O Canada

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"O Canada" is the national anthem of Canada. The music was composed by Calixa Lavallée, who may have been inspired by the similar "March of the Priests" from Mozart's opera The Magic Flute. The original French lyrics were written by Sir Adolphe Basile Routhier, and the official English version by Robert Stanley Weir in 1908.

1 History
2 Other English lyrics
3 Pop culture
4 Critics
5 See also
6 External links

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History

The original French lyrics were written by Sir Adolphe Basile Routhier, as a French-Canadian patriotic song for the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society. The French "Ô Canada" was first performed on June 24, 1880 at a Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day banquet in Quebec City, but did not become Canada's official national anthem until July 1, 1980. When it was made the official anthem, most English Canadians were surprised to learn that it did not already have such status.

Since 1867, "God Save the King" and "The Maple Leaf Forever" had been competing as unofficial national anthems in English Canada. "O Canada" joined that fray when school children sang it for the 1901 tour of Canada by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall (later King George V and Queen Mary). Five years later Whaley and Royce in Toronto published the music with the French text and a first translation into English by Dr. Thomas Bedford Richardson. Then, in 1908, Collier's Weekly magazine held a competition to write English lyrics for "O Canada" and all kinds of versions were submitted. The competition was won by Mercy E. Powell McCulloch, but her version did not take.

The English version that gained the widest currency was written in 1908 by Robert Stanley Weir, a lawyer and at the time Recorder of the City of Montréal. A slightly modified version of his poem was published in an official form for the Diamond Jubilee of Confederation in 1927, and gradually became the most generally accepted anthem in English-speaking Canada, winning out over the alternatives by the 1960s. "God Save the Queen" is now Canada's royal anthem, while "The Maple Leaf Forever" is virtually forgotten.

The line "The True North strong and free" is based on Alfred Lord Tennyson's description of Canada as "That True North whereof we lately heard" [1]. In the context of Tennyson's poem, true means loyal or faithful.

Official changes to the English version were recommended in 1968 by a Special Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons. The National Anthem Act of 1980 added a religious reference to the English lyrics and the phrase "From far and wide, O Canada" to replace one of the somewhat tedious repetitions of the phrase "We stand on guard". This change was controversial with traditionalists, and for several years afterwards it was not uncommon to hear people still singing the old lyrics at public events. By contrast, the French version never wavered from its original.

Two provinces have adopted Latin translations of phrases from the English lyrics as their mottos: Manitoba —Gloriosus et liber (glorious and free)— and Alberta —Fortis et liber (strong and free). Similarly, the motto of Canadian Forces Land Force Command is Vigilamus pro te (we stand on guard for thee).

The original song has several additional verses, but these are rarely sung. Often, singers at public events mix the English and French lyrics in order to represent Canada's linguistic duality. The most common patterns are to sing the first two lines in English, the next four lines in French and the remainder in English, or to sing the first six lines in French and the remainder in English. Other patterns also exist. Singing the first two and last three lines in French avoids sexist language or religious connotations (see below.)

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Other English lyrics

In 1906, Whaley and Royce in Toronto published the music with the French text and a translation into English made by Dr. Thomas Bedford Richardson, a Toronto doctor. The Mendelssohn Choir used the Richardson lyrics in one of their performances about this time and Judge Routhier and the French press complimented the author.

In 1908 Collier's Weekly inaugurated its Canadian edition with a competition for an English text to Lavallée's music. It was won by Mercy E. Powell McCulloch, but her version did not take.

Since then many English versions have been written for "O Canada". Poet Wilfred Campbell wrote one. So did Augustus Bridle, Toronto critic. Some were written for the 1908 tercentenary of Quebec City. One version, written by Buchan, became popular in British Columbia. A version by Albert D. Watson written in 1917 gained some currency through being the text included in the 1930 Hymnary of the United Church of Canada, the largest Protestant denomination.

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Pop culture

Many versions of the song by Canadian rock, pop and folk artists have been released on album, both with and without vocals.

The blues-rock band Big Sugar released a rock rendition of "O Canada" on their 2001 album Brothers and Sisters, Are You Ready? The band's stated goal was to give the song a treatment that resembled Jimi Hendrix's famed rock interpretation of "The Star-Spangled Banner".

It was also spoofed in the movie South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. The anthem was sung twice by Terrance and Phillip in the episode "Not Without My Anus".

The anthem was used affectionately in The Simpsons episode "Bart of War" from season fourteen. In the scene, mass rioting and fighting had broken out at a Springfield baseball game due to the crowd witnessing a prank that was disrespectful of the American national anthem. When the image of Marge crying is shown on the Jumbotron, the fighting ends and the sweet soothing hymn of the national anthem is sung by all, restoring a feeling of brotherhood and forgiveness.

The anthem was sung is an episode of That '70s Show where Eric Forman, Steven Hyde, Michael Kelso, and Fez go to Canada for beer. To help them escape from the Mounties, Kelso begins to sing "O Canada", anachronistically using the lyrics introduced in 1980 and standing by a map including Nunavut, established 1999.

In a response to the criticism of the political incorrectness of the national anthem, the Royal Canadian Air Farce did a skit in October 2001, featuring a new version of "O Canada" that was more inclusive to everyone. Follow this link for the skit.

In a less positive context, Canadian professional wrestler Petey Williams at times will place his opponent into a tree of woe, get onto the second rope and then step onto the trapped opponent's groin -- while singing "O Canada."

A parody of "O Canada" called "Air Canada" done to the tune of "O Canada" has been performed. One of the earliest known uses of that song can be heard on a (very rare) Free Beer (Kevin Blackmore and Lorne Elliott) album from 1982.

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Critics

In recent years, the English version of the anthem has been criticized, by feminists such as Senator Vivienne Poy, for being sexist ("true patriot love in all thy sons command"); alternate lyrics ("in all of us command", "in thy children command", and "in all of thine command") have been proposed but are not widely used. The English version has also been under criticism for its religious connotation (God keep our land...) in an increasingly secular state.Template:Citation needed

Another suggested solution to this problem is changing the official English lyrics to the second verse of the original poem which does not contain references to religion or language that is widely considered sexist. This suggestion does not have much support in Canada.Template:Citation needed

However, if one sings the first two lines in French, the next four in English, and ends the song in French (or sings the second repitition of the last line in English), one avoids both sexist language and religious references (except for foi "faith", which some would argue could be interpreted as faith in one's country and fellow citizens), expresses national unity, and remains unimpeachable on grounds of revisionism, as both versions are just as official.Template:Citation needed

A third criticism is that by specifying "native land", the words of the anthem exclude immigrants, or they demean the First Nations, ignoring that it is neither the French nor the English's 'native land'.Template:Citation needed

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