History AwesomeMusic / NationalAnthem

* The German Empire (the Kaiser's one, not [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler the Bohemian corporal's]]) was ''really'' good at rousing songs: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_6AQA4uzD0 "Preussens Gloria"]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qcmn5PBdNo "Hail to Thee In Victor's Crown"]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zEy4GNMJq0 "The Hohenfriedberg March"]] (which gets bonus points for being written by Frederick the Great) and the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUKPHCwW_9I "Koennigratz March"]] (which was appropriated by the Nazis, with whom many associate it, sadly.)

* The German Empire (the Kaiser's one, not [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler the Bohemian corporal's]]) was ''really'' good at rousing songs: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_6AQA4uzD0 "Preussens Gloria"]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qcmn5PBdNo "Hail to Thee In Victor's Crown"]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zEy4GNMJq0 "The Hohenfriedberg March"]] (which gets bonus points for being written by Frederick the Great) and the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUKPHCwW_9I "Koennigratz March"]] (which was appropriated by the Nazis, with whom [[CriticalResearchFailure many associate it]], sadly.)

** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG2UMO6rZd4 Zadok the Priest]]", the music that is played - ''live'' - in Westminster Abbey when a new British monarch is anointed as ruler. Perhaps the most ''epic'' piece of music by Music/GeorgeFridericHandel. It's certainly one of the finest works of British classical music. It was first played at the coronation of King George II in 1727.[[note]] Literature/TheBible verses which it sets to music, meanwhile, had been read at every coronation since that of King Edgar the Peaceable in 973.[[/note]] It is said that the new king paused and closed his eyes for a moment as it played. Considering he was [[FourStarBadass the last British monarch to actually lead the army in the field]], its awesomeness clearly rubbed off on him.

* Corsica's national anthem, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2oY-4TMOI0 Dio vi salvi Regina]]", is both DarkerAndEdgier and a TearJerker due to its lyrics and the way it was sung ('''Warning:''' Due to this fact, this video will make you sad, if you watch this video, try not to cry).

** Speaking of performances of the Star-Spangled Banner, ''many'' have butchered it but there are few that are just exemplary. The first is Music/MarvinGaye's soulful performance at the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC0d92g0X6Y 1983 NBA All-Star Game]], backed with [[ThreeChordsAndTheTruth only a drum machine]], the second being Music/WhitneyHouston's showstopper [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wupsPg5H6aE at Super Bowl XXV]] which became a ''nationwide hit single'' and the Music/DixieChicks glorious [[UpToEleven three-piece harmony]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU5AYcAhvyo at Super Bowl XXXVII]].

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_myOT8R_zAo Ще не вмерла України (Ukraine has not yet perished)]] appears to take some inspiration from the Polish anthem described earlier. Pavlo Chobynsky wrote a patriotic poem in 1862, expressing hope for his country's freedom, that got him exiled to Arkhangelsk by Russian officials. Suppressed by the Russians and later the Soviet Union, it only became the official anthem of the newly-independent nation in 2003.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U06jlgpMtQs The Soviet National anthem.]] Defines epic. One of the few things Russia kept after UsefulNotes/ColdWar. Regarded as the best national anthem, ever.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U06jlgpMtQs The Soviet National anthem.]] Defines epic. One of the few things Russia kept after TheGreatPoliticsMessUp. Regarded as the best national anthem, ever.

** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUUaXk2rK54 national anthem of the Republic of China]] (still used in Taiwan today) is no slouch either. A bit more subtle than the PRC anthem, but touching nonetheless. Fun fact: the lyrics were taken directly from one of Sun Yat-sen's speeches.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLi_m656tQQ The Soviet National anthem.]] Defines epic. One of the few things Russia kept after TheGreatPoliticsMessUp. Regarded as the best national anthem, ever.

* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tePgys9euF8 Sealand]] national anthem sounds pretty epic. Too bad [[Manga/AxisPowersHetalia you'll never be a real country]].

* If you ever want to hear an absolutely badass, epic anthem that gives "La Marseillaise" a run for its money, then turn your heads to Algeria's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CEvoHbS4RU Qasaman]]". With lyrics such as, "[[BloodKnight So we have taken the drum of gunpowder as our rhythm/And the sound of machine guns as our melody]]," and, "[[TakeThat O France, the day of reckoning is at hand/So prepare to receive from us our answer]]," the Algerian national anthem definitely deserves mentioning. You can read the full lyrics in Arabic, French, and English [[http://www.nationalanthems.me/algeria-qassaman/ here]][[note]]The story of the anthem is pretty damn epic too. In the 1950s, the writer of the hymn, Mufdi Zakariah, was shot and put in prison by the police of French occupied Algeria because of his Algerian nationalist beliefs. While he was imprisoned, [[IAintGotTimeToBleed he wrote each verse with his own blood]][[/note]].

* The German Empire (the Kaiser's one, not [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler the Bohemian corporal's]]) was ''really'' good at rousing songs: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_6AQA4uzD0 "Preussens Gloria"]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qcmn5PBdNo "Hail to Thee In Victor's Crown"]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zEy4GNMJq0 "The Hohenfriedberg March"]] (which gets bonus points for being written by [[BadassGay Frederick the Great]]) and the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUKPHCwW_9I "Koennigratz March"]] (which was appropriated by the Nazis, with whom [[CriticalResearchFailure many associate it]], sadly.)

* Mauritania's national anthem is scary, frightening, and nightmarish. [[HellIsThatNoise It is abrupt]], and its lyrics are just as, well, [[ValuesDissonance awkward to a Western audience]]. Hearing the song, according to some people, reminds you of [[BrownNote endless monotone marching into the deserts of the north, or, even worse, the chopping off of heads to the rhythmic beat]]. You can't even sing along to it, as doing so requires awesome effort, according to the freaking CIA. But it is just beautifully haunting, and is a fine piece of music, [[PatrioticFervor and is one of the few national anthems of a non-Western country to be traditional-sounding in its official manner]]. Counts as EarWorm as well. For the more elegant version, go [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhOQOUrYGTM here]], and for the more traditional one, go [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6RU94xbock here]] [[AwesomenessIsVolatile Your mind will be hooked.]]

** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG2UMO6rZd4 Zadok the Priest]]", the music that is played - ''live'' - in Westminster Abbey when a new British monarch is anointed as ruler. Perhaps the most ''epic'' piece of music by Music/GeorgeFredericHandel. It's certainly one of the finest works of British classical music. It was first played at the coronation of King George II in 1727.[[note]] Literature/TheBible verses which it sets to music, meanwhile, had been read at every coronation since that of King Edgar the Peaceable in 973.[[/note]] It is said that the new king paused and closed his eyes for a moment as it played. Considering he was [[FourStarBadass the last British monarch to actually lead the army in the field]], its awesomeness clearly rubbed off on him.

** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG2UMO6rZd4 Zadok the Priest]]", the music that is played - ''live'' - in Westminster Abbey when a new British monarch is anointed as ruler. Perhaps Handel's most ''epic'' piece of music. It was first played at the coronation of King George II in 1727.[[note]] Literature/TheBible verses which it sets to music, meanwhile, had been read at every coronation since that of King Edgar the Peaceable in 973.[[/note]] It is said that the new king paused and closed his eyes for a moment as it played. Considering he was [[FourStarBadass the last British monarch to actually lead the army in the field]], its awesomeness clearly rubbed off on him.

** While not nearly as epic as "La Marseillaise", the anthem of Vichy France, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu_d1LQsFpY "Maréchal, nous Voilà!"]] is certainly epic in its own right.[[note]]The song was actually plagiarized by the composer from a Polish Jewish musician, who ironically was deported and murdered at Auschwitz.[[/note]]

-->-'''Victor Laszlo''', ''Film/{{Casablanca}}''

* If you ever want to hear an absolutely badass, epic anthem that gives “La Marseillaise” a run for its money, then turn your heads to Algeria’s “[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CEvoHbS4RU Qasaman]]”. With lyrics such as, “[[BloodKnight So we have taken the drum of gunpowder as our rhythm/And the sound of machine guns as our melody]],” and, "[[TakeThat O France, the day of reckoning is at hand/So prepare to receive from us our answer]]," the Algerian national anthem definitely deserves mentioning. You can read the full lyrics in Arabic, French, and English [[http://www.nationalanthems.me/algeria-qassaman/ here]][[note]]The story of the anthem is pretty damn epic too. In the 1950s, the writer of the hymn, Mufdi Zakariah, was shot and put in prison by the police of French occupied Algeria because of his Algerian nationalist beliefs. While he was imprisoned, [[IAintGotTimeToBleed he wrote each verse with his own blood]][[/note]].

* The anthem of the short-lived Russian 1917 republic was ''awesome'', because it is based on La Marseillaise: See these [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eScrETEASlo three]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxPMLkJqv0U great]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5zeDBVW2MU renditions]]. (The last one is TearJerker and a DyingMomentOfAwesome.)

