Scotland has no national anthem

Although Scotland lacks a national anthem, it's not because there's nothing suitable. Instead, the problem is the plethora of choices.

Scotland's anthem is not God Save the Queen

You'll be forgiven for thinking that of course Scotland has a national anthem. It's part of the United Kingdom, so surely the anthem is God Save the Queen. And for Scots who participate in events like the Olympics, as members of the United Kingdom they do indeed use God Save the Queen as an anthem.

But Scotland is a nation within the United Kingdom, as are England and Wales (the question of whether Northern Ireland is a nation, region, province, or something else, is best left for a debate another time). For most events, sporting and otherwise, Scotland presents itself as a nation with an identity distinct from the U.K. They wave the Saltire flag, paint themselves blue, dress in tartans, and sing national songs.

Note the plural. Not just one song. Many songs.

Scotland's flag, commonly called the Saltire, and sometimes known as St. Andrew's cross.

But they still have the Queen, of course. And it was a Scottish king, James VI (often called James I for English/British history), who became the first ruler of all of Scotland, England, and Wales. So it's not as if the Scots avoid God Save the Queen out of spite for their monarch. Rather, one problem lies in a verse of God Save the Queen, which has an anti-Scottish mien:

                         Lord, grant that Marshal Wade,

                         May by thy mighty aid,

                         Victory bring.

                         May he sedition hush,

                         and like a torrent rush,

                         Rebellious Scots to crush,

                         God save The King.

This verse, supposedly coined either during or in the aftermath of the Jacobite revolution of 1744-1745, may be apocryphal. It has never been part of the anthem in wide-spread use. Nonetheless, the Scots hold up the verse as distasteful.

The bigger problem for God Save the Queen as an anthem for Scotland is that damnable England, the auld enemy, already uses the song as its anthem. Ain't no way, no how, the Scots will use the same national anthem as England.

Scotland's government refuses to decide a national anthem

Last week, the Scottish government yet again ruled out recognizing a national anthem.

The Scottish parliament, newly formed in 1999 after devolution from the U.K., first considered and rejected choosing a national anthem in 2004, after its lawyers determined it was an issue for the Scottish government and not for the U.K. parliament. The issue came up again in 2006 and was tabled without debate.

Recently, a public petition was sent to the Scottish Parliamentary Petitions Committee seeking the use of a particular song, Flower of Scotland, as Scotland's national anthem. The committee asked the Scottish Football Association for its input on the matter. The association polled its members. More than 12,600 members responded, with only about 40% supporting Flower of Scotland, the rest supporting other tunes. However, on social media, more than 35,000 fans responded within 48 hours, and roughly 65% supported Flower of Scotland.

All told, Flower of Scotland received a narrow majority of support, but the polling was hardly scientific. Why only football supporters? Is the group of overwhelmingly adult men a good proxy for the electorate? How about rugby supporters? Or curling? Or, just for the heck of it, non-sports fans? In any case, previous polls on a broader cross-section of the populace have shown Flower of Scotland enjoys only plurality support, around 40%.

The government seized on the underwhelming support in the football supporters poll. According to a government spokeswoman: “A national anthem is an important part of a nation’s culture and heritage. Any choice should have wide public support. It is clear that different songs or anthems are enthusiastically adopted at different sporting occasions, but that is not the same as a country or a nation determining to have a single designated song or anthem to the exclusion of all others. The government currently has no plans to designate a national anthem and any such move would require wider political support.” Thus, for the third time in just over a decade, Scotland's parliament has declined to decide the matter.

In other words, on this issue the Scottish government will be leading from behind. Until the public as a whole coalesces around one song as its choice, the government will make no move.

National anthem options

What song, then, does Scotland use when it's anthem time?

          Flower of Scotland

If there's a leading contender for Scotland's national anthem, this tune is it. For the most part, at major sporting events — whether football, rugby, or the recent Commonwealth Games in Glasgow — Flower of Scotland gets the nod.

Interestingly, the song is fairly recent. Written in 1967 by a Scottish folk singer and his group, The Corries, the tune was adopted by Scotland's national rugby team in 1974 as its unofficial anthem. In 1997, the national football team followed suit.

While there may be a performer leading the song, the crowd usually joins in full-throatedly:



Flower of Scotland commemorates Scotland's victory over the English in 1314 at the Battle of Bannockburn. England had conquered Scotland in 1304 under king Edward I ("Hammer of the Scots"). Two years later Scotland revolted, led by their revered Robert the Bruce. With victory in the Battle of Bannockburn over Edward II, the Scots regained their independence from England.

For you musicians out there, the tune is not in a major or minor key, but rather mixolydian mode. Typically, only the first and third verses are sung for the anthem:

                          1.       O Flower of Scotland,
                                   When will we see
                                   Your like again,
                                   That fought and died for,
                                   Your wee bit Hill and Glen,
                                   And stood against him,
                                   Proud Edward's Army,
                                   And sent him homeward,
                                   To think again.

