National melodies

Why is the King of Spain mentioned in the Netherlands' national anthem?

The purpose of a national anthem is to foster a sense of patriotism and unity among the citizens of a nation, but there are as many ways to achieve this as there are nations. While some anthems reflect on glorious deeds of the past, others express a shared desire for peace and prosperity, or celebrate love for their country, its lands, its leaders, and, at times, even the leaders of another nation. Let’s take a look at 10 national anthems with curious stories.

We all know the story of how The Star-Spangled Banner was written after a battle, but did you know it was not officially adopted as the national anthem for over a century? Composed during the War of 1812 under the title Defence of Fort M’Henry, it quickly became popular as a patriotic song and was officially adopted by the U.S. Navy in 1889. It was not declared the national anthem until 1931.

Some critics point to references in the third stanza—particularly language interpreted as relating to slavery—as well as the documented views of its author, Francis Scott Key. However, opposition to the song’s adoption at the time was more often based on its difficult vocal range and competition from other popular patriotic songs. Despite these debates, the poem—especially its first stanza—has long been regarded as a symbol of national unity.

Composed in 1572, it is one of the oldest national anthems still in use. The lyrics are written from the perspective of William of Orange—the leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Empire—and reflect his inner struggles between his loyalty to the Spanish King and his duty to his people.

Though the original text has at least 15 stanzas, only the first stanza and sometimes the sixth are sung today, which can be confusing for those unfamiliar with the historical context, as the first stanza ends by declaring undying loyalty to the king of Spain.

After the 1917 Russian Revolution, the newly formed Soviet Union adopted the socialist anthem The Internationale as its national anthem. In 1944, the Soviet government replaced it with a new anthem centered on Soviet Russia, with lyrics that emphasized the Soviet fatherland and Joseph Stalin’s leadership, though it was often performed without lyrics after Stalin’s death.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Russian Federation adopted an instrumental piece known as The Patriotic Song, composed in 1833 by Mikhail Glinka. After a decade of debates, and citing the need for an anthem that people could sing, the government decided to restore the former Soviet melody, this time with newly written lyrics.

How many countries can say that they owe their national anthem to a moment of panic? At least one. Malaysia’s national anthem was adopted after its independence from the United Kingdom, using the melody of the anthem of the state of Perak. But where does that melody come from?

When the Sultan of Perak attended the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902, his delegation was asked to provide their state anthem. Not having one, he improvised and adapted the melody of a popular tune from the Seychelles. This melody was later adopted as the official anthem of Perak and eventually became the basis for Malaysia’s national anthem.

Composed and adopted as the national anthem during the Argentine War of Independence, but before the formal declaration of independence from Spain, this song was initially called the Patriotic March. It was much longer than the current anthem, and its lyrics were controversial, as they portrayed Spain as a tyrannical and bloodthirsty nation.

The anthem originally contained nine stanzas—including accusations towards Spain—which were used until 1924, when improved diplomatic relations with Spain and the arrival of thousands of Spanish immigrants led the government to shorten the lyrics and omit the more controversial parts.

Famed for having lyrics in five of the twelve official languages of the country —Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans, and English— this anthem was officially adopted after the end of apartheid, and reflects a broader desire for national unity.

The post-apartheid government initially retained the former Afrikaans anthem, while also adopting the Xhosa hymn Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika (God Bless Africa), which had long been used as a song of resistance. Maintaining two anthems proved impractical, so their lyrics were combined and translated into other majority languages to create a single national anthem that could represent all South Africans.

When Czechoslovakia existed as a single state, it adopted a combined national anthem consisting of the first stanza of the Czech song Kde domov můj ("Where Is My Home?"), followed by the first stanza of the Slovak song Nad Tatrou sa blýska ("Lightning over the Tatras").

After the country’s peaceful dissolution in the Velvet Divorce (1992), Czechia retained Kde domov můj as its national anthem, while Slovakia retained Nad Tatrou sa blýska, which is typically performed with two stanzas and in its traditional form.

Though its lyrics come from a poem dating to the 8th-10th centuries, Kimigayo was not adopted as Japan's national anthem until 1888, and it's one of the world’s shortest anthems. After World War II, it was not officially designated as the national anthem due to its imperial associations, though it continued to be used. It regained formal legal status in 1999.

Often translated into English as His Majesty's Reign, its initial verse is commonly rendered as "may your reign [continue]." The word kimi has historically been used for the emperor, and the song's brief lyrics express a desire for the Imperial reign to endure for thousands of years, "until the tiny pebbles grow into massive boulders."