** While not nearly as epic as "La Marseillaise", the anthem of Vichy France, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu_d1LQsFpY "Maréchal, nous Voilà!"]] is certainly epic in its own right.[[note]]The song was actually plagiarised by the composer from a Polish Jewish musician, who ironically was deported and murdered at Auschwitz.[[/note]]

* The national anthem of the Netherlands is a real winner. "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IW2FbCWzuZo Wilhelmus van Nassouwe! Ben ick van Duytschen bloet!]] [[note]] "ben ik van Duitsen bloed" [[/note]]" And if you thought it was good before, ''FanWorks/PlayTheGame'' makes it even better, as it's sung by the whole cast [[spoiler: after the Rijksmuseum is burned.]]

* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N3gfzk-5bw Hungarian anthem]] ("Himnusz" / "Anthem/Hymn") may not be triumphant or bombastic, and due to its lyrics, especially in the first stanza which is the one being sung, being gloomy, may be playfully mocked as depressing even by Hungarians, but damn if the melody is not beautiful. It talks of suffering, yes, it talks of the mistake of strife within the country, true, but it has such metal (Marseillaise-worthy) verses in later stanzas as "The persecuted hid and a sword reached toward him in his cave, he looked around and found not his homeland in the country, he climbed up hills and descended into vales, sorrow and doubt beside him, a torrent of blood at his feet, a sea of flames above him" and "[Where] once a castle stood, [is] now a pile of stone, [good] humour and joy flew away, death rattles and lamentation is in their place, and oh! no freedom blooms from the blood of the dead: the tears of torturous bondage/slavery flow from the hot eyes of our orphans".

** A patriotic song also considered of very high rank is an aria of an opera (Bánk bán), called [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3DkDxwS6NA "Hazám, hazám"]] (My homeland, my homeland). [[note]]The gent in the video is a professional opera singer famous for playing the role in the opera superbly in his youth. Unfortunately while the video shows him in his twilight years, the sound is the most famous recording of him in his prime.[[/note]]

** A second song, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5if7hQmemR0 called "Szózat"]] (Appeal) is an de-facto second anthem: often official occasions such as the opening or ending ceremony of a school year or similar are started with the Himnusz and ended with the Szózat. It speaks of loyalty, of all the previous generations did for this country... and in the full poem even invokes moving images of the country's death, if a better age should fail to come. ("Or, if it has to come, it will come: the great death, where, above the funeral, a country's drenched in blood, and the grave, where a nation sinks, is surrounded by [all the] people [of the world], and a tear of grief sits in the eyes of millions of humans.")
** A patriotic song also considered of very high rank is an aria of an opera (Bánk bán), called [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3DkDxwS6NA "Hazám, hazám"]] (My homeland, my homeland). [[note]]The gent in the video is a professional opera singer famous for playing the role in the opera superbly in his youth, singing his famous aria when he is about ''70'' and he still has pipes.[[/note]]

* [[https://youtu.be/q8Z85pyx0MA The national anthem of Mexico]]. A BattleCry (the ''very first verse'' outright tells you it's one) that oozes nationalism with or without the lyrics.
* [[https://youtu.be/lxdUptwtyRQ "Indonesia Raya" a.k.a. "Great Indonesia"]]. A majestically simple anthem, ''especially'' when played by an orchestra, or even more majestic when it is a solo. It gets even more epic with [[https://youtu.be/jetKkkWKuZE full three stanza version]], sung by ordinary people combined with an orchestra.
* If you ever want to hear an absolutely badass, epic anthem that gives “La Marseillaise” a run for its money, then turn your heads to Algeria’s “[[https://youtu.be/1CEvoHbS4RU Qasaman]]”. With lyrics such as, “[[BloodKnight So we have taken the drum of gunpowder as our rhythm/And the sound of machine guns as our melody]],” and, "[[TakeThat O France, the day of reckoning is at hand/So prepare to receive from us our answer]]," the Algerian national anthem definitely deserves mentioning. You can read the full lyrics in Arabic, French, and English [[http://www.nationalanthems.me/algeria-qassaman/ here]][[note]]The story of the anthem is pretty damn epic too. In the 1950s, the writer of the hymn, Mufdi Zakariah, was shot and put in prison by the police of French occupied Algeria because of his Algerian nationalist beliefs. While he was imprisoned, [[IAintGotTimeToBleed he wrote each verse with his own blood]][[/note]].

** Additional heights of awesome are reached when Jeremiah Clarke's "Prince of Denmark's March" is overlaid onto it, as was the case with the now-defunct [[https://youtu.be/rF7kzj4lCnE#t=4m12s BBC Radio 4 Theme]].

*** "Jerusalem", used by some English sporting teams, was composed by Hubert Parry and orchestrated by Edward Elgar. It was adapted from William Blake's poetry during World War I and the ''King himself'' said he preferred it! To demonstrate how good it is, here it is being sung by [[https://youtu.be/UQ0oCmDXrVk 5 000 people.]]

** "[[https://youtu.be/HG2UMO6rZd4 Zadok the Priest]]", the music that is played - ''live'' - in Westminster Abbey when a new British monarch is anointed as ruler. Perhaps Handel's most ''epic'' piece of music. It was first played at the coronation of King George II in 1727.[[note]] Literature/TheBible verses which it sets to music, meanwhile, had been read at every coronation since that of King Edgar the Peaceable in 973.[[/note]] It is said that the new king paused and closed his eyes for a moment as it played. Considering he was [[FourStarBadass the last British monarch to actually lead the army in the field]], its awesomeness clearly rubbed off on him.
* The anthem of the short-lived Russian 1917 republic was ''awesome'', because it is based on La Marseillaise: See these [[https://youtu.be/eScrETEASlo three]] [[https://youtu.be/hxPMLkJqv0U great]] [[https://youtu.be/k5zeDBVW2MU renditions]]. (The last one is TearJerker and a DyingMomentOfAwesome.)

** Tragically, the actual Australian anthem, "Advance Australia Fair" is probably one of the more pedestrian, safe and flat anthems around. But sung by Adam Hills and set to the tune of "Working Class Man" by Jimmy Barnes? [[https://youtu.be/6TNCf0cwJsY Very awesome.]]
** [[https://youtu.be/cQBlnwrffAg "Waltzing Matilda"]] is often referred to as the the unofficial national anthem of Australia and with good reason.
* [[CanadaEh Canada]] may not be the first country that comes to mind when it comes to kick-ass music, but [[https://youtu.be/yVdZvWBcA_4 its national anthem]] can be quite majestic.
** It's even better when used in [[Wrestling/{{TNA}} professional wrestling]] for [[https://youtu.be/UxLI68Vc6U8 Team Canada.]]

** The longtime unofficial national anthem, [[https://youtu.be/stHE8L0S42E "The Maple Leaf Forever"]], is pretty impressive as well.
** The original [[https://youtu.be/ByKu8BwT5K4 "Hockey Night in Canada" theme]].

** Israel's unofficial anthem, "Yerushalaim Shel Zahav", in English "Jerusalem of Gold". Best known for its treatment at the end of ''Film/SchindlersList'', but [[https://youtu.be/L8Co7IzOyhw this performance by Ofra Haza]] is simply beautiful.
* The Italian national anthem, "[[https://youtu.be/AcI2IdHhEHE Il Canto degli Italiani]]" (also known as, "Inno di Mameli", or "Fratelli d'Italia"), has a fanfare building it up, and a thunderous chorus singing the lyrics. A true force for Italy.
** Another great contender is the instrumental, royal anthem for Italy, "[[https://youtu.be/jCX7sLKsZ7Y Marcia Real d'Ordinanza]]" (which was also used by Mussolini for the first two decades of his rule).
*** When Italy became the "Italian Socialist Republic", the country adopted a new anthem in use for two or three years, known as "[[https://youtu.be/z2lNTdAiyWw Giovinezza]]". This rendition sounds like a great opera, mixed in with an energetic, booming chorus.
*** Another unofficial anthem for Fascist Italy was "[[https://youtu.be/PuFdYJa7DNc Faccetta Nera]]". The vocals are very powerful, and the lyrics are even more "in your face" than the official anthem of Fascist Italy...
** An anthem of the Italian Communist Party, "[[https://youtu.be/IxurdoPFMCI Bandiera Rossa]]" has a very powerful, energetic melody, with accompanying lyrics discussing the proletariat, and waving the red banner of communism.
* "[[https://youtu.be/VhQwLeMcbRY Das Deutschlandlied]]", out of all currently used national anthems, though the original form of "[[https://youtu.be/-ZLQdNJH1Xo Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser]]" is better. It is also the only national anthem with a tune by a composer of the first rank, Music/JosephHaydn. Which is a bit funny, as Haydn was an Austrian who spent most of his life working for Hungarians...
* The [[https://youtu.be/O7zGFZNinsk East German]] anthem also qualifies as awesome music. [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments It is also one of the only national anthems to acknowledge that it is peace that the world desires,]] and takes the time to talk about [[TearJerker the mother that weeps over her dead son.]] Furthermore, the lyrics, written in 1949, include the line ''Deutschland, einig Vaterland'' (Germany, united Fatherland), which is one reason why, [[UsefulNotes/BerlinWall after a little while]], the government stopped using the original lyrics.

