Spanish Star Spangled Banner
By Jennifer Solis
When I was an elected officer of my high school’s Title One Committee, made up of Belmont parents, students, teachers and administrators, I wondered why we started each monthly meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish?
When I inquired to the LAUSD district officials who supervised the group, I was told that very few of the parents speak any English. All of the meetings were also conducted in Spanish, with English version headsets, usually spoken by a paid translator who knew little English.
This week we have been treated to the next logical step in reconquista progression: the Spanish version of the “Star Spangled Banner.” The most popular version is sung by Gloria Trevi and friends, and there are only a few changes in the lyrics – but in June there will be a version that contains many pro-immigration changes in the anthem’s wording.
The idea came from Adam Kidron, a British music executive, who says he sympathized with the recent immigration demonstrations. “Nuestro Himno,” or “Our Anthem,” has all the things you want an anthem to have, and it carries the melody, he stated.
Among the changes the current version has made are: (English) “And the rockets red glare, bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,” to Spanish, “In the fierce combat, the sign of victory, the flame of battle in step with liberty through the night, it was said, it was being defended.”
A remix to be released in June will contain several lines that condemn U.S. immigration laws, including: “These kids have no parents, cause all these mean laws,” and “Let’s not start a war with all these hard workers, they can’t help where they were born.”
The “Star Spangled Banner” has survived many extreme versions in the past, such as the explosive guitar rendition by Jimmy Hendrix, and soul singer Marvin Gaye, as well as many terrible attempts at L.A. Dodgers baseball games – everyone can remember the worst they’ve ever heard. For me, it was sung at my high school graduation. The singer even burped halfway through the anthem.
If translating a country’s anthem into another language turns out to be a good idea, we should have Madonna make a recording of “Ardulfurataini Watan,” the Iraq national anthem, in order to win the hearts and minds of the people whose country we occupy.
Posted by Anonymous @ 4/27/2006 11:32:00 PM
21 Comments:
Re: Reconquista... I have never met an actual advocate for "reconquista," to be honest it seems like such a marginal position even among immigrant communities that repeatedly painting them with that brush is about as unreasonable as tarring all anglos as "skinheads."
Surely some small part of the population believes in the extremes, but acting as if that were a default position simply distorts the debate and fuels the fires of those pre-disposed to hate out of fear or ignorance.
I understand that there's a certain attitude that there's power to be won by throwing more gasoline on the culture war, but at some point this breathless and inaccurate hyperbole always leads to real-world discrimination or violence, and frankly, no political movement should ever be proud of playing a part in that kind of outcome.
Re: New Anthem Lyrics... Why don't we say that you can spike the new Star Spangled Banner lines in exchange for wiping "under god" from the Pledge. We're "a nation of immigrants" at least as much as we're "a Christian nation." Seems like a pretty even trade, yes? Or do we only let the right wing tamper with our national heritage?
Gee Jennifer, so young and idealistic. Misguided with good intentions. Remember, "the path to hell is paved with good intentions".
Reconquista huh? In the words of Dr. Evil (yes, that Dr. Evil) "Riiiiiight". Please post a picture of yourself here. And you better be as hot at the Angelides girls or "it's on like Donkey Kong fool".
I don't understand how you can be "illegal" and expect certain rights just because you crossed the border. Does anyone else not understand the word "illegal?"
Damn i'm glad i left CA for the East Coast. That shit would never happen here. Too many good conservative white folk here for that to happen.
All hell will break loose if they sing our National Athem in Spanish. As it is we're trying to get these idiots to learn how to speak English. Trust this will backfire just like when they were carrying Mexican flags marching.
This is a travesti but I have one thing to say. Let’s get it straight, there should be rules that this country should have, if you immigrate to this country:
1.you have to speak English 2.you have to be a skilled worker or a professional 3.there will be no special election material in your language 4.no government business will be conducted in your language
5.no special bi-lingual programs in school or government offices
6.foreigner will not have the right to vote or hold political office 7.if you are in our country you cannot be burden to tax payer
8.you are not entitle to social assistance or welfare 9.you may come, if you invest here the amount of 40 times the min wage
10.if you want to buy land, it will be restricted and you will relinquish individual right to the property 11.you do not have the right to protest, no foreign flag waving or public display of content for government office holders much less our president
12.you are a foreigner, shut your mouth or get out 13.if your come to our country illegally you go to jail, not deported.
These are the laws we should have here in the U.S., and if this sounds like a harsh set of laws, these are actual laws in Mexico. Yet, we have illegal’s coming to this country and protesting for equal treatment. How do you say, double standard in Spanish? How about “ no mas”
Estimada Jennifer,
Please share with us your immigrant
family history?
This repugnant perversion of our Star Spangled Banner will backfire, just like the throngs of illegals clogging our streets have already backfired. Let's see amnesty-loving McCain, Kennedy and Bush et al try to support this. If the illegals who will be protesting again on Monday had any real love for their home country, they would go back to Mexico and protest the failed corrupt society there rather than trying to import their problems to us. It's sad they're so desperate because Mexico is such a failure, but we've had enough. Amnesty didn't work in 1986, and it won't work now. Furthermore, Fox and the open borders crowd should be the last ones to lecture the US about illegal immigration; we all know how Mexico treats illegals in their country.
