Latino radio station plays the Star Spangled Banner in SPANISH!!!

[~hellbaby~]

The morning show of a latino radio station in California, called the morning Invasion has been playing a Spanish version of the Star Spangled Banner. Is it only me, or does this make anyone else really angry? NPR had the story on about an hour ago. They could at least have the fucking respect to get the translation right.!!!WTF???





All Things Considered, April 28, 2006 · An all-star lineup of Latin performers will sing a new, Spanish version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" on a new album to be released in May, Somos Americanos ("We Are Americans").

Supporters hope the song, "Nuestro Himno" ("Our Hymn"), will show their desire to become part of the United States. Critics say the U.S. national anthem is a strictly English-language tradition.

Nico Jones, host of "The Morning Invasion" on Latino 96.3 in Los Angeles, talks to Melissa Block about the controversy.



Lyrics to 'Nuestro Himno' ('Our Hymn')
Amanece, lo veis?, a la luz de la aurora?

lo que tanto aclamamos la noche caer?

sus estrellas sus franjas

flotaban ayer

en el fiero combate

en señal de victoria,

fulgor de lucha, al paso de la libertada.

Por la noche decían:

"Se va defendiendo!"

Oh decid! Despliega aún

Voz a su hermosura estrellada,

sobre tierra de libres,

la bandera sagrada?

Sus estrellas, sus franjas,

la libertad, somos iguales.

Somos hermanos, en nuestro himno.

En el fiero combate en señal de victoria,

Fulgor de lucha, al paso de la libertada.

Mi gente sigue luchando.

Ya es tiempo de romper las cadenas.

Por la noche decían: "!Se va defendiendo!"

Oh decid! Despliega aún su hermosura estrellada

sobre tierra de libres,

la bandera sagrada?

English translation:

By the light of the dawn, do you see arising,

what we proudly hailed at twilight's last fall?

Its stars, its stripes

yesterday streamed

above fierce combat

a gleaming emblem of victory

and the struggle toward liberty.

Throughout the night, they proclaimed:

"We will defend it!"

Tell me! Does its starry beauty still wave

above the land of the free,

the sacred flag?

Its stars, its stripes,

liberty, we are the same.

We are brothers in our anthem.

In fierce combat, a gleaming emblem of victory

and the struggle toward liberty.

My people fight on.

The time has come to break the chains.

Throughout the night they proclaimed, "We will defend it!"

Tell me! Does its starry beauty still wave

above the land of the free,

the sacred flag?

 

[KRCummings]

What's your problem with the translation?
I think it should be in english though but I also think english should be the national language.

 

[Pookie]

The morning show of a latino radio station in California, called the morning Invasion has been playing a Spanish version of the Star Spangled Banner. Is it only me, or does this make anyone else really angry? NPR had the story on about an hour ago. They could at least have the fucking respect to get the translation right.!!!WTF???

Really angry? Really?

 

[Wok]

Really angry? Really?

I would have assumed Ish to be really angry about something like that.


But I have been wrong before...

 

[KRCummings]

I would have assumed Ish to be really angry about something like that.


But I have been wrong before...

Never admit you're wrong on here. It's a sign of weakness.

 

[LadyFunkenstein]

When most songs are translated, liberties are taken in order to maintain the meter, the rhyme etc.

If you are really angry, it probably is only you.

Freedom of Speech of course. And The corporation (radio station) can and should play whatever it sees fit so long as it doesn't run afoul of the FCC.

Don't like it? Change the station.

 

[dolf]

america has no official language, so how can there be a right or wrong version?

shouldn't people be happy that these people feel so patriotic?
shouldn't this be taken as a sign that they believe in the american way?
is it so awful that they should sing/listen to this in the language that they speak at home and are most comfortable with?

call me a crazy euro-liberal...but angry? i just don't get it

 

[islandman]

Should I expect another thread ranting about how most English-speaking citizens don't know the words to the Star Spangled Banner despite years of public schooling? Perhaps these immoral citizens should be given 40 lashes, eh?

A Spanish-language Star Spangled Banner is a non-event so long as hispanic or other immigrants understand that citizenship includes a English-language requirement and they recite the Pledge in English as they're sworn in as American citizens. Everything else, including this thread, is anti-immigration bullshit designed to raise fervor.