** How about Music/JimiHendrix's [[https://youtu.be/sjzZh6-h9fM version?]] If that ain't SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic...

** Fun fact: The tune comes from the drinking song for the Anacreontic Society, an upper-crust British society carried forward into the U.S. colonies. The lyrics to the [[https://youtu.be/ydAIdVKv84g Anacreontic Song]] are couched in imagery from Myth/ClassicalMythology, but the gist basically boils down to "[[ButLiquorIsQuicker I'll show you how to get laid by getting women drunk]]."
** Speaking of performances of the Star-Spangled Banner, ''many'' have butchered it but there are few that are just exemplary. The first is Music/MarvinGaye's soulful performance at the [[https://youtu.be/jC0d92g0X6Y 1983 NBA All-Star Game]], backed with [[ThreeChordsAndTheTruth only a drum machine]], the second being Music/WhitneyHouston's showstopper [[https://youtu.be/wupsPg5H6aE at Super Bowl XXV]] which became a ''nationwide hit single'' and the Music/DixieChicks glorious [[UpToEleven three-piece harmony]] [[https://youtu.be/vU5AYcAhvyo at Super Bowl XXXVII]].
** [[https://youtu.be/4rIOtcB7rfs Here]] is a heavenly performance of The Star-Spangled Banner by the Massachusetts All-State Choir. Choir members were ''crying'' while singing.
** [[https://youtu.be/9ETrr-XHBjE This]] is how it was meant to be heard, sung by the choirs of the US Servce Academies. Absolutely beautiful.
** Sandi Patty's [[https://youtu.be/Xrw4EaFpLw0 1986 rendition]] from the Liberty Weekend special, during the rededication of the Statue of Liberty. One of the greatest voices in American history, and debuting a gorgeous new final verse to boot.

** The anthem also sounds surprisingly beautiful when [[https://youtu.be/xh20Xsn_p9k sung by children]].
* "La Marseillaise". [[https://youtu.be/HM-E2H1ChJM Just look.]]

** Mirelle Mathieu's [[https://youtu.be/SIxOl1EraXA rendition]] is pure awesome.
** While not nearly as epic as "La Marseillaise", the anthem of Vichy France, [[https://youtu.be/Iu_d1LQsFpY "Maréchal, nous Voilà!"]] is certainly epic in its own right.[[note]]The song was actually plagiarised by the composer from a Polish Jewish musician, who ironically was deported and murdered at Auschwitz.[[/note]]
* [[https://youtu.be/BLi_m656tQQ The Soviet National anthem.]] Defines epic. One of the few things Russia kept after TheGreatPoliticsMessUp. Regarded as the best national anthem, ever.

## After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Russian Federation got rid of the anthem altogether, but public sentiment pressured Vladimir Putin to reinstate it (with a [[https://youtu.be/A71wdsTqkfM completely Communism-free set of lyrics]]) in 2000.
** Really, just about anything sung by the Red Army Choir qualifies as awesome. Even [[https://youtu.be/8WD0WVL-HjE "Volga Boatman"]] -- especially at 1:57 when the full choir comes in, or the roaring climax at 2:39. Absolutely spine-tingling.
** The [[http://www.hymn.ru/15-union-republics/index-en.html individual anthems of the Union Republics]]. Special mention goes to [[https://youtu.be/deT0syY9gdc Latvia]], [[https://youtu.be/Q7D8BkbwTMM Kyrgyzstan]], [[https://youtu.be/4PsDghCAw-g Azerbaijan]], and [[https://youtu.be/diCmxx-f1Pg Armenia]].
*** An absolutely special mention goes to the [[https://youtu.be/AOP-8o_T8Ow Moldovan SSR Anthem]][[note]]This is a recreation of what the anthem would have sounded like, as the full version is thought to be lost[[/note]]. Out of all the USSR anthems, this is definitely one of the beautiful hymns put out by the Soviet Union, [[MissingEpisode sad that the original recordings remain lost...]]
*** Another great USSR anthem that also deserves special recognition is [[https://youtu.be/xn-jMpVBxBA Tajikistan.]]
** See also [[https://youtu.be/ykMVRj6ZrkE this cover]].
* Dyed in the wool Yankees can find [[https://youtu.be/wVsNCllEHD0 "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"]] totally awesome. (There's a reason that "The Song That Gets On Everybody's Nerves" is set to the same tune...)
* The Republic of Georgia can be proud to have as its national anthem [[https://youtu.be/4b57ajZOf8E "Tavisupleba"]] ("Freedom"), a short, sweet, and proudly Georgian anthem whose melody is based on classical opera tunes. Georgia's former anthem, "[[https://youtu.be/wh73tQ7OEPU Dideba]]", which was used during the rather short-lived Democratic Republic of Georgia and later on after its independence from the Soviet Union is just as awesome as its present day counterpart.
* The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic had a [[https://youtu.be/9WXD91-YPAw national anthem]] written by Aram Khachaturian that far outclasses the present-day Armenian anthem. Probably because it was written by frickin' [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aram_Khachaturian Aram Khachaturian]].
* Transnistria is by no means a recongised country, however, their national anthem, [[https://youtu.be/OrhRA_prQN8 "We Sing the Praises of Transnistria"]] is a quite majestic, prideful anthem. Like South Africa's anthem, this is a multilingual anthem (Sung in Russian, Ukrainian, and Romanian (Moldovan Cyrillic)).
* As for another partially recognised country, Abkhazia, they have a very special and beautiful anthem known as [[https://youtu.be/dGV9ivONiz4 "Aiaaira"]] (Victory). Read the english lyrics of the first stanza:

* Remember in ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'' when the Germans got "Die Wacht am Rhein" drowned out by the French? [[https://youtu.be/zikcHnimsxk Here it is]], in the original version from the time of the Kaiser, a song too good to have been a Third Reich anthem.
* The German Empire (the Kaiser's one, not [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler the Bohemian corporal's]]) was ''really'' good at rousing songs: [[https://youtu.be/f_6AQA4uzD0 "Preussens Gloria"]], [[https://youtu.be/-qcmn5PBdNo "Hail to Thee In Victor's Crown"]], [[https://youtu.be/8zEy4GNMJq0 "The Hohenfriedberg March"]] (which gets bonus points for being written by [[BadassGay Frederick the Great]]) and the [[https://youtu.be/JUKPHCwW_9I "Koennigratz March"]] (which was appropriated by the Nazis, with whom [[CriticalResearchFailure many associate it]], sadly.)
* [[https://youtu.be/r3TtgYuaVFk The national anthem of India]] is incredibly inspirational. Even if you don't understand the lyrics, the whole melody is hauntingly uplifting.
* The melody of Finland's (and Estonia's) [[https://youtu.be/KSlAuPOUew4 official national anthem]] was allegedly stolen from a German drinking song, but [[https://youtu.be/yJWNLIQhYH0 "Finlandia" by Jean Sibelius]]? Boy oh boy.

** For example, the Argentinean National Anthem: [[https://youtu.be/1BJPW8YmP_U ¡OIIID MORTAAAAALES EL GRIIIIIITO SAGRAAAAAADO! ¡LIBERTAD! ¡LIBERTAD! ¡LIBERTAD!]]
** [[https://youtu.be/yqBhWQWToMs The Chilean Anthem]]. [[https://youtu.be/nCli830LXho Here]] it is with subtitles.
*** Here played by the [[https://youtu.be/_P0VbH1sc4A Israel Philharmonic Orchestra]]. Sounds so awesome that people in the theater began spontaneously to sing.
*** [[https://youtu.be/pfIonqizuVk A balls-out awesome rendition at the 2014 World Cup]]. And since FIFA limits the duration of the music for national anthems, the last part is sung a cappella. For extra flavor, this match was against Spain, aka the country Chile got its independence from, aka then current world and European champions and the most dominant team in world football for the preceding six years. As a Spanish announcer said: [[OhCrap one-nil.]]
** [[https://youtu.be/6h3qyYER3v0 The Uruguayan national anthem]] is the longest in the world, and it fits the Latin American Epic anthem description ''like a glove''.

** [[https://youtu.be/i2r-9d1po2Y Alastair Hulett]] would disagree on the English.

** [[https://youtu.be/vBKBI7DOLHA "Scotland the Brave"]], doubly so when played on the Great Highland Bagpipe. The John [=McDermott=] [[https://youtu.be/GowMI4wvmU4 version]] isn't bad either:

** [[https://youtu.be/7vkYiCdn834 "Flower of Scotland"]], especially when Scotland's famous football Tartan Army joins in.

** [[https://youtu.be/0tEdH0bjjR8 "Highland Cathedral"]], on the bagpipes.
** And now the TearJerker one, "Caledonia", [[https://youtu.be/rmxqjzCxNEE by Dougie MacLean]]. Famously - and extremely effectively - [[https://youtu.be/TX9h558Tz1E used to sell lager.]]