In a similar fashion to the Wilhelmus, the Netherlands anthem, Andorra’s anthem is also written from a first-person perspective, this time not from an individual but the country itself, remembering its glorious past.

Composed in the early 20th century, it was adopted as the national anthem in 1921. In the lyrics, Andorra presents itself as a princess, daughter of Charlemagne, and describes itself as the "only remaining daughter of the Carolingian Empire."

A relatively new anthem, _Sayaun Thunga Phool Ka_—adopted in 2007—replaced the Shriman Gambhir following the abolition of the monarchy in Nepal. It’s notable for its distinctive melody, upbeat and joyful, quite different from other solemn or martial tone anthems.

The lyrics describe Nepal as a garland woven from hundreds of flowers, stretching from one corner of the country to the other, and emphasize the diversity of its people and landscapes.

Do you trust your mechanic?

Have you ever been told one of these 12 lies by a mechanic?

Image: Chad Kirchoff

In our modern world, where specialization is the norm and nobody is required to know about everything, we enlist the services of different people for all of the things that we don’t know how to do ourselves. Unless you are a mechanic or know quite a bit about the subject, fixing your vehicle is a task you delegate to more competent hands. As with everything in life, most of the mechanics out there are decent folks. But there’s always a rotten apple looking to scam innocent customers with fake repairs. Take a look at the following 12 possible examples. Have you witnessed any of these?

Image: Tim Mossholder

Many mechanics say that a car needs to have its oil changed every 3,000 miles. While this is true for some vehicles, most modern ones can often go much longer — up to around 7,500 miles — without an oil change. What matters is what the manufacturer recommends and what the dipstick color indicates.

Image: Anastase Maragos

While most modern cars certainly call for a four-wheel alignment, some mechanics will try to charge you for all four wheels even when they only do two of them. If, for example, the rear wheels haven’t been adjusted, this isn’t true.

Image: Laurel and Michael Evans

A fuel system service might be required sometimes. But it often happens that a mechanic will charge a customer somewhere between $249 to $449 for adding some fuel injector cleaner to the fuel tank, which can be accomplished by going to any store and buying a bottle for $10.

Image: Robert Laursoo

Many mechanics will try to get their customers to buy new tires, even if the old ones are just fine. Tires below 5mm of tread don’t necessarily need to be replaced right away, since the tread is there to remove water. Hence, if the driver is careful enough and drives slower in the rain, he or she can get many more miles out of the tire.

Image: Vlad Grebenyev

It goes without saying, that having reliable brakes is essential to ensuring a safe ride. But if a customer is being told that he or she needs them the moment they’re below 3mm, that purchase can be delayed for a little while longer, provided that the car is driven with care.

Image: Patrick

A transmission fluid flush can be necessary at times, but it might not be as often as the mechanic claims. The customer should find out why the mechanic is suggesting it before actually doing it. A fluid and oil filter change might be enough.

Image: Garett Mizunaka

Since we are on the subject of flushing, if a mechanic tells you it’s time to flush your power steering fluid, consider getting a second opinion. Some mechanics say that the smell or color of the power steering fluid is how they’re able to tell it needs to be replaced, but commonly, it only needs to be flushed once or twice during the lifetime of the car.

Image: Glenn Hansen

Yes, there are some advantages to using synthetic oil, but not every car calls for it. This can be checked in the owner’s manual. However, some mechanics might try to sell a customer on synthetic oil, simply because it is typically more expensive.

Image: Kenny Eliason

If a vehicle is relatively new or it has recently had its coolant flushed, chances are there is no need to have it replaced again. Coolant doesn’t wear like oil does and only needs to be replaced maybe once or twice during the car’s lifetime.

Image: Tekton

Some mechanics will prefer to get their money faster, from the customer, instead of getting it from the insurer, and to achieve this, they will say that a certain repair is not covered by the warranty when it is. The standard warranty covers both labor and parts, so make sure to check this with the insurer.

Image: Tim Mossholder

It has been reported that some unscrupulous mechanics keep dirty air filters on hand to pass off to customers to get them to pay for a new one.

To prevent falling for this type of scam, customers should know the filter on their car and find out how often it needs to be replaced.

Image: Angry._.Kat

This statement is sometimes uttered by mechanics looking to scare a customer, to make him or her pay for unneeded repairs. The truth is, these kinds of remarks should be taken with a grain of salt and a second opinion is advisable.