This was unnecessary and is a PR trick to try to head-off the onslaught of Amercian citizen's back-lash to the illegal aliens bandit actions and comments of late. BTW: Isn't this a copyright piracy issue? Why do illegals sing about the country they broke into to rob, bring drugs and pillage ?
It might be one thing to sing the national anthem in another language, but to change the words is absolutely wrong.
If some heavy metal band did an update on the Mexican national anthem, they would be considered racists.
How lovely that not only are the criminals trying to take over our country by refusing to speak the language of the people who live here, but now demand to have our country's national anthem altered to fit THEIR needs. Gee,isn't that what they've done to everything else they encounter in this country? Exactly WHY DO THEY KEEP COMING HERE IF EVERYTHING MEXICAN IS SO DESIRABLE?????
And how about that Gloria Trevi recordging this blasphemy? Is everyone here aware that she recruited young girls - 13, 14, 15 - to supposedly be her backup singers when in fact she and her then-husband used them as sex slaves? I recall about a dozen of them getting pregnant at 14 and 14 by Trevi's husband. Trevi got herself pregnant while in jail - by a prison guard - because she found out she'd get much better treatment if she were preggers. (Gee, doesn't that sound a lot like what her countrywomen do when they get HERE???) Of course she was eventually found not guilty, mainly because by Mexican law the age an adult can legally start screwing a child is 14. Have any of you Mexicans figured out yet why we don't want you here? You are totally screwed up and perverse.
12:30 - It's NOT "one thing to sing the national anthem in another language" - like THAT is OK with you? Hello? It's OUR national anthem. It's not the MEXICAN National Anthem. But then I'm still freaking out about Jennifer's meeting where they always started the meeting by saying the Pledge of Allegiance in SPANISH. The lame excuse that most of them didn't speak any English is just that: LAME. If those idiots were too stupid to learn in English what is basically a nine-stanza speech, then they are waaay too stupid and lazy to live here.
Apparently Jennifer has nothing to say because this is a lame post.
I'd like Nicaraguans, Salvadorans, Guatamelans and the rest to join with us in protesting Mexico's treatment of them at the Southen border of Mexico.
We immediately demand Mexico open its Southern border, or we will boycott all tacos and burritos and go for pupusas and somosas instead.
1:14 - WHAT is the lame post you refer to?
What a bunch of bigot racist pigs. Speak a little louder. We apparently can't hear you because YOU are a minority. Get it right! Idioto!
Didn't Jose Feliciano sing the anthem in English at the World Series in 1968?
And didn't that version become a #1 single?
Proves that you can change arrangement of the song without changing the language.
Jennifer,
With all due respect, your posts are too wordy. Way too wordy.
Could-be-admirer-with-short-attention-span
Why doesn't the media ask Vicente Fox why its a felony if people from other sides of his city go in illegally. Yet, he tells Mexicans go to US earn money and send it back to Mexico. Illegals send $5 billion back to Mexico. Vicente Fox needs to clean up his own city.
I'm sick and tired of these damn illegals wanting everything in Spanish. They act as if they are entitled. Hell no I say!!! LEARN ENGLISH LAZY IDIOTS.
What a big fat orange ass!
Everyone is entitled to “Freedom of Speech” in this great nation of ours. Agree or disagree with what others have to say. Remember the Alamo? Remember when Texas WAS Mexico? Well, all of that is past. What we have now is a great big melting pot. We have people who emigrated from all parts of the globe. My parents came from Mexico. They got their citizenship, are productive members of society. Please, don’t let a few apples spoil the bunch. When people post messages like “Ignorant….lazy……wetbacks…….etc” Yes, you are expressing a freedom of speech. But, you are also being racist, and ignorant yourself. I am a proud member of the United States Army. I fight for your freedom on a daily basis and have done so for the past 12 years. I am a Mexican born in the United States by the grace of God and the fortune of having my parent work for what we have today. NOT send it back to Fox, NOT use welfare, NOT sing an anthem in a language, (although easier to understand for my parents) not English. Are you so stuck in this Latino, immigrant, foreigner, wetback title giving mode that you can’t see that if YOU trace your roots, (unless you are American Indian) you came from somewhere else too? If it wasn’t for your great great great grand parents who probably didn’t speak English, or understand what the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance read, YOU would not be here either? Stop with the ignorance. A lot of things are going on to people just like your ancestors today. People are flooding in because this is the best country. This is a place of freedom. Don’t take that from them. You are still here right? If you don’t like the flood of immigrants, do like they are doing, just in the opposite direction. LEAVE TO ANOTHER COUNTRY. Much respect to those defending this great nation. Much respect to those defending their rights to a better life. God loves you all. I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND A MEXICAN-AMERICAN
Hey dude - thanks for fighting and all, even though most of us don't believe in that war.
You are suggesting that those of us who resent ILLEGAL immigrants should pack it up and go to your mother country. Guess what? We aren't allowed in other countries. This is the only country that allows people to pour in.
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