 

[Wok]

Never admit you're wrong on here. It's a sign of weakness.

It does not bother me.

 

[Pookie]

I would have assumed Ish to be really angry about something like that.

Good call.

The tune used for the Star Spangled Banner was "borrowed" anyways. Getting "really angry" at others doing the same for their own version seems sorta silly to me.

 

[KRCummings]

Should I expect another thread ranting about how most English-speaking citizens don't know the words to the Star Spangled Banner despite years of public schooling? Perhaps these immoral citizens should be given 40 lashes, eh?

A Spanish-language Star Spangled Banner is a non-event so long as hispanic or other immigrants understand that citizenship includes a English-language requirement and they recite the Pledge in English as they're sworn in as American citizens. Everything else, including this thread, is anti-immigration bullshit designed to raise fervor.

I can understand why people think it should be in english. I think it should be but not because of a persons nationality or anything. Just a dumb patriotic thing I guess. I have no ill feelings towards immigrants or their languages and if they really feel the need to sing in another language then oh well, I'm not gonna lose any sleep over it.
I do think we should have a national language but once again that's probably just a patriotic feeling more than anything else. It doesn't really bother me that we don't have one.

 

[dolf]

where's tang god?

{he does vanity search, so he should find this now}

i'm sure he'd have lots to say on the subject.

 

[Wok]

Good call.

The tune used for the Star Spangled Banner was "borrowed" anyways. Getting "really angry" at others doing the same for their own version seems sorta silly to me.

I had no idea it was borrowed from another song. Was the author sued by the RIAA or BMI/ASCAP?

 

[John Doe]

Now I want to see someone translate it into Japanese and then back.

It is muchly a happy fun song of our donkey gorilla nation.

 

[beetlebum]

If there's any language that the anthem should be sang in, it'd probably be Navajo or some other native language... so why should anyone give three shits?


The French anthem was translated to English and sang before too, the Frenchies weren't bitter about it.

Grow up

 

[Pookie]

I had no idea it was borrowed from another song. Was the author sued by the RIAA or BMI/ASCAP?

Here something I found about it:

The tune
It is possible that Key only ever intended this as a poem; there was nothing in his original notes to suggest a tune. However, there was a very popular tune of the time, for which had been written many differents sets of words. Perhaps the most notable of these was Robert Treat Paine's ode, Adams and Liberty, written for the Massachusetts Charitable Fire Society in 1798. All these songs had the same distinctive form and metre, and there can be no doubt that Key was heavily influenced by it.

When the handbills were printed, they bore the name of this tune to which the poem should be sung - To Anacreon In Heaven. Somewhat ironically, this is a song written for a British drinking club!

The Anacreontic Society was a popular genetlemen's drinking club, based in a pub in the Strand, London. The words of the song had been written by the society's president, Ralph Tomlinson, but the tune is more of a mystery.

At one time, the English composer Dr Thomas Arnold was thought to be its composer - Arnold had written numerous songs for the society. However, it is now accepted that the tune was probably written collectively by a group of members, led by John Stafford Smith, probably in 1771.

http://www.miketodd.net/encyc/anthem.htm

 

[KRCummings]

If there's any language that the anthem should be sang in, it'd probably be Navajo or some other native language... so why should anyone give three shits?


The French anthem was translated to English and sang before too, the Frenchies weren't bitter about it.

Grow up

The French are always bitter so they were probably pissed about it but nobody noticed.

 

[beetlebum]

The French are always bitter so they were probably pissed about it but nobody noticed.

Well that is true

 

[islandman]

I can understand why people think it should be in english. I think it should be but not because of a persons nationality or anything. Just a dumb patriotic thing I guess. I have no ill feelings towards immigrants or their languages and if they really feel the need to sing in another language then oh well, I'm not gonna lose any sleep over it.
I do think we should have a national language but once again that's probably just a patriotic feeling more than anything else. It doesn't really bother me that we don't have one.

I think we should have one as well, however, not for patriotic reasons. For one, language binds people together (okay so that's maybe a little patriotic, but its also practical, to create a unified national identity). Immigrants come to the US for many reasons. It stands to reason that the US ask a few things of them, such as obeying our laws, watching football religiously and be able to communicate with their fellow citizens. For another, having a national language will also cut down on the cost of translating and printing everything in multiple languages.

