The anthem behind the Mia Khalifa controversy

This is a picture of porn star Mia Khalifa with a dog:

And this is a picture of her arm featuring the chorus of Lebanon’s national anthem (“All of Us! For our country, our flag and glory”):

If you’ve been reading the news over the past fortnight, chances are you’ll have come across Mia and the storm she’s caused in Lebanon after becoming the number 1 ranked actress on Pornhub. That tattoo hasn’t helped calm things down.

I’d say getting your anthem inked on your arm is probably the most patriotic thing you can do. But Mia’s parents appear to disagree not even touching on it in this statement about her career choice: “We disassociate ourselves from her actions which do not reflect her family beliefs, her upbringing or her true Lebanese roots. We hope that she comes back to her senses as her image does not honour her family or her homeland.”

There’s numerous articles you can read about this furore – here’s one featuring lots of Lebanese academics – but what none of them have done is actually tell anyone what the Lebanese anthem sounds like, or even asked if it’s worth getting tattooed on your body. So in the spirit of public service, here it is!

Yes, it’s not the best, is it? Too much stop and starting – a bit like I imagine there is on a porn shoot.

But that chorus: if you’re patriotic, can you actually get better? I mean, it covers everything you need in 10 words.

As a random aside, did you know the Lebanese army has a website featuring the 31 (!) anthems it plays on a regular basis? No? Neither did I until about five minutes ago. But it’s thoroughly worth a visit. There’s even an Anthem of Armoured Vehicles. Literally amazing.

The Islamic State’s national anthem – and why you’ll worryingly like it

I recently wrote this article for the Guardian on the Islamic State’s national anthem and how the body’s changing the music of jihad. It was the most interesting article I’ve researched in a while, so hopefully it’s a moderately interesting read.

For those without the time to read 1,500 words, here’s the actual anthem. It’s great… until 2’53 in.

Update: If you want even more on ISIS’ music, I recently spoke to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s brilliant Q radio programme about it. Listen here. They amazingly gave me 15 minutes to prattle on. You have been warned!

República o Muerte se va a casa!

A few years ago, when I came up with the idea of writing a book about national anthems, the easiest part turned out to be choosing its name.

I scrolled down a list of the world’s anthems hoping to find something that could work as a book title. God Save the Queen? Nope! La Marseillaise? Next! Land der Berge, Land am Strome? Er…perhaps not.

But as soon as I hit Republic or Death – the name of Paraguay’s anthem – I knew I had a winner. It’s a phrase that sums up everything about anthems: how they can be gloriously over-the-top and passionate, but how many of them are responsible for inspiring some of the bloodiest moments in history.

Fortunately, the anthem sounds great – starting off with a rollicking 50-second intro, and then featuring so many time changes it’s near impossible to sing, more an opera than a song. Once I’d heard it, there was no going back.

This weekend I’m finally heading to Paraguay to research that song, its history and meaning today. Unsurprisingly, I’m a bit excited.

The composer behind República o Muerte also happened to write Uruguay’s amazing anthem – the less well named Himno Nacional (no, that wouldn’t work as a book title!) – so I’ll also be heading there.

If you’re in either country and fancy a cerverza or two, let me know, otherwise I’ll write something when I’m back. Abrazos!

(Apologies if the Spanish in this post makes no sense. I’ve only been learning the language for three weeks!)

Japan’s national anthem, sung by the people of Japan!

Here is – I promise – THE MOST AMAZING YOUTUBE CLIP YOU’LL EVER SEE… of a man awkwardly singing Japan’s national anthem on a bullet train!

I made this last month while travelling around Japan to research the country’s anthem, Kimigayo.

It features kimono-wearers in Kyoto, people at a cherry blossom party in Osaka, and even a man at the Myokohji Temple in Yokohama – the place where the anthem was born.

I’ve made videos like this in France and the US before. It proved a little harder to get people to sing in Japan. I think that’s because everyone’s afraid of disturbing the peace (I got turned down by SO many people on Tokyo’s subway). But it may also be because no one wants to be mistaken for a member of a right-wing group.

Arigato to everyone who sung for me despite that!

If you’d like to find out what the song’s about, click through to YouTube. The words are in Japanese and English in the description box.

The most beautiful piano playing about the world’s most violent country

A tribute to a dead protester in Caracas, Venezuela. Copyright is Reuters

There were 24,000 murders in Venezuela last year. That’s 65 a day – an almost cartoonish level of violence.

It says something’s seriously wrong there, regardless of what benefits you think Hugo Chavez brought to the country’s poor before he died, or whether you support his successor, Nicolas Maduro.

The violence partly explains the ongoing demonstrations in Caracas, in which three students died earlier this month.

It also partly explains why the pianist Gabriela Montero spends a lot of her time recording protest versions of the country’s national anthem.

Gloria al Bravo Pueblo – Glory to the Brave People – is normally described as a Latin American version of the Marseillaise, a proud military march that spirals to a cymbal crashing ending.

But what Gabriela turns it into is something far more powerful and worth your time. Here’s just three of her takes on it.

In the first two, she makes the anthem sound like the song of a heart-broken lover, one who can barely hold their emotions together long enough to get to the end.

But in the third, she turns it into something altogether different: a fiery tango and a theme song for cacerolazos – those protests where everyone bangs pots and pans to wake up corrupt politicians. It is 100% fantastic.

[For anyone reading on a mobile, you can find the videos here, here and here]

Gabriela’s playing concerts in Germany, Italy, the UK, Serbia, Canada and the US in the next few weeks. Go along. Her full schedule’s here.

Ukraine’s not dead yet

A protestor above Maidan Square, copyright Dendidenko.com

God knows what’s happening in Kiev right now.

There’s rubber bullets and tear gas, flaming buses, several deaths, rumours of the government hiring thugs to discredit the protests, even bizarre text messages (everyone near the protests has been getting ones saying, “You are registered as a participant in a mass disturbance”)!

It seems like chaos, and a long way from November when people started gathering in Maidan Square to try and force the government to sign a trade deal with the EU.

The only thing I can say for certain is the odd fact that Ukraine’s national anthem has been at the centre of the protests ever since they began.

The tune, called Shche ne vmerla Ukraina – Ukraine’s not died yet, has reportedly been sung on the hour, every hour, in Maidan since November.

On New Year’s Eve, the protesters even tried to break the world record for most people singing an anthem at once (sadly they didn’t beat the current 121,653 achieved by an Indian conglomerate).

Why’s the anthem so popular? There’s the obvious reasons: that singing it makes the protestors seem the true patriots, and that the words are perfect for a revolution. “We’ll lay down our souls and bodies, all for our freedom,” goes one line.

But I like to think the real reason is it’s got a amazingly good chorus – the song speeding up, and each word gaining about 14 syllables so they can run up and down the tune.

It’s perfect for a mass singalong, especially before lobbing some rocks at police!

The version above was recorded in the square last month. The singer’s Ruslana, a former MP and Eurovision winner (!) who just happens to be Ukraine’s most popular musician.