* [[https://youtu.be/GBaI26chcFw Mawtini]], the former national anthem of Palestine and the new one of Iraq. [[https://youtu.be/DJ-E6S2yxjg The instrumental version]] is just as good on its own too.
** The [[https://youtu.be/p0W9_6N2yLs current anthem]] of Palestine, "Fida'i", as well.
** Even more awesome when sung in [[https://youtu.be/3xpvZFCI53E Aramaic]].
* The [[https://youtu.be/GpgQv6lKhws Japanese national anthem]] is beautiful, and one of the few national anthems based on poetry.
* Zambia's anthem [[https://youtu.be/Rc6VwfggFBA "Stand and Sing of Zambia, Proud and Free"]] is an anthem sung in acapella. It's simply full of beauty and pride.
* The beautiful [[https://youtu.be/4v7FLLxnHks "Swiss Psalm"]].
* Egypt's anthem, "Bilady, Bilady, Bilady" is not epic in the usual sense: it was written by one of the leaders of the Egyptian folk-music scene, Sayyid Darwish. For those playing along at home, it's as though Music/WoodyGuthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" was the US anthem (the title even translates to "My Country, My Country, My Country," which given the vagaries of Arabic could also mean, "My Land..."). Sung as a folk song, it's [[https://youtu.be/was1dmFIRJI actually pretty cool]]; as an instrumental, it [[https://youtu.be/F0xtjEzCPkE sounds like a fairly normal anthem]], if a well-executed one.
** Egypt's earlier anthem [[note]]also used by The United Arab Republic, as well as Iraq for some time[[/note]] [[https://youtu.be/fnc_YROJd3E "Walla Zaman Ya Selahi"]] ("It Has Been Ages, Oh Weapon"), is a grand and epic anthem, standing in contrast to "Bilady". Unlike Egypt's contemporary anthem which promotes peace and brotherhood, this anthem has rather violent and "revolutionary" overtones, similar in vein to the anthems of France, and Algeria.

** Yet another anthem from Egypt whilst still a kingdom and British protectorate, [[https://youtu.be/Q2lx2VFWKzw "Eslami ya Misr"]] ("Be Safe, Oh Egypt").
* Poland's anthem's title translates to "[[https://youtu.be/vdYCbAjgfh4 Poland Has Not Yet Perished]]". It was first written by the Polish soldiers of Bonaparte's armies during their campaigns, after Napoleon promised that he would restore them their Polish homeland, which had been partitioned by Austria, Prussia, and Russia. It rose to the fore in 1945, when Artur Rubinstein, a Polish pianist invited to play at the opening of the UN, seeing no Polish delegation and no Polish flag, played it instead of his planned lineup, to a standing ovation.

* The Philippine national anthem is so awesome that through the decades it's been in [[https://youtu.be/2KUiDHlOxEE Spanish]][[note]]the original language the anthem was in[[/note]], [[https://youtu.be/8OduPI241XU English]] and currently [[https://youtu.be/FrhioabWIQw Filipino]].
* The WELSH national anthem, [[https://youtu.be/3kUnCwV3AYE "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau"]] ("Land of Our Fathers"). And a well-known patriotic song, [[https://youtu.be/DRtnWVvDX6k "Men of Harlech"]], about the seven year long siege of Harlech Castle.

* [[https://youtu.be/8d0kCIJbo4I The Kenyan national anthem]] is one of the most exotic and majestic anthems.
* [[https://youtu.be/Ixznlxm-ino STRONG AND PEACEFUL, WISE AND BRAVE / FIGHTING THE FIGHT FOR THE WHOLE WORLD TO SAVE...]] Now, take a guess what anthem that one is. [[spoiler:It's the Oceanian one, composed for the film adaptation of ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour''. Yes, it may not be a real-life anthem (and does therefore not truly belong on this page either), but is does deserve mention for being a ''very realistic'' fictional SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic anthem, being based to a very high extent on old Soviet and other communist anthems]].
* [[https://youtu.be/Ikw2UwsfS1s Libya, Libya, Libya!]] What makes this song awesome is its pure jovialness in nature, a welcome change for a country liberated from 42 years of dictatorship, war from the US and NATO, and such. [[https://youtu.be/9GY1d1eJ06Q Gaddafi's anthem]] isn't half bad either.
* [[https://youtu.be/1BtryAMTUYY The National Anthem of South Korea.]] Majestic and graceful, it's quite befitting of the country it represents. ''Uri nara mansae!''
* [[https://youtu.be/tsBKYMSr3YI "Ey Iran"]], the former (de facto) national anthem of UsefulNotes/{{Iran}}. "Dar rāhe to, key arzeši dārad in jāne mā? ([[UndyingLoyalty In your cause, when do our lives have value?]])"
** [[https://youtu.be/GMwjgg2Pl2s The National Anthem of the Islamic Republic of Iran]] too. "Šahidān, pičide dar guše zamān faryādetān. ([[OurAngelsAreDifferent O Martyrs! Your clamours echo in the ears of time.]])"
** Their previous anthem, [[https://youtu.be/P_HWD8LBRHQ Payandeh Bada Iran]] (Be an Eternal, Lasting Iran) was pretty damn good too.

* Nigeria's national anthem, [[https://youtu.be/naxgnQugT3U Arise O Compatriots]]. Very upbeat in nature, and one of the best African anthems, and really easy to play on a piano. Also the old anthem, [[https://youtu.be/hyXxbSVES2 Nigeria we hail thee]]. The melody is average, but the lyrics are more Nigerian.
* Although it's not a national anthem anymore, the [[https://youtu.be/Tw9zXepzEzA Austro-Hungarian]] anthem is, quite simply, beautiful.
* The Mongolian [[https://youtu.be/taDZG9JKTDg anthem]]. Using ''electric guitars''. That alone makes it awesome.
* The [[https://youtu.be/tePgys9euF8 Sealand]] national anthem sounds pretty epic. Too bad [[Manga/AxisPowersHetalia you'll never be a real country]].
* [[https://youtu.be/UamvtFPhFoU Kazakhstan]]'s new national anthem (not the one from Film/{{Borat}}).
* Any Turkic anthem is awesome, like [[https://youtu.be/pJzUurSh3UY Turkey]]'s and [[https://youtu.be/QHmFPsUfNlA Azerbaijan]]'s. Then again, they also have the most awesome word in the world: Muvaffakiyetsizleştiricileştiriveremeyebileceklerimizdenmişsinizcesine (translated: "as though you are from those whom we may not be able to easily make into a maker of unsuccessful ones").
* Syria's national anthem, [[https://youtu.be/aIWX5coH0pU Humat ad-Diyar]] (Guardians of the Homeland), is simply ''majestic''. Pity it's so short.
* Romania's anthem, [[https://youtu.be/gs7e1B3vHZQ "Desteapta-te, romane!"]] ("Wake up, Romanians!"), is impressive. It has 11 verses, with the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 11th being normally sung and the whole thing being sung (with a 21-gun salute) on national holidays. The one used during the Kingdom days, [[https://youtu.be/P_9zr2Xxcs0 "Traiasca Regele"]] ("Long live the King"), isn't bad either.
* [[https://youtu.be/3vOxw292w8w South Africa's national anthem]]'s lyrics and music are pretty awesome by themselves, but it gets cooler when you consider that it's basically [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_anthem_of_South_Africa two songs combined together]], sung in ''five different languages''.
* Tanzania's anthem [[https://youtu.be/LsZ5YtXn4C8 "Mungu ibariki Afrika"]] is basically a slightly modified Swahili version of "Nkosi sikelel iAfrika" and it's just as awesome.
* [[https://youtu.be/OwoQyojsbZQ "Aegukka"]], the national anthem of North Korea, is an absolutely marvelous, awe-inspiring national anthem. Ironically, it doesn't mention anything about the Kim family, Juche (Self-Reliance), nor Songun (Military First), which is probably why they place less emphasis on the anthem. Furthermore, Kim Jong-il's personal tune [[https://youtu.be/K907lLUzmC0 "No Motherland Without You"]] may not be the North Korean anthem, but it comes close enough.
* Mauritania's national anthem is scary, frightening, and nightmarish. [[HellIsThatNoise It is abrupt]], and its lyrics are just as, well, [[ValuesDissonance awkward to a Western audience]]. Hearing the song, according to some people, reminds you of [[BrownNote endless monotone marching into the deserts of the north, or, even worse, the chopping off of heads to the rhythmic beat]]. You can't even sing along to it, as doing so requires awesome effort, according to the freaking CIA. But it is just beautifully haunting, and is a fine piece of music, [[PatrioticFervor and is one of the few national anthems of a non-Western country to be traditional-sounding in its official manner]]. Counts as EarWorm as well. For the more elegant version, go [[https://youtu.be/EhOQOUrYGTM here]], and for the more traditional one, go [[https://youtu.be/_6RU94xbock here]] [[AwesomenessIsVolatile Your mind will be hooked.]]
* [[https://youtu.be/b9Hy1A026yg The Brazilian National Anthem]] is known by both its beauty and the power of its composition and lyrics. It's written in very archaic and poetical Portuguese, resulting in one hell of a piece.
* The national anthem of New Zealand, sung in the modern day both in Māori and English, is easily one of the most powerful national anthems there is. There are [[https://youtu.be/_dPcj_aC8fk several]] [[https://youtu.be/mhCgcZ0efAA absolutely]] [[http://youtu.be/M9hDPpxCdec?t=2m43s majestic]] [[https://youtu.be/A9O2Dm5WV5U renditions]] on Website/YouTube, mostly as performed at large sporting events.
* "Le chant du départ", the national anthem of [[UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte the first French Empire]] and current regional anthem of French Guiana. Popularized by Maximilien Robespierre, it was distributed to Revolutionary France's field armies during the beginning of the French Revolutionary Wars. It's a musical tableau, supposedly with each verse sung by a different group of French (ie, soldiers, children, mothers, etc). [[https://youtu.be/uqdxBh4ZUeM It's quite something.]] Another Bonapartist example is "[[https://youtu.be/qB1kp9adYYE La Victoire est à nous]]", the ''Grande Armée'''s [[MusicToInvadePolandTo Music to Invade Russia To.]]

