Shortly after 911 a memorial ceremony was held on Parliament Hill. A band played a rousing rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Now as a Canadian I have mixed feelings about the goings on to the south, but I confess that on that occasion the American anthem gave me goosebumps. Then Oh Canada was sung, in the approved mix of official languages.
According to World Atlas, “(t)he national anthem, like other national symbols of a country, represents the tradition, history, and beliefs of a nation and its people. Hence, it helps evoke feelings of patriotism among the country's citizens and reminds them of their nation's glory, beauty, and rich heritage.”
Who can forget this scene from Casablanca: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOeFhSzoTuc Admittedly the words of the Marseillaise seem more in keeping with the 18th century than the 21st:
To arms, citizens!
Form your battalions
Let’s march, let’s march
That their impure blood
Should water our fields.
Nonetheless, the anthem’s ability to inspire is undeniable.
In 1990 Mikhail Gorbachev visited Ottawa. A radio station played the Soviet National Anthem. I was surprisingly moved, never having had much sympathy for the USSR. But it is an affecting tune.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrI28-4Zi_E
By comparison, Oh Canada is insipid.
The official words to Oh Canada have been changed at least twice since I learned it in elementary school. Watch the camera pan the crowd at a hockey game – you don’t have to be much of a lip reader to tell that quite a few of those singing don’t know, or choose not to use, the currently approved version. Then add to it the alternating French/English version. I suppose there are people in the Laurentians for whom that version can raise goosebumps, although I’ve never met anyone who said so. Worse, the current state of the Canadian Forces puts the lie to “we stand on guard for thee.”
Oh Canada doesn’t meet the definition above. While I understand that political sensitivities over the last generation or two make it impossible, I always thought that The Maple Leaf Forever would have been a better choice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qUIZluTItM