Photo by Dave Sherrill on Unsplash
The Star Spangled Banner is the nickname of our flag, but it’s also the title of our national anthem. What should we know about how our national song came to be, and what makes it unique among national anthems around the world?
Here in the US, this week is THE biggest summer holiday week: Fourth of July week, when we celebrate our country’s birthday, the birth of American independence. In honor of this week’s celebration, today’s episode is a Fourth of July re-run from a few years ago, an evergreen episode on The Star Spangled Banner. The Star Spangled Banner is the nickname of the American flag, and also the title of our national anthem.
For my US listeners: Enhance your Independence Day celebrations and conversations with this background on how our national song came to be, and what makes it unique among national anthems around the world.
For my international listeners: You’ll be hearing this song in the 2024 Olympics whenever a US athlete or team wins the gold. Enhance your Olympic experience with this behind-the-curtain peek at a song I hope you’ll be hearing a lot in just a few weeks.
Guest
Joining me today from Washington, DC, is author and history consultant Tim Grove. Tim holds a graduate degree in history and an undergraduate degree in journalism. His career has included positions at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, the National Air and Space Museum, and the National Museum of American History, which is home to the Star-Spangled Banner. Tim writes history nonfiction and his most recent book is Star-Spangled: The Story of a Flag, a Battle, and the American Anthem.
Notes
We discuss:
- How the lyrics to The Star Spangled Banner came to be written.
- What we should know about Francis Scott Key, and why he had a close-up view of the action in this battle.
- The backstory of the music that the poem was set to and why it was an ironic match.
- The flag that inspired Key.
- When The Star Spangled Banner became our national anthem.
- Unlike most national anthems, ours tells a story of a historic event (vs. a song of prayers for blessings or proclaiming values of courage, freedom).
Connect/Other Resources
- Tim’s author website
- Tim’s author Facebook page: @timgroveauthor
- Tim blogs at HistoryPlaces.
- Tim’s most recent book is Star-Spangled: The Story of a Flag, a Battle, and the American Anthem.
- Other books by Tim can be viewed here.
- If you enjoyed this conversation, you may also enjoy:
- Ep. 15: Veterans Day Tribute + Role of Music in the Military: with Jari Villanueva, Taps Historian, USAF
- Ep. 25: MLK Day: Role of Spirituals within African American Culture, with award-winning musician and educator Bruce Henry
- Ep. 30: Baseball & organ – the sound of spring fever, with MN Twins organist Sue Nelson
- Ep. 43: Memorial Day: A combat veteran tells his story and shares how music is serving those who serve our country, with CreatiVets’ Richard Casper
- Ep. 52: In honor of the “2020” Olympics: The MUSICAL Olympic event, with champion equestrian Betsy Van Dyke
In-Episode Promo
SONIX: This is a quick break to tell you about Sonix, the service that I use to transcribe these episodes. Sonix is an artificial intelligence transcription service that automatically converts audio and video files to text – and can translate to over 40 languages. I transcribe these episodes to make them more accessible. I tried multiple services, and chose to stick with Sonix because of their accuracy, affordability, and because their site is just so easy to use; that’s a big plus for me, to not need to spend a bunch of time figuring out one more platform! While I love podcasts, I do tend to be a very visual learner. I figure other people probably are, too; and having that written form of your work just makes it more versatile. Sonix transcripts make the most of your hard work and can increase traffic to your site. Sonix is spelled s-o-n-i-x. You can check them out with a free trial PLUS an extra 100 minutes of free transcription by using the link sonix.ai/invite/enhancelife100. There’s a link in the show notes. Again, it’s sonix.ai/invite/enhancelife100 for a free trial AND an extra 100 minutes of free transcription.
Coda
As a long-time Washington, DC, resident, Tim has been to many July 4th concerts by the National Symphony Orchestra on the lawn of the Capitol building. He describes some of these events, how there’s always a different version of The Star Spangled Banner, and a particularly spectacular rendition of The Star Spangled Banner sung by Sandi Patty in 1986 (during the rededication of the Statue of Liberty).
Closing Words
And that was a bit of the YouTube audio from the event Tim was describing: Sandi Patty singing during the 1986 rededication of the Statue of Liberty. The YouTube link is in the show notes, as well as ways to connect with Tim and get a copy of his book, Star Spangled.
You can always connect with me on email (mindy@mpetersonmusic.com), Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
Thank you so much for joining me today. Until next time, may your life be enhanced with music.
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