* "Lofsöngur", Iceland's national anthem. It's considered hard to sing because of a [[https://youtu.be/uS9XTOyH6y8#t=70 sudden increase in volume]], but it also makes it more epic. The unofficial anthem "[[https://youtu.be/Obq1DYQva8Y Ísland er land þitt]]" is also epic.
* "L-Innu Malti", Malta's national anthem. Its epic music and lyrics referring to pray to God protecting the country. If the music is played in a really lower key of F major, it will sound more angelic. This [[https://youtu.be/-nr8UpFVRR8 video of the national anthem and the flag]] will show you that [[HolyBacklight the sun is shining on the flag]].

* The national anthem of Ireland, [[https://youtu.be/Aip-a3qEJ2s "The Soldier's Song"/"Amhrán na bhFiann",]] is a very stirring and powerful piece of music, and sounds equally kick-ass whether it's sung in Irish or in English. The most awesome part is the BadassBoast at the very end: "Mid cannon's roar and rifle's peal.../We'll sing a soldier's song!"
* The national anthem of China since 1949, as well as Hong Kong and Macau, known as the "[[https://youtu.be/UctriMuXYS0 March of the Volunteers]]", makes you wanna kick enemy ass and smash their stuff.
* The national anthem of Spain may have no lyrics, [[https://youtu.be/X3cvs5dGd-Q but that doesn't mean it's bad]].
** It did technically have lyrics during the [[https://youtu.be/kA3Y6WRrpPo restoration of the monarchy]] after the First Spanish Republic and during [[https://youtu.be/ED8MjGuFI7o the reign of General Franco]] (which can be seen as the unofficial lyrics).
** The Second Spanish Republic's anthem, [[https://youtu.be/eOtkH0sUL5Q Himno de Riego,]] deserves mention. With Spain's transition back to democracy, this version has become considerably popular.
* [[https://youtu.be/i7ZvETrH-I4 Sayaun Thunga Phool Ka]], the national anthem of Nepal, is beautiful and simple.
* [[https://youtu.be/bOEtr6NhG10 Singapore's "Majulah Singapura"]] ("Onward, Singapore") is very stirring and inspirational, especially the chorus. However, most Singaporeans today do not speak Malay, and thus don't really understand the meaning of the anthem. Nevertheless, it's only a minor flaw, and not the point of this page.
* Most of the anthems with an unusual [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_anthem#Modality modality]]. The minor scale (e.g. Turkey, Bulgaria, etc.) is grandiose and majestic, the pentatonic scale (e.g. Bhutan, Kenya, etc.) has a feeling of tradition, and the two anthems left are [[https://youtu.be/UWEzwFfTHdc Turkmenistan]] and [[https://youtu.be/WNww8UWbY_g Afghanistan]], both awesome in their own, almost indescribable way.
* [[https://youtu.be/xOAqtWREz68 Oj svijetla majska zoro]], the Montenegrin anthem, is based on a music piece in a patriotic play. It also uses [[UncommonTime unusual time signitures of 6/4 and 8/4]], and is so popular it existed as a folk song for ''136 years''.

* The national anthem of the Netherlands is a real winner. "[[https://youtu.be/IW2FbCWzuZo Wilhelmus van Nassouwe! Ben ick van Duytschen bloet!]] [[note]] "ben ik van Duitsen bloed" [[/note]]" And if you thought it was good before, ''FanWorks/PlayTheGame'' makes it even better, as it's sung by the whole cast [[spoiler: after the Rijksmuseum is burned.]]
* The national anthem of Portugal, "A Portuguesa" (whose title is not mentioned, only implied, like in the case of "La Marsellaise"), which is about "raising once again today, / The splendor of Portugal". [[https://youtu.be/OUvzjQlWPtE?t=5s Bonus points if it's played at a rugby match]] or a football/soccer match.
* [[https://youtu.be/d6rB041Bh20 The Chant of the Italians]] is so bouncy a melody that it wouldn't sound out of place in a fairground.
* Corsica's national anthem, "[[https://youtu.be/V2oY-4TMOI0 Dio vi salvi Regina]]", is both DarkerAndEdgier and a TearJerker due to its lyrics and the way it was sung ('''Warning:''' Due to this fact, this video will make you sad, if you watch this video, try not to cry).
* For a small island nation, the people of Tonga can boast [[https://youtu.be/mRabDAx45Jc a pretty darn epic anthem.]] Bonus points if it's being played before a rugby match.
* "[[https://youtu.be/SceSkkRtC2s Tiến quân ca]]" from Vietnam is considered "[[http://www.cracked.com/article_16735_6-national-anthems-that-will-make-you-tremble-with-fear.html the scariest national anthem on the world]]". It can probably kick more ass in two short verses than most countries do in a lifetime: army moving forward, flag soaked in blood, guns rumbling, dead bodies of the enemy, resistance bases being built. That's just the first verse. May God have mercy on anyone stupid enough to invade Vietnam, because we won't. During the visit of then-US President Barack Obama to Vietnam in early 2016, a famous singer sang the national anthem [[https://youtu.be/HIgHtuIjEM8 with no "pride" or "power" to her performance,]] which made many people track down a version sung by singers in 2014 (2 years earlier) - [[https://youtu.be/NUWcRjAxmSg which was much better]]. Hell, some even said that [[https://youtu.be/WGM4t_KV9os a kid can sing better than her.]] They were right.
* [[https://youtu.be/ux_pdWL1Rls "Ja, vi elsker dette landet"]], the de facto Norwegian anthem. While the short version with three verses is already great, the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ja,_vi_elsker_dette_landet#Lyrics_and_literal_translation full version]] talks about almost a ''millennium'' of Norwegian history, bringing up SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome after SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome along the way. In the end, the Norwegians [[EarnYourHappyEnding win their freedom after enduring plenty of hardship]] and [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments forgive their former enemies]] -- but they're still prepared to defend their country should the need arise. The song was performed for the first time in 1864, at the fiftieth anniversary of the constitution. It caught on immediately, and became ''the'' national anthem almost on popular demand and tradition - it has never been officially "ratified" as such by any Norwegian parliament or government. It just stuck.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8Z85pyx0MA The national anthem of Mexico]]. A BattleCry (the ''very first verse'' outright tells you it's one) that oozes nationalism with or without the lyrics.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxdUptwtyRQ "Indonesia Raya" a.k.a. "Great Indonesia"]]. A majestically simple anthem, ''especially'' when played by an orchestra, or even more majestic when it is a solo. It gets even more epic with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jetKkkWKuZE full three stanza version]], sung by ordinary people combined with an orchestra.
* If you ever want to hear an absolutely badass, epic anthem that gives “La Marseillaise” a run for its money, then turn your heads to Algeria’s “[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CEvoHbS4RU Qasaman]]”. With lyrics such as, “[[BloodKnight So we have taken the drum of gunpowder as our rhythm/And the sound of machine guns as our melody]],” and, "[[TakeThat O France, the day of reckoning is at hand/So prepare to receive from us our answer]]," the Algerian national anthem definitely deserves mentioning. You can read the full lyrics in Arabic, French, and English [[http://www.nationalanthems.me/algeria-qassaman/ here]][[note]]The story of the anthem is pretty damn epic too. In the 1950s, the writer of the hymn, Mufdi Zakariah, was shot and put in prison by the police of French occupied Algeria because of his Algerian nationalist beliefs. While he was imprisoned, [[IAintGotTimeToBleed he wrote each verse with his own blood]][[/note]].

** Additional heights of awesome are reached when Jeremiah Clarke's "Prince of Denmark's March" is overlaid onto it, as was the case with the now-defunct [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF7kzj4lCnE#t=4m12s BBC Radio 4 Theme]].

