O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their lov’d homes and the war’s desolation;
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the heav’n-rescued land
Praise the Pow’r that hath made and preserv’d us as a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause. it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Happy Independence Day America–the greatest force for good in the world. I love you!

I wanted to do something for this day so I will post some versions of the national anthem of the United States.

The first performance, at the top of this post, is Destiny’s Child. While not the most awe inspiring, it is beautiful and intimate. I like it a lot.

Second will be another overlooked version by Christina Aguilera. Wow, this woman can sing. Note that there is hardly any, if any, echo or reverb in this rendition. For a singer to pull off keeping something powerful and clear without reverb is horribly hard and Christina does it! Not the most technically perfect rendition, but sweet none-the-less.

Third, Carrie Underwood, American Idol Winner. Yep, you bet! She rocks. What a beautiful singing voice she has. Tears me up everytime! I love ya, Carrie!

Forth, Whitney Houston, a marvelous performance and one for the archives. It is moving. It is beautiful. But she does not have the emotion of Beyonce. So, I don’t like this one as much as Beyonce’s. It is awesome though and many people consider this the best of all…

Fifth, one that most people won’t even care about, but means a great deal to me. This is from 9/11 and a show of unity from our friends in Great Britain. The Queen had the Star Spangled Banner played at the changing of the Queen’s Guard.

I think also, it might be prudent, to post the full version of The Star Spangled Banner. Please take a few moments and read these beautiful lyrics. I wish the last stanza was the anthem for it is even more powerful and lovely than the first, but hey not my call :)

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro’ the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watch’d, were so gallantly streaming?

And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro’ the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen thro’ the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?

Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
‘T is the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their lov’d homes and the war’s desolation;
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the heav’n-rescued land
Praise the Pow’r that hath made and preserv’d us as a nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause. it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And because no nation can do it alone, here are a couple patriotic songs in thank you to two of our greatest allies. One, Great Britain, once the country we broke from and now our brother in arms. :)

This is Rule Britannia, one of the most famous of Britain’s patriotic melodies. I love it and find it quite inspiring.

Can’t do Britain without doing “Heart of Oak”, the song of the Royal Navy. This song contains both Heart of Oak and Rule Britannia.
Trivia: This song was sung by the cast of Star Trek the Next Generation in Allegiances.

Now, a truly beautiful national anthem.

Austrailian
Australia, the greatest ally the United States has ever had. One of the most beautiful and inspiring national anthem ever written, this is what an anthem is supposed to be. It is one of my favorite songs.

Sung by Human Nature and Julie Anthony at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
Please, please watch this as it is moving, beautiful and what many, not just me, consider the best rendition of any national anthem ever at an Olympic Ceremony or perhaps anywhere.

I just have to put the lyrics on here to this lovely song:

Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We’ve golden soil and wealth for toil,
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in Nature’s gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history’s page, let every stage
Advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing,
“Advance Australia fair!”

Beneath our radiant southern Cross,
We’ll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who’ve come across the seas
We’ve boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To advance Australia fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing
“Advance Australia fair!”

Thank you Britain and Australia for being allies we can count upon and friends we can cherish.

To close this post, my favorite version of The Star Spangled Banner, by Beyonce Knowles. I love this.
I am going to be singing The Star Spangled Banner ( the full version not the normal one ) at karaoke on Saturday and I can’t wait. I love my country so much. We have done so much good for the world. We have great allies and good friends. People from all over the world, every day, dream of coming to America and participating in this democracy. Even though haters like Howard Zinn, Michael Moore, and Noam Chomsky try to disrupt and distract, the beauty that is the people of this country comes shining through. We must not allow the negative to overwhelm the positive and keep remembering that though we may make mistakes and sometimes do the wrong thing, in the end, this country, her people, are still a shining beacon of light in a world surrounded by darkness.

To quote Ronald Reagan:

I know in my heart that man is good.
That what is right will always eventually triumph.
And there’s purpose and worth to each and every life.

I love you America. Happy Birthday!

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