 

[~hellbaby~]

america has no official language, so how can there be a right or wrong version?

shouldn't people be happy that these people feel so patriotic?
shouldn't this be taken as a sign that they believe in the american way?
is it so awful that they should sing/listen to this in the language that they speak at home and are most comfortable with?

call me a crazy euro-liberal...but angry? i just don't get it

If they are singing the song to show how important Becoming a US citizen and American Patriotism is they should get the words right, it is not like you cannot find a copy of them anywhere. I'd say the intended language of the National Anthem is the one it was written in, the one that currently an overwhelming percentage of Americans speak, the one the Patriots who shed blood and died so we could even have a country to immigrate to, spoke. But thats just me, I think they should learn the language too. Bush even thinks so, woo wee how's that, I agree with the President.
Patriotism doesn't mean you have to know all the words off the top of your head, but you should respect what they represent enough to write them down the correct way. IMO anyway.

 

[KRCummings]

If they are singing the song to show how important Becoming a US citizen and American Patriotism is they should get the words right, it is not like you cannot find a copy of them anywhere. I'd say the intended language of the National Anthem is the one it was written in, the one that currently an overwhelming percentage of Americans speak, the one the Patriots who shed blood and died so we could even have a country to immigrate to, spoke. But thats just me, I think they should learn the language too. Bush even thinks so, woo wee how's that, I agree with the President.
Patriotism doesn't mean you have to know all the words off the top of your head, but you should respect what they represent enough to write them down the correct way. IMO anyway.

Why aren't they correct?
It's from english to spainish and back to english. They are probably dead-on.

 

[islandman]

If they are singing the song to show how important Becoming a US citizen and American Patriotism is they should get the words right, it is not like you cannot find a copy of them anywhere. I'd say the intended language of the National Anthem is the one it was written in, the one that currently an overwhelming percentage of Americans speak, the one the Patriots who shed blood and died so we could even have a country to immigrate to, spoke. But thats just me, I think they should learn the language too. Bush even thinks so, woo wee how's that, I agree with the President.
Patriotism doesn't mean you have to know all the words off the top of your head, but you should respect what they represent enough to write them down the correct way. IMO anyway.

A growing number of citizens who opted to not vote in the more recent presidential elections could care less than they owe their freedoms to 'the Patriots who shed blood and died so we could even have a country to immigrate to'. Yet you hold immigrants to a higher stand, one dripping with ethnocentrism.

 

[dolf]

If they are singing the song to show how important Becoming a US citizen and American Patriotism is they should get the words right, it is not like you cannot find a copy of them anywhere. I'd say the intended language of the National Anthem is the one it was written in, the one that currently an overwhelming percentage of Americans speak, the one the Patriots who shed blood and died so we could even have a country to immigrate to, spoke. But thats just me, I think they should learn the language too. Bush even thinks so, woo wee how's that, I agree with the President.
Patriotism doesn't mean you have to know all the words off the top of your head, but you should respect what they represent enough to write them down the correct way. IMO anyway.

ever listened to translated songs?

you really do need to make small changes or you lose the ryhme & rythm.

also, i'm sure there are plenty of soldiers who speak/spoke spanish as a first language.
i'm sure that some of the troops dying in the desert right now would be lifted by hearing it in the language they grew up with.

learning the language doesn't mean giving up their own language...they can speak both and sing both.
hell, a second language is encouraged in schools!
why are they expected to forget their roots? it won't make them any more or less american.

 

[~hellbaby~]

When most songs are translated, liberties are taken in order to maintain the meter, the rhyme etc.

If you are really angry, it probably is only you.

Freedom of Speech of course. And The corporation (radio station) can and should play whatever it sees fit so long as it doesn't run afoul of the FCC.

Don't like it? Change the station.

I just listened to it again and it is described as a 'loose' translation. On average, the disc jockey said 60% of the audience was offended by the song because what it stands for.

 

[Pookie]

I think it's cute that many of the people who openly advocate making english the national language seem to struggle speaking the language themselves.