How Would a Patriot Rock?

Oh it's a patriotic music-video contest, is it? In that case, here's a different flavor of '80s flashback:

And another:

I know the cool kids like to say that the National Anthem is a lousy song, but I'm partial to good a harmony take. Especially performed by a bunch of six-year-olds:

And is America the kind of country that can attract a recent Italian immigrant who not only becomes a member of the border-patrolling Minutemen movement, but also pens patriotic songs that out-Bon Jovi's Bon Jovi? Do you even have to ask?

Speaking of immigrants, re-live Reason.tv's great Dan Hayes vid on The Pursuit of Happiness below:

More patriotic porn here.

Comments

[The Angry Optimist]

Yeah, I'm not gonna sit here and watch all that. Thanks, though.

[sage]

Here's one for Warty. Bang your head!

;-}

[Suki]

Thank you service members and veterans for your service to our nation. Thank you for another day of freedom!

[AA]

Anything for you, Suki.

[SIV]

America
Exceptional? Hell Yeah!
Perfect? No

MC5

The American Ruse

[Graham Wellington]

"And if today
I don't have to speak British,
Thank y- Oh... You know, wait a minute."

You know, I'm actually not sure what my point is, but it probably has something to do with nationalism.

[80sfan]

Yeah, that Emma Lazarus stuff is so passe. Whatever, paultards

[Torontonian]

Okay, I admit it. Your national anthem is way better than ours.

Possibly because it actually means something, instead of being a patched together heap of random patriotic phrases.

[Matt Welch]

Really, I always liked yours better. Grass is always greener, I suppose.

For a *real* funeral march, though, check out Hungary's some time.

[Torontonian]

The Soviets had a pretty awesome anthem. (I think the Russians have adopted it post break-up.)

Don't understand the words, but it sounds pretty iconic.

[Jesse Walker]

In the spirit of cheese, here's a very special version of the Soviet anthem.

[CatoTheElder]

National anthems -- at least if you ignore the words -- are one of the very few things that totalitarian dictatorships do better than liberal democracies.

[alan]

Simply change the current anthem to James Brown's Living in America and that problem is solved instantly.

[Suki]

I agree with Matt. Blame Canada is the greatest anthem ever.

[Wesley]

I too like the Star Spangled Banner better than O Canada. That being said, both are better in French.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSSdDR5BnEA

[P Brooks]

I like the Italian national anthem, which gets played on the podium when Ferrari wins an F1 race.

[Tiggy Sow]

Wow, Patriots are way cool man

Lou
http://www.total-anonymity.es.tc

[Isaac Bartram]

What I can't figure out is why the Fourth of July concert ends with a piece of music written to celebrate the triumph of am eastern mystical monarchist tyranny over the forces of rationalism and democracy in Europe. 🙂

Also, why is the processional at American high school graduations accompanied by a British patriotic song?

[Isaac Bartram]

Geez, I guess nobody knows.

[rah62]

Roseanne's version of the National Anthem remains my favorite.

[kf]

Those are freakishly tall six-year-olds.

[AlmightyJB]

Yeah, and their parents didn't dress them like whores. Must have been an old video.

[BakedPenguin]

WTF? Why were the "Tiggy Sow" comments deleted?

[BakedPenguin]

My mistake - anon bot used the same faux handle on 2 threads.

[Brian Sorgatz]

Just to be cantankerous (you know me), I'll link to a YouTube lip-sync of the British drinking song whose melody became that of our national anthem. Since it celebrates the arts of Venus and Bacchus rather than of Mars, this version of the lyrics may be morally superior. I'm just saying.

[CatoTheElder]

If you don't include Jimi Hendrix' Star-Spangled Banner, you don't know squat about patriot rock.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3222428405488271724#

[AlmightyJB]

Word. Totally incomplete without that.

[pmains]

Welch neglected the Guitar of Liberty. Can't get more patriotic than that.

[teri]

Here are some other very cool versions of the Star Spangled Banner, http://danielminteer.9f.com/photo.html

[teri]

Here's are some other really cool versions of the Star Spangled Banner, http://danielminteer.9f.com/photo.html