*** "Jerusalem", used by some English sporting teams, was composed by Hubert Parry and orchestrated by Edward Elgar. It was adapted from William Blake's poetry during World War I and the ''King himself'' said he preferred it! To demonstrate how good it is, here it is being sung by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ0oCmDXrVk 5 000 people.]]

** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG2UMO6rZd4 Zadok the Priest]]", the music that is played - ''live'' - in Westminster Abbey when a new British monarch is anointed as ruler. Perhaps Handel's most ''epic'' piece of music. It was first played at the coronation of King George II in 1727.[[note]] Literature/TheBible verses which it sets to music, meanwhile, had been read at every coronation since that of King Edgar the Peaceable in 973.[[/note]] It is said that the new king paused and closed his eyes for a moment as it played. Considering he was [[FourStarBadass the last British monarch to actually lead the army in the field]], its awesomeness clearly rubbed off on him.
* The anthem of the short-lived Russian 1917 republic was ''awesome'', because it is based on La Marseillaise: See these [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eScrETEASlo three]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxPMLkJqv0U great]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5zeDBVW2MU renditions]]. (The last one is TearJerker and a DyingMomentOfAwesome.)

** Tragically, the actual Australian anthem, "Advance Australia Fair" is probably one of the more pedestrian, safe and flat anthems around. But sung by Adam Hills and set to the tune of "Working Class Man" by Jimmy Barnes? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TNCf0cwJsY Very awesome.]]
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQBlnwrffAg "Waltzing Matilda"]] is often referred to as the the unofficial national anthem of Australia and with good reason.
* [[CanadaEh Canada]] may not be the first country that comes to mind when it comes to kick-ass music, but [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVdZvWBcA_4 its national anthem]] can be quite majestic.
** It's even better when used in [[Wrestling/{{TNA}} professional wrestling]] for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxLI68Vc6U8 Team Canada.]]

** The longtime unofficial national anthem, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stHE8L0S42E "The Maple Leaf Forever"]], is pretty impressive as well.
** The original [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByKu8BwT5K4 "Hockey Night in Canada" theme]].

** Israel's unofficial anthem, "Yerushalaim Shel Zahav", in English "Jerusalem of Gold". Best known for its treatment at the end of ''Film/SchindlersList'', but [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8Co7IzOyhw this performance by Ofra Haza]] is simply beautiful.
* The Italian national anthem, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcI2IdHhEHE Il Canto degli Italiani]]" (also known as, "Inno di Mameli", or "Fratelli d'Italia"), has a fanfare building it up, and a thunderous chorus singing the lyrics. A true force for Italy.
** Another great contender is the instrumental, royal anthem for Italy, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCX7sLKsZ7Y Marcia Real d'Ordinanza]]" (which was also used by Mussolini for the first two decades of his rule).
*** When Italy became the "Italian Socialist Republic", the country adopted a new anthem in use for two or three years, known as "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2lNTdAiyWw Giovinezza]]". This rendition sounds like a great opera, mixed in with an energetic, booming chorus.
*** Another unofficial anthem for Fascist Italy was "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuFdYJa7DNc Faccetta Nera]]". The vocals are very powerful, and the lyrics are even more "in your face" than the official anthem of Fascist Italy...
** An anthem of the Italian Communist Party, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxurdoPFMCI Bandiera Rossa]]" has a very powerful, energetic melody, with accompanying lyrics discussing the proletariat, and waving the red banner of communism.
* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhQwLeMcbRY Das Deutschlandlied]]", out of all currently used national anthems, though the original form of "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZLQdNJH1Xo Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser]]" is better. It is also the only national anthem with a tune by a composer of the first rank, Music/JosephHaydn. Which is a bit funny, as Haydn was an Austrian who spent most of his life working for Hungarians...
* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7zGFZNinsk East German]] anthem also qualifies as awesome music. [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments It is also one of the only national anthems to acknowledge that it is peace that the world desires,]] and takes the time to talk about [[TearJerker the mother that weeps over her dead son.]] Furthermore, the lyrics, written in 1949, include the line ''Deutschland, einig Vaterland'' (Germany, united Fatherland), which is one reason why, [[UsefulNotes/BerlinWall after a little while]], the government stopped using the original lyrics.

** How about Music/JimiHendrix's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjzZh6-h9fM version?]] If that ain't SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic...

** Fun fact: The tune comes from the drinking song for the Anacreontic Society, an upper-crust British society carried forward into the U.S. colonies. The lyrics to the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydAIdVKv84g Anacreontic Song]] are couched in imagery from Myth/ClassicalMythology, but the gist basically boils down to "[[ButLiquorIsQuicker I'll show you how to get laid by getting women drunk]]."
** Speaking of performances of the Star-Spangled Banner, ''many'' have butchered it but there are few that are just exemplary. The first is Music/MarvinGaye's soulful performance at the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC0d92g0X6Y 1983 NBA All-Star Game]], backed with [[ThreeChordsAndTheTruth only a drum machine]], the second being Music/WhitneyHouston's showstopper [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wupsPg5H6aE at Super Bowl XXV]] which became a ''nationwide hit single'' and the Music/DixieChicks glorious [[UpToEleven three-piece harmony]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU5AYcAhvyo at Super Bowl XXXVII]].
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rIOtcB7rfs Here]] is a heavenly performance of The Star-Spangled Banner by the Massachusetts All-State Choir. Choir members were ''crying'' while singing.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ETrr-XHBjE This]] is how it was meant to be heard, sung by the choirs of the US Servce Academies. Absolutely beautiful.
** Sandi Patty's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xrw4EaFpLw0 1986 rendition]] from the Liberty Weekend special, during the rededication of the Statue of Liberty. One of the greatest voices in American history, and debuting a gorgeous new final verse to boot.

** The anthem also sounds surprisingly beautiful when [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh20Xsn_p9k sung by children]].
* "La Marseillaise". [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM-E2H1ChJM Just look.]]

** Mirelle Mathieu's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIxOl1EraXA rendition]] is pure awesome.
** While not nearly as epic as "La Marseillaise", the anthem of Vichy France, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu_d1LQsFpY "Maréchal, nous Voilà!"]] is certainly epic in its own right.[[note]]The song was actually plagiarised by the composer from a Polish Jewish musician, who ironically was deported and murdered at Auschwitz.[[/note]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLi_m656tQQ The Soviet National anthem.]] Defines epic. One of the few things Russia kept after TheGreatPoliticsMessUp. Regarded as the best national anthem, ever.

## After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Russian Federation got rid of the anthem altogether, but public sentiment pressured Vladimir Putin to reinstate it (with a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A71wdsTqkfM completely Communism-free set of lyrics]]) in 2000.
** Really, just about anything sung by the Red Army Choir qualifies as awesome. Even [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WD0WVL-HjE "Volga Boatman"]] -- especially at 1:57 when the full choir comes in, or the roaring climax at 2:39. Absolutely spine-tingling.
** The [[http://www.hymn.ru/15-union-republics/index-en.html individual anthems of the Union Republics]]. Special mention goes to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deT0syY9gdc Latvia]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7D8BkbwTMM Kyrgyzstan]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PsDghCAw-g Azerbaijan]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diCmxx-f1Pg Armenia]].
*** An absolutely special mention goes to the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOP-8o_T8Ow Moldovan SSR Anthem]][[note]]This is a recreation of what the anthem would have sounded like, as the full version is thought to be lost[[/note]]. Out of all the USSR anthems, this is definitely one of the beautiful hymns put out by the Soviet Union, [[MissingEpisode sad that the original recordings remain lost...]]
*** Another great USSR anthem that also deserves special recognition is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn-jMpVBxBA Tajikistan.]]
** See also [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykMVRj6ZrkE this cover]].
* Dyed in the wool Yankees can find [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVsNCllEHD0 "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"]] totally awesome. (There's a reason that "The Song That Gets On Everybody's Nerves" is set to the same tune...)
* The Republic of Georgia can be proud to have as its national anthem [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b57ajZOf8E "Tavisupleba"]] ("Freedom"), a short, sweet, and proudly Georgian anthem whose melody is based on classical opera tunes. Georgia's former anthem, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh73tQ7OEPU Dideba]]", which was used during the rather short-lived Democratic Republic of Georgia and later on after its independence from the Soviet Union is just as awesome as its present day counterpart.
* The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic had a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WXD91-YPAw national anthem]] written by Aram Khachaturian that far outclasses the present-day Armenian anthem. Probably because it was written by frickin' [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aram_Khachaturian Aram Khachaturian]].
* Transnistria is by no means a recongised country, however, their national anthem, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrhRA_prQN8 "We Sing the Praises of Transnistria"]] is a quite majestic, prideful anthem. Like South Africa's anthem, this is a multilingual anthem (Sung in Russian, Ukrainian, and Romanian (Moldovan Cyrillic)).
* As for another partially recognised country, Abkhazia, they have a very special and beautiful anthem known as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGV9ivONiz4 "Aiaaira"]] (Victory). Read the english lyrics of the first stanza:

* Remember in ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'' when the Germans got "Die Wacht am Rhein" drowned out by the French? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zikcHnimsxk Here it is]], in the original version from the time of the Kaiser, a song too good to have been a Third Reich anthem.
* The German Empire (the Kaiser's one, not [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler the Bohemian corporal's]]) was ''really'' good at rousing songs: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_6AQA4uzD0 "Preussens Gloria"]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qcmn5PBdNo "Hail to Thee In Victor's Crown"]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zEy4GNMJq0 "The Hohenfriedberg March"]] (which gets bonus points for being written by [[BadassGay Frederick the Great]]) and the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUKPHCwW_9I "Koennigratz March"]] (which was appropriated by the Nazis, with whom [[CriticalResearchFailure many associate it]], sadly.)
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3TtgYuaVFk The national anthem of India]] is incredibly inspirational. Even if you don't understand the lyrics, the whole melody is hauntingly uplifting.
* The melody of Finland's (and Estonia's) [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSlAuPOUew4 official national anthem]] was allegedly stolen from a German drinking song, but [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJWNLIQhYH0 "Finlandia" by Jean Sibelius]]? Boy oh boy.

