In fact, it was recycled often, with new lyrics added to it nearly every year, for a bewildering number of occasions. Right from the start the song was regarded as something special by 1800 it was hugely popular in both England and the newly-independent United States.
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It was the official song of the Anacreontic Society in London, and offered a pseudo-classical homage to club’s “patron saint.” To Anacreon in Heaven was a well-known, and well-loved part of this tradition. It’s humorous to note that during the nineteenth century glee club concerts were so wildly popular that colleges often scheduled them as fundraisers to help support their athletic programs. Indeed, glee clubs quickly became indispensable from college life in places like Harvard, Yale, or Wesleyan University. By the early 1800s every significant US city had at least one local glee club, as did most major colleges. With their mix of music, shared food and camaraderie, glee clubs were hugely popular on both sides of the Atlantic. Technically speaking, it was a “glee”-a specific type of part-song sung by amateur, all-male singing societies called glee clubs. The tune was written by John Stafford Smith around the year 1773, with the title To Anacreon in Heaven. A number of tall tales have sprung up about the song’s origins, with one oft-repeated story suggesting that it was originally a drinking song. The Star-Spangled Banner has a curious history, especially for a hallowed national anthem.
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I think the current National Anthem controversy is an example of the later. In my time, I’ve seen a great deal of revisionist history sometimes fresh thinking or a different perspective can help shed new light on a historical topic, but other times it can go too far and lose credibility. Most know me now as an arts writer or a music commentator, but previous to this I was a historian, and had the pleasure of teaching history at the University of Kansas for many years. I don’t agree that The Star-Spangled Banner is inherently racist, or that the lyrics are fundamentally about slavery.įrancis Scott Key’s poem, “Defence of Fort M’Henry,” celebrated an implausible American victory during the War of 1812. I do take issue with the resulting discussions, however. I hesitate to say much about Kaepernick’s original protest, other than to note that the issues he raises are real ones, and I support his right to protest. In the days the followed, others came forward and posited that the song itself was inherently racist, with Jon Schwartz writing the article, “Colin Kaepernick Is Righter Than You Know: The National Anthem Is a Celebration of Slavery” and Shaun King explaining “Why I’ll never stand again for ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’” A key element of their argument is that the third verse (rarely sung… or for that matter, much remembered today) makes reference to “hirelings and slaves.” They have gone on to argue that The Star-Spangled Banner was only adopted as our National Anthem relatively recently, so why not chuck it altogether? There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
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To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. He later offered the following explanation for his refusal: “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. It began with headlines when San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for The Star-Spangled Banner as it was played before a game against the Green Bay Packers. Over the last few weeks, our National Anthem has been at the center of controversy-a fact that is painfully obvious to anyone watching/reading/listening to the news.