Notes from Spain would like to apologise for prematurely announcing earlier this week that Spain had found lyrics for its wordless (since 1978) national anthem.
Apparently the poetic attempt to keep all parts of this divided nation happy received too many complaints, and the Spanish Olympic Committee, who were behind the initiative, have canceled a star-studded gala due to take place next week, when Placido Domingo was to sing the new words in public for the first time.
It is believed that the inclusion of the phrase ‘Viva España‘ in the lyrics is to blame for the controversy: who, after all, could realistically expect a Catalan, Basque, or Gallego, to sing that?
There is no doubt that this whole merry dance is far from over, as many talk of taking the lyrics to parliament for ratification, but things don’t look good. Read the lyrics again below and decide – could you write something more harmless than that?
Full news here in Spanish. Words of the anthem below:
In Spanish
¡Viva España!
Cantemos todos juntos
con distinta voz
y un sólo corazón.
¡Viva España!
Desde los verdes valles
al inmenso mar
un himno de hermandad.
Ama a la Patria
Pues sabe abrazar
bajo su cielo azul,
pueblos en libertad.
Gloria a los hijos
que a la Historia dan
justicia y grandeza,
democracia y paz.
In English
Long Live Spain!
We all sing together
with different voices
but one heart.
Long Live Spain!
From its green valleys
to the great sea
an anthem of brotherhood.
Love the Country
Which knows how to embrace
under a blue sky
its free people.
Glory to the sons
upon which history bestows
justice and grandeur
democracy and peace.
We, the people of Spain, do not need lyrics for our anthem as we do not have someone like Marvin Gaye to sing it.
http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=QRvVzaQ6i8A
(though I’m not an American, the above interpretation really moves me, Marvin was a true genius. What Spanish singer could match that interpretation? David Bisbal?).
Isn’t it more to do with the fact that “Viva España” was a rallying call of Franco?
Good point, both I suspect
Franco’s call was ‘Arriba España’ not ‘Viva España’.
Viva España is, in fact, very polite and soft. No Spanish separatist could possible complain about the proposed and later cancelled lyrics. If they do not feel Spain as their country they couln’t hope for the anthem to beguin with ‘Viva Bosnia Herzegovina’.
The truth is that most of the complains have emerged from the Spanish at heart who feel this lyrics are very soft and could relate to any country, without the ‘Viva España’ bit you wouldn’t know if they were referring to Spain or the Phillipines.