was written to reflect a military battle. With the religious diversity in the U.S., making "God Bless America" the national anthem would be a slap in the face to those Americans who do not believe in a higher power referred to specifically as "God."

"America the Beautiful" is an incredible song, but like "God Bless America" the inclusion of God in the lyrics may turn out to be a point of contention. The exclusion of any mention of democracy or the things that make the U.S. an incredible country to be a part of plays a big part in why the song is not appropriate as a national anthem.

To be fair, a song that is absolutely perfect probably does not exist, and it may very well be impossible for any one person to compose a song that can capture all the nuances of U.S. culture and what it means to be an American. This is especially because the face of America is always in flux, and a four-minute song may be the most difficult medium in which to express that.

Even more important than whether or not an appropriate song exists or not is how the song will come into being -- who will write the lyrics? Will the song even have lyrics? What will the music be?

It's more about what is included and excluded in the song. There is much to be proud about America: the diverse population, scientific and technological advances, outstanding literary and cinematic achievements such as "The Catcher in the Rye" and "The Princess Bride," the Constitution and the fact that it has grown and changed along with the changes in American society and the world and much more.

At the same time, however, there is even more about America to be ashamed of: corruption in everything from professional sports to Fortune 500 companies and the government, homophobia, racism, ageism, religious intolerance, sexism and poverty.

As far as I am concerned, anyone and everyone from George W. Bush to Ellen Degeneres can have their say as to what they think the national anthem should be or who should write it.

What truly bothers me is that this is even up for debate when somewhere in the country a woman's son is in the hospital because someone didn't like his skin color, and a man is watching his partner of 24 years die because the company he works for doesn't provide its employees with domestic partner benefits.

I cannot imagine what that must be like, but I do know that it must be incredibly, unbelievably difficult for either of those two people to care if the national anthem is changed or not. When those issues -- not only health care and racism, but the myriad of other issues mentioned above -- are actively being addressed and not being shoved under the rug is when the national anthem should be changed, if ever.