** For example, the Argentinean National Anthem: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BJPW8YmP_U ¡OIIID MORTAAAAALES EL GRIIIIIITO SAGRAAAAAADO! ¡LIBERTAD! ¡LIBERTAD! ¡LIBERTAD!]]
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqBhWQWToMs The Chilean Anthem]]. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCli830LXho Here]] it is with subtitles.
*** Here played by the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P0VbH1sc4A Israel Philharmonic Orchestra]]. Sounds so awesome that people in the theater began spontaneously to sing.
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfIonqizuVk A balls-out awesome rendition at the 2014 World Cup]]. And since FIFA limits the duration of the music for national anthems, the last part is sung a cappella. For extra flavor, this match was against Spain, aka the country Chile got its independence from, aka then current world and European champions and the most dominant team in world football for the preceding six years. As a Spanish announcer said: [[OhCrap one-nil.]]
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h3qyYER3v0 The Uruguayan national anthem]] is the longest in the world, and it fits the Latin American Epic anthem description ''like a glove''.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2r-9d1po2Y Alastair Hulett]] would disagree on the English.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBKBI7DOLHA "Scotland the Brave"]], doubly so when played on the Great Highland Bagpipe. The John [=McDermott=] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GowMI4wvmU4 version]] isn't bad either:

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vkYiCdn834 "Flower of Scotland"]], especially when Scotland's famous football Tartan Army joins in.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tEdH0bjjR8 "Highland Cathedral"]], on the bagpipes.
** And now the TearJerker one, "Caledonia", [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmxqjzCxNEE by Dougie MacLean]]. Famously - and extremely effectively - [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX9h558Tz1E used to sell lager.]]

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBaI26chcFw Mawtini]], the former national anthem of Palestine and the new one of Iraq. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ-E6S2yxjg The instrumental version]] is just as good on its own too.
** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0W9_6N2yLs current anthem]] of Palestine, "Fida'i", as well.
** Even more awesome when sung in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xpvZFCI53E Aramaic]].
* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpgQv6lKhws Japanese national anthem]] is beautiful, and one of the few national anthems based on poetry.
* Zambia's anthem [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc6VwfggFBA "Stand and Sing of Zambia, Proud and Free"]] is an anthem sung in acapella. It's simply full of beauty and pride.
* The beautiful [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4v7FLLxnHks "Swiss Psalm"]].
* Egypt's anthem, "Bilady, Bilady, Bilady" is not epic in the usual sense: it was written by one of the leaders of the Egyptian folk-music scene, Sayyid Darwish. For those playing along at home, it's as though Music/WoodyGuthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" was the US anthem (the title even translates to "My Country, My Country, My Country," which given the vagaries of Arabic could also mean, "My Land..."). Sung as a folk song, it's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=was1dmFIRJI actually pretty cool]]; as an instrumental, it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0xtjEzCPkE sounds like a fairly normal anthem]], if a well-executed one.
** Egypt's earlier anthem [[note]]also used by The United Arab Republic, as well as Iraq for some time[[/note]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnc_YROJd3E "Walla Zaman Ya Selahi"]] ("It Has Been Ages, Oh Weapon"), is a grand and epic anthem, standing in contrast to "Bilady". Unlike Egypt's contemporary anthem which promotes peace and brotherhood, this anthem has rather violent and "revolutionary" overtones, similar in vein to the anthems of France, and Algeria.

** Yet another anthem from Egypt whilst still a kingdom and British protectorate, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2lx2VFWKzw "Eslami ya Misr"]] ("Be Safe, Oh Egypt").
* Poland's anthem's title translates to "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdYCbAjgfh4 Poland Has Not Yet Perished]]". It was first written by the Polish soldiers of Bonaparte's armies during their campaigns, after Napoleon promised that he would restore them their Polish homeland, which had been partitioned by Austria, Prussia, and Russia. It rose to the fore in 1945, when Artur Rubinstein, a Polish pianist invited to play at the opening of the UN, seeing no Polish delegation and no Polish flag, played it instead of his planned lineup, to a standing ovation.

* The Philippine national anthem is so awesome that through the decades it's been in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KUiDHlOxEE Spanish]][[note]]the original language the anthem was in[[/note]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OduPI241XU English]] and currently [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrhioabWIQw Filipino]].
* The WELSH national anthem, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kUnCwV3AYE "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau"]] ("Land of Our Fathers"). And a well-known patriotic song, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRtnWVvDX6k "Men of Harlech"]], about the seven year long siege of Harlech Castle.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d0kCIJbo4I The Kenyan national anthem]] is one of the most exotic and majestic anthems.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixznlxm-ino STRONG AND PEACEFUL, WISE AND BRAVE / FIGHTING THE FIGHT FOR THE WHOLE WORLD TO SAVE...]] Now, take a guess what anthem that one is. [[spoiler:It's the Oceanian one, composed for the film adaptation of ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour''. Yes, it may not be a real-life anthem (and does therefore not truly belong on this page either), but is does deserve mention for being a ''very realistic'' fictional SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic anthem, being based to a very high extent on old Soviet and other communist anthems]].
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikw2UwsfS1s Libya, Libya, Libya!]] What makes this song awesome is its pure jovialness in nature, a welcome change for a country liberated from 42 years of dictatorship, war from the US and NATO, and such. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GY1d1eJ06Q Gaddafi's anthem]] isn't half bad either.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BtryAMTUYY The National Anthem of South Korea.]] Majestic and graceful, it's quite befitting of the country it represents. ''Uri nara mansae!''
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsBKYMSr3YI "Ey Iran"]], the former (de facto) national anthem of UsefulNotes/{{Iran}}. "Dar rāhe to, key arzeši dārad in jāne mā? ([[UndyingLoyalty In your cause, when do our lives have value?]])"
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMwjgg2Pl2s The National Anthem of the Islamic Republic of Iran]] too. "Šahidān, pičide dar guše zamān faryādetān. ([[OurAngelsAreDifferent O Martyrs! Your clamours echo in the ears of time.]])"
** Their previous anthem, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_HWD8LBRHQ Payandeh Bada Iran]] (Be an Eternal, Lasting Iran) was pretty damn good too.

