Star-Spangled Banner in Spanish brings discord
Star-Spangled Banner in Spanish brings discord
By Holly Yeager
Published: April 28 2006 23:43 | Last updated: April 28 2006 23:56. Copyright by The Financial Times
In case there was any doubt, President George W. Bush made one thing perfectly clear on Friday: he thinks the US national anthem should be sung in English.
The presidential declaration may seem an odd one. But an intense debate on immigration – and the release on Friday of Nuestro Himno, a Spanish-language version of The Star-Spangled Banner – have prompted sudden discord over the song.
Organisers of the effort said they hoped the tune would become a rallying cry for immigrants across the country, who have planned a national boycott and marches on Monday.
But some advocates of immigrants’ rights fear that the effort may instead lead to a backlash. Michelle Malkin, a conservative columnist, dubbed the song The Illegal Alien Anthem. And the president said he did not think the song would hold the same value if sung in Spanish.
“The national anthem ought to be sung in English,” Mr Bush told reporters gathered in the Rose Garden to hear the president discuss the US economy.
“And I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English, and they ought to learn to sing the national anthem in English.”
The original was written by Francis Scott Key during the War of 1812, fought between the US and Britain, mainly along the Canadian border. It was set to the tune of To Anacreon in Heaven, an 18th-century English drinking song. Hundreds of other versions have been recorded, most famous among them Jimi Hendrix’s Vietnam war-inspired rendition.
The Spanish-language version was recorded over the past week by several Latin pop starts, including Gloria Trevi, Ivy Queen and Wyclef Jean, the Haitian-American musician, and copies were sent to Hispanic radio stations and other media. It begins as a close translation of the original but strays in parts, with phrases such as “We are brothers, that’s our anthem.”
The House of Representatives has approved an immigration bill that would make it a crime for anyone to be in the US illegally. A version under discussion in the Senate would create a guest worker programme and a path to legal citizenship for the estimated 11m who are already in the US illegally.
That plan has divided Republicans, with conservatives insisting that those who have entered the US illegally should not be rewarded with citizenship. Mr Bush has pressed Congress to pass a bill this year.
By Holly Yeager
Published: April 28 2006 23:43 | Last updated: April 28 2006 23:56. Copyright by The Financial Times
In case there was any doubt, President George W. Bush made one thing perfectly clear on Friday: he thinks the US national anthem should be sung in English.
The presidential declaration may seem an odd one. But an intense debate on immigration – and the release on Friday of Nuestro Himno, a Spanish-language version of The Star-Spangled Banner – have prompted sudden discord over the song.
Organisers of the effort said they hoped the tune would become a rallying cry for immigrants across the country, who have planned a national boycott and marches on Monday.
But some advocates of immigrants’ rights fear that the effort may instead lead to a backlash. Michelle Malkin, a conservative columnist, dubbed the song The Illegal Alien Anthem. And the president said he did not think the song would hold the same value if sung in Spanish.
“The national anthem ought to be sung in English,” Mr Bush told reporters gathered in the Rose Garden to hear the president discuss the US economy.
“And I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English, and they ought to learn to sing the national anthem in English.”
The original was written by Francis Scott Key during the War of 1812, fought between the US and Britain, mainly along the Canadian border. It was set to the tune of To Anacreon in Heaven, an 18th-century English drinking song. Hundreds of other versions have been recorded, most famous among them Jimi Hendrix’s Vietnam war-inspired rendition.
The Spanish-language version was recorded over the past week by several Latin pop starts, including Gloria Trevi, Ivy Queen and Wyclef Jean, the Haitian-American musician, and copies were sent to Hispanic radio stations and other media. It begins as a close translation of the original but strays in parts, with phrases such as “We are brothers, that’s our anthem.”
The House of Representatives has approved an immigration bill that would make it a crime for anyone to be in the US illegally. A version under discussion in the Senate would create a guest worker programme and a path to legal citizenship for the estimated 11m who are already in the US illegally.
That plan has divided Republicans, with conservatives insisting that those who have entered the US illegally should not be rewarded with citizenship. Mr Bush has pressed Congress to pass a bill this year.
posted by Carlos T Mock at 9:25 AM
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