National Anthems

[Steve Burke]

Yes, Steve. The Aussies used it for the last rugby World Cup.

 

Cheers, Alan, I didn't know that.

 

Thanks for posting the words. I can almost hear Judith Durham's beautiful voice singing her verses.

 

The song's almost enough to inspire me to become Australian!

[Alan Stubbs]

Cheers, Alan, I didn't know that.

 

Thanks for posting the words. I can almost hear Judith Durham's beautiful voice singing her verses.

 

The song's almost enough to inspire me to become Australian!

 

 

I saw Judith Durham sing at Ronnie Scott's a fair few years ago. She has a real feel for jazz - and her voice is wonderful, too.

[Steve Burke]

I saw Judith Durham sing at Ronnie Scott's a fair few years ago. She has a real feel for jazz - and her voice is wonderful, too.

 

IMO Judith Durham has one of the best female voices around. Peggy's seen Judith Durham live. I'm not so keen on jazz, but we've both been to reunion concerts of the Seekers.

 

The dimming of the lights and the stage set for "I Am Australian" is superb - certainly the song is one of the highlights of any Seekers concert.

[Alan Stubbs]

IMO Judith Durham has one of the best female voices around.

 

No argument from me, there. Another singer well worth listening to - and she suffers commercially for being a really good interpreter of many styles of music rather than being pigeon-holed, is June Tabor.

 

Your comment about the 'dimming of the lights' at a concert imediately had me singing June tabor's version of 'Dimming of the Day' - Thanks Steve, that's another CD I have to dig out now!

 

You should also hear her versions of Eric Bogle's war songs 'the Band Playerd Waltzing Matilda' (about ANZAC day) and 'Private William McBride' with its references to the Scottish lament 'Flowers of the Forest'. Time well spent, I promise.

Edited June 7, 2006 by Alan Stubbs

[DavyR]

Time well spent, I promise.

 

Seconded. The only female vocalist guaranteed to send shivers down my spine, whatever she's singing. If you like "dark", then listen to "Echo of Hooves", her album of Scottish Border Ballads.

[argyll]

Ah Willie McBride,. We're going full circle Alan.

 

Whilst checking out the Jill Andersen version of 'Fields of Athenry' I found a recording by her of 'Willie McBride' The next thing I found was this wonderful spoof version below by Donal Hegarty, a man who clearly had been asked to sing 'Willie McBride' once too often.

 

http://www.chivalry.com/cantaria/sounds/wi...ride-satire.mp3

 

Well you go to the bar of a Saturday night

For a pint and a song, everything seems all right

Til some drunken punter flops down by your side

And asks you to sing about Willie McBride

Well you say you don't know it, but this will not do

For now he's determined to sing it to you.

Arm round your shoulder, for now he's your friend

And he's going to sing the damn thing til the end

 

Well you go to the gents for a quarter of an hour

And you watch TV in the old public bar

And when you return, thinking that he has tired

Christ he's still going on about gas and barbed wire

And ten minutes later your still in a trance

For he's up to his ochsters in the Green Fields of France

And searching around now you won't hear a peep

For the punters by now, Christ, they've all gone to sleep.

 

Oh Willie McBride, why the hell did you die?

The trouble you'da saved if you'd come back to life

If you'd got a good job or joined the dole queue

We'd not have to listen to songs about you

But, och, I don't know now, I'm glad that you're dead

With the Green Fields of France plied up over your head

For the trouble that you caused since the day that you died

Shootin's too good for you, Willie McBride

 

And tell me McBride, what the hell was your game

With a photograph stuck in a mouldy old frame

You can buy them at Smithfield's for ten p a throw

So what's all the fuss about, I'd like to know

And what's all this talk about barbed wire and smoke

You shouldn't have joined if you can't take a joke

Sure we don't care where the red poppies dance

Oh Willie McBride, will you give us a chance

 

Do they drink the pints slowly or do they lower them down

Do the barmen join in with the punters

Sayin' we're glad that's all over?

Edited June 7, 2006 by argyll

[Steve Burke]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys.

 

I'll almost certainly be in the minority here, but the singer who most sends shivers down my spine is the late Tammy Wynette. There was an excellent two part radio progamme by Bob Harris on her life a couple of weeks ago. I was fortunate enough to see her twice at the Leas Cliff Hall in Folkestone in the 80s. What a voice!

 

I wonder what Tammy would have chosen for her national anthem? Certainly the First Lady of the Country, Hilary Clinton, had to climb down when she criticised the First Lady of Country Music. This was for the words to Stand by Your Man! Not my own favourite Tammy song though. I prefer ones when the great break in her voice shines through.

Edited June 7, 2006 by Steve Burke

[peterpikefisher]

there used to be 6, one of which was very nasty about the Scots. No wonder they don't like the English

thats why one of our lot wrote FLOWER OF SCOTLAND with the line about edwards army

mind you the scots anthem is far better than the sasanach one by a long way..

next thing some fool will have the crazy frog singing god save the queen , how bad would that be for your football teem & supporters ....

[poledark]

Aaaaaaahhhhh Juduth Durham...wonderful voice and interpretation...."Danny Boy"............Beeeeeeeautiful

 

Worth starting this topic just to be reminded of her lovely voice...

 

Den........(goes off singing....)

[five bellies]

i remember Billy Connolly doing a 'skit' where he was referring to the Olympic games opening ceremony where all these nations come bounding in to their bright , bouncy anthems and then us Brits come in , looking like a funeral march. His solution to 'perk' us up ? - change our national anthem to the ' ARCHERS THEME TUNE '

 

Imagine that - Beckham standing there , before the WC final , ready for the most important footy game ever and over the stadium speakers.....

 

Dum de dum de dum de dum , dum de dum de da da.........brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it

 

Note : If you don't know the Archers theme tune , this will mean nothing to you whatsoever

 

 

That very scetch enterd my head as well And I think he's right!