* Nigeria's national anthem, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naxgnQugT3U Arise O Compatriots]]. Very upbeat in nature, and one of the best African anthems, and really easy to play on a piano. Also the old anthem, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyXxbSVES2 Nigeria we hail thee]]. The melody is average, but the lyrics are more Nigerian.
* Although it's not a national anthem anymore, the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw9zXepzEzA Austro-Hungarian]] anthem is, quite simply, beautiful.
* The Mongolian [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taDZG9JKTDg anthem]]. Using ''electric guitars''. That alone makes it awesome.
* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tePgys9euF8 Sealand]] national anthem sounds pretty epic. Too bad [[Manga/AxisPowersHetalia you'll never be a real country]].
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UamvtFPhFoU Kazakhstan]]'s new national anthem (not the one from Film/{{Borat}}).
* Any Turkic anthem is awesome, like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJzUurSh3UY Turkey]]'s and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHmFPsUfNlA Azerbaijan]]'s. Then again, they also have the most awesome word in the world: Muvaffakiyetsizleştiricileştiriveremeyebileceklerimizdenmişsinizcesine (translated: "as though you are from those whom we may not be able to easily make into a maker of unsuccessful ones").
* Syria's national anthem, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIWX5coH0pU Humat ad-Diyar]] (Guardians of the Homeland), is simply ''majestic''. Pity it's so short.
* Romania's anthem, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs7e1B3vHZQ "Desteapta-te, romane!"]] ("Wake up, Romanians!"), is impressive. It has 11 verses, with the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 11th being normally sung and the whole thing being sung (with a 21-gun salute) on national holidays. The one used during the Kingdom days, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_9zr2Xxcs0 "Traiasca Regele"]] ("Long live the King"), isn't bad either.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vOxw292w8w South Africa's national anthem]]'s lyrics and music are pretty awesome by themselves, but it gets cooler when you consider that it's basically [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_anthem_of_South_Africa two songs combined together]], sung in ''five different languages''.
* Tanzania's anthem [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsZ5YtXn4C8 "Mungu ibariki Afrika"]] is basically a slightly modified Swahili version of "Nkosi sikelel iAfrika" and it's just as awesome.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwoQyojsbZQ "Aegukka"]], the national anthem of North Korea, is an absolutely marvelous, awe-inspiring national anthem. Ironically, it doesn't mention anything about the Kim family, Juche (Self-Reliance), nor Songun (Military First), which is probably why they place less emphasis on the anthem. Furthermore, Kim Jong-il's personal tune [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K907lLUzmC0 "No Motherland Without You"]] may not be the North Korean anthem, but it comes close enough.
* Mauritania's national anthem is scary, frightening, and nightmarish. [[HellIsThatNoise It is abrupt]], and its lyrics are just as, well, [[ValuesDissonance awkward to a Western audience]]. Hearing the song, according to some people, reminds you of [[BrownNote endless monotone marching into the deserts of the north, or, even worse, the chopping off of heads to the rhythmic beat]]. You can't even sing along to it, as doing so requires awesome effort, according to the freaking CIA. But it is just beautifully haunting, and is a fine piece of music, [[PatrioticFervor and is one of the few national anthems of a non-Western country to be traditional-sounding in its official manner]]. Counts as EarWorm as well. For the more elegant version, go [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhOQOUrYGTM here]], and for the more traditional one, go [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6RU94xbock here]] [[AwesomenessIsVolatile Your mind will be hooked.]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9Hy1A026yg The Brazilian National Anthem]] is known by both its beauty and the power of its composition and lyrics. It's written in very archaic and poetical Portuguese, resulting in one hell of a piece.
* The national anthem of New Zealand, sung in the modern day both in Māori and English, is easily one of the most powerful national anthems there is. There are [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dPcj_aC8fk several]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhCgcZ0efAA absolutely]] [[http://youtu.be/M9hDPpxCdec?t=2m43s majestic]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9O2Dm5WV5U renditions]] on YouTube, mostly as performed at large sporting events.
* "Le chant du départ", the national anthem of [[UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte the first French Empire]] and current regional anthem of French Guiana. Popularized by Maximilien Robespierre, it was distributed to Revolutionary France's field armies during the beginning of the French Revolutionary Wars. It's a musical tableau, supposedly with each verse sung by a different group of French (ie, soldiers, children, mothers, etc). [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqdxBh4ZUeM It's quite something.]] Another Bonapartist example is "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB1kp9adYYE La Victoire est à nous]]", the ''Grande Armée'''s [[MusicToInvadePolandTo Music to Invade Russia To.]]

* "Lofsöngur", Iceland's national anthem. It's considered hard to sing because of a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS9XTOyH6y8#t=70 sudden increase in volume]], but it also makes it more epic. The unofficial anthem "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obq1DYQva8Y Ísland er land þitt]]" is also epic.
* "L-Innu Malti", Malta's national anthem. Its epic music and lyrics referring to pray to God protecting the country. If the music is played in a really lower key of F major, it will sound more angelic. This [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nr8UpFVRR8 video of the national anthem and the flag]] will show you that [[HolyBacklight the sun is shining on the flag]].

* The national anthem of Ireland, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aip-a3qEJ2s "The Soldier's Song"/"Amhrán na bhFiann",]] is a very stirring and powerful piece of music, and sounds equally kick-ass whether it's sung in Irish or in English. The most awesome part is the BadassBoast at the very end: "Mid cannon's roar and rifle's peal.../We'll sing a soldier's song!"
* The national anthem of China since 1949, as well as Hong Kong and Macau, known as the "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UctriMuXYS0 March of the Volunteers]]", makes you wanna kick enemy ass and smash their stuff.
* The national anthem of Spain may have no lyrics, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3cvs5dGd-Q but that doesn't mean it's bad]].
** It did technically have lyrics during the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA3Y6WRrpPo restoration of the monarchy]] after the First Spanish Republic and during [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED8MjGuFI7o the reign of General Franco]] (which can be seen as the unofficial lyrics).
** The Second Spanish Republic's anthem, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOtkH0sUL5Q Himno de Riego,]] deserves mention. With Spain's transition back to democracy, this version has become considerably popular.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7ZvETrH-I4 Sayaun Thunga Phool Ka]], the national anthem of Nepal, is beautiful and simple.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOEtr6NhG10 Singapore's "Majulah Singapura"]] ("Onward, Singapore") is very stirring and inspirational, especially the chorus. However, most Singaporeans today do not speak Malay, and thus don't really understand the meaning of the anthem. Nevertheless, it's only a minor flaw, and not the point of this page.
* Most of the anthems with an unusual [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_anthem#Modality modality]]. The minor scale (e.g. Turkey, Bulgaria, etc.) is grandiose and majestic, the pentatonic scale (e.g. Bhutan, Kenya, etc.) has a feeling of tradition, and the two anthems left are [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWEzwFfTHdc Turkmenistan]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNww8UWbY_g Afghanistan]], both awesome in their own, almost indescribable way.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOAqtWREz68 Oj svijetla majska zoro]], the Montenegrin anthem, is based on a music piece in a patriotic play. It also uses [[UncommonTime unusual time signitures of 6/4 and 8/4]], and is so popular it existed as a folk song for ''136 years''.

* The national anthem of the Netherlands is a real winner. "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IW2FbCWzuZo Wilhelmus van Nassouwe! Ben ick van Duytschen bloet!]] [[note]] "ben ik van Duitsen bloed" [[/note]]" And if you thought it was good before, ''FanWorks/PlayTheGame'' makes it even better, as it's sung by the whole cast [[spoiler: after the Rijksmuseum is burned.]]
* The national anthem of Portugal, "A Portuguesa" (whose title is not mentioned, only implied, like in the case of "La Marsellaise"), which is about "raising once again today, / The splendor of Portugal". [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUvzjQlWPtE?t=5s Bonus points if it's played at a rugby match]] or a football/soccer match.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6rB041Bh20 The Chant of the Italians]] is so bouncy a melody that it wouldn't sound out of place in a fairground.
* Corsica's national anthem, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2oY-4TMOI0 Dio vi salvi Regina]]", is both DarkerAndEdgier and a TearJerker due to its lyrics and the way it was sung ('''Warning:''' Due to this fact, this video will make you sad, if you watch this video, try not to cry).
* For a small island nation, the people of Tonga can boast [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRabDAx45Jc a pretty darn epic anthem.]] Bonus points if it's being played before a rugby match.
* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SceSkkRtC2s Tiến quân ca]]" from Vietnam is considered "[[http://www.cracked.com/article_16735_6-national-anthems-that-will-make-you-tremble-with-fear.html the scariest national anthem on the world]]". It can probably kick more ass in two short verses than most countries do in a lifetime: army moving forward, flag soaked in blood, guns rumbling, dead bodies of the enemy, resistance bases being built. That's just the first verse. May God have mercy on anyone stupid enough to invade Vietnam, because we won't. During the visit of then-US President Barack Obama to Vietnam in early 2016, a famous singer sang the national anthem [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIgHtuIjEM8 with no "pride" or "power" to her performance,]] which made many people track down a version sung by singers in 2014 (2 years earlier) - [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUWcRjAxmSg which was much better]]. Hell, some even said that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGM4t_KV9os a kid can sing better than her.]] They were right.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux_pdWL1Rls "Ja, vi elsker dette landet"]], the de facto Norwegian anthem. While the short version with three verses is already great, the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ja,_vi_elsker_dette_landet#Lyrics_and_literal_translation full version]] talks about almost a ''millennium'' of Norwegian history, bringing up SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome after SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome along the way. In the end, the Norwegians [[EarnYourHappyEnding win their freedom after enduring plenty of hardship]] and [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments forgive their former enemies]] -- but they're still prepared to defend their country should the need arise. The song was performed for the first time in 1864, at the fiftieth anniversary of the constitution. It caught on immediately, and became ''the'' national anthem almost on popular demand and tradition - it has never been officially "ratified" as such by any Norwegian parliament or government. It just stuck.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux_pdWL1Rls "Ja, vi elsker dette landet"]], the de facto Norwegian anthem. While the short version with three verses is already great, the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ja,_vi_elsker_dette_landet#Lyrics_and_literal_translation full version]] talks about almost a ''millennium'' of Norwegian history, bringing up SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome after SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome along the way. In the end, the Norwegians [[EarnYourHappyEnding win their freedom after enduring plenty of hardship]] and [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments forgive their former enemies]] -- but they're still prepared to defend their country should the need arise.
** The song was performed for the first time in 1864, at the fiftieth anniversary of the constitution. It catched on immidiately, and became ''the'' national anthem almost on popular demand and tradition - it has never been officially "ratified" as such by any Norwegian parliament or government. It just stuck.