                          3.       Those days are past now,
                                   And in the past
                                   they must remain,
                                   But we can still rise now,
                                   And be the nation again,
                                   That stood against him,
                                   Proud Edward's Army,
                                   And sent him homeward,
                                   To think again. 

          Scotland the Brave

For those who live outside Scotland, there's one tune which most folks recognize as quintessentially Scottish. Called Scotland the Brave, it's played by pipe bands around the world, especially in former British colonies and Commonwealth nations. My guess is that Scotland the Brave is the most well-known bagpipe music of all:


 
The glaring problem, however, is the song isn't very good for singing. Humming, perhaps. But not singing. Moreover, the lyrics are a problem. The tune was written toward the beginning of the 20th century, while the lyrics were not written until 1950. And those lyrics, unfortunately, aren't any good. At all. Consequently, it's a tune that needs a piper, or a pipe band, which makes regular performances more challenging.

Scotland the Brave earns roughly 30% of the popular vote for a national anthem, but I doubt it'll ever get a majority.

          Highland Cathedral

A somewhat distant contender, with roughly 15% support, is Highland Cathedral. A bagpipe tune like Scotland the Brave, it has a similar difficulty in that there aren't really any usable lyrics. It is, however, an easier song to sing (usually wordlessly) or hum.


 
But Highland Cathedral was written by some Germans in 1982, which is hardly the profile of a Scottish national anthem. A nice tune, for sure. Sounds like it should be in a movie. But a national anthem for Scotland? Unlikely.

          Caledonia

The recent poll of Scottish football fans revealed that Caledonia was second in popularity behind only Flower of Scotland. Originally a 1977 folk song, Caledonia became popular after it was used in a 1990 beer commercial for Tennent's lager. Now, the tune is covered regularly by Scottish singers and bands. Interestingly, Caledonia hasn't gotten much support in earlier polls for a national anthem. Is it just a coincidence that the Scottish football fans have picked a song made popular by a beer commercial?

Other choices for national anthem

There are some other national anthem contenders, but they get little support. A few folks trot out songs/poems by Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns, most particularly Auld Lang Syne. Everyone knows the tune, and it's sung in Scotland at more than just New Year's Eve. But in some ways Auld Lang Syne has gone out to the world as a global anthem, and it may not feel quite appropriate to claw back as Scotland's national anthem.

Others contend — I'm not quite sure if they're serious — the national anthem should be I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers. I kid you not, this 1990s pop tune had "strong support" as the third most-popular song in the Scottish football fans poll.



It's catchy, for sure. And the Scots love singing it when celebrating goals at matches or after wins in sporting events. But as a national anthem? Wowsers.

They would, however, win the award for most awesomely catchy national anthem.

Too many choices?

As I noted at the top, Scotland's problem is not that it has no national anthem. Rather, it has too many unofficial anthems to choose from.

It's a nation which struggles with big decisions. For centuries they warred amongst themselves, clan against clan. They were riven by the Catholic / Protestant divide. They joined Great Britain only under duress. They agonized last year during the debate about independence from the U.K.

Will they ever decide on a national anthem?

Don't hold your breath.

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in August 2014.

Celebrating its 65th anniversary this year, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is one of Scotland's premier annual cultural events. Music! Spectacle! Dance! Fireworks!

And bagpipes.

{Ed.'s note: Umm, that's only one piper.}

Lots of bagpipes.

{Ed.'s note: You said "lots." That's only two.}

No, truly, lots and lots of bagpipes.

{Ed.'s note: Better.}

Over three weeks in August, the Tattoo presents approximately 1,000 performers each night from all over the world. Military bands, tribal dancers, precision drumlines, dancers, soldiers, and fiddlers parade through in a smörgåsbord of bite-sized entertainment. They even throw in a Shetland pony.

The Royal Regiment of Scotland's mascot, Cruachan IV, a Shetland pony. His predecessor, Cruachan III, is a favorite of Queen Elizabeth II; she visits with the pony whenever she's in Scotland.

The twenty-four annual performances draw a cumulative crowd of more than 200,000. Typically, roughly one third of the crowd hails from Scotland, another third from the rest of the U.K., and the final third from around the world. Tickets for the event are sold months in advance and this year is the Tattoo's 16th consecutive sellout. The BBC films five of the evening shows, then condenses its footage into one representative broadcast each year. It's shown in more than 30 countries and draws millions of viewers.

So, what exactly does "Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo" mean? It is "Royal" because Queen Elizabeth II bestowed that title in 2010 to celebrate the 60th anniversary. "Edinburgh," of course, because that's where it's held. "Military" because the performers are primarily, though not exclusively, members of military regiments around the world.

{Ed.'s note: No shit, Sherlock. We figured out those parts ourselves. What does tattoo mean?}

Glad you asked. The etymology of "tattoo" derives from beer drinking. No joke. In the 1740s, during the War of the Austrian Succession (though at least one source asserts as far back as the early 1600s) British troops were garrisoned in Belgium and the Netherlands. Every evening, drummers from the military garrisons were sent out to alert the soldiers to return to their barracks. The drumming signaled the barkeeps to doe den tap toe (Dutch for "turn off the tap") and send the soldiers home. Drumming continued until curfew. "Toe" is pronounced "too" in Dutch, and English speakers gradually morphed "tap-toe" into "taptoo" and then "tattoo." As the years went on and the military gained full bands, the "tattoo" became a type of evening barracks entertainment.

(Used with permission from https://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/m/military_tattoo.asp)

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo's lineup changes annually, though the British Army, Royal Air Force, and Royal Navy and Marines take turns as the "lead" service each year. At the end of the show, the massed pipes and drums join the massed military bands for a finale, which generally includes the national anthem and Auld Lang Syne, a flag lowering, and a lone piper on the castle wall playing a lament. Then the pipers and bands march out of the stadium and down the Royal Mile.

For your viewing pleasure, here's a bootleg version of the 2011 march out of the stadium. The song played at the beginning is probably the most-recognized bagpipe tune ever. For your edification, it's called Scotland the Brave, one of Scotland's unofficial national anthems. You can certainly find BBC versions of the finale on YouTube, but I think the bootleg copy has its own charm:



Besides a few weekend afternoon shows, the Tattoo starts at 9:00 pm every night. Around 8:00 pm, the crowd of ticket holders shuffles up the hill to the esplanade in front of Edinburgh Castle. A temporary arena is erected each year on the esplanade. With a cost in 2011 of £16 million (~$26.8 million at current exchange rates), the current arena is a substantial structure which takes about a month to set up and to take down. Most summertime tourists tour the castle with an empty arena in front of it. But since the Tattoo brings in around £100 million every year for Scotland's economy, the arena has earned its keep.

They call this the "queue" to enter the stadium, but it's really just a horde of ticket holders inching their way up the hill.

View of the Edinburgh Castle from the esplanade.

The temporary arena erected each summer.

The Tattoo has a different theme every year. I suspect that some years the theme dictates the performers involved, and some years the theme is created after they see who is available to travel to Scotland for a month and perform. For 2014, the Tattoo's theme is The Year of Homecoming — Our Home, Friends and Family. It includes multiple pipe bands from Scotland, with evocative names like the Royal Dragoon Guards, the Queen's Royal Hussars, the Black Watch, and the Royal Highland Fusiliers, among others.

Massed pipe bands — roughly 250 total pipers and drummers — with drum majors in the lead. {Ed.'s note: Yes! More bagpipes!}

As always, the Tattoo features several groups from around the world, a mixture of military ensembles and native cultural organizations. This year's groups included:

• the Band of the Armed Forces of Malta;
• iNgobamakhosi Zulu Dance Troupe (South Africa);
• the Shetland Fiddlers — Hjaltibonhoga;
• the Nagaland Folkloric Group (India);
• Scottish highland dancers;
• the Singapore Armed Forces Central Band;
• Te Wake Huia and Te Whānau-ā-Apanui (Maori dancers from New Zealand); and
• the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Steel Orchestra.

Interspersed with these groups were more interludes of massed military bands and massed pipes and drums.

Although the show starts at 9:00 pm, it's still fairly light outside.

The Zulu dance troupe from South Africa.

The Zulu dancing squeezed in amongst the stiff military bands brought to mind the Monty Python phrase, "and now for something completely different."

Shetland fiddlers, ranging in age from 14 to 60, and wearing traditional Shetland wool sweaters.

They tried to do a little marching, y'know, for the Tattoo, but it was a challenge for them.

The Singapore Armed Forces Central Band was among the most impressive groups this year, musically and visually.

The group included its Silent Precision Drill Squad . . .

. . . and its Music & Drama Company.

Maori dancers performing a haka, a war dance.

Trinidad and Tabago's Defence Force Steel Orchestra is the world's only marching military steel band. So they have that going for them.

The 2014 Tattoo also marked the centenary of World War I, as well as the 350th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Marines.

The Royal Marines Bands.

Royal Marines demonstrated a nighttime raid.

A perennial favorite of Tattoo audiences is precision drumming. There always seems to be a feature for the snares, quads, and basses to dazzle the audience.

The bass drummers for the Royal Marines wear (faux?) tiger fur.

Snare line company front.

A particular crowd favorite is the Top Secret Drum Corps from Basel, Switzerland. Though neither a military ensemble nor a group from a Commonwealth country, the drummers have already appeared four times at the Tattoo and generated tens of millions of views on YouTube. The video below from 2012 gets pretty amazing around the three minute mark: sword fighting, stick tosses, strobe lights, and more:



Here's an SAT question for you: If the Top Secret Drum Corps has previously appeared at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 2003, 2006, 2009, and 2012, it likely will appear again at the Tattoo in the year _____.

Lest ye think the Military Tattoo is all marches, pomp, circumstance, and ceremony, which might sound a bit heavy, it also includes numerous lighthearted touches. There are big dance numbers, fireworks, a sound and light show, and popular music. This year, the music and dance included Michael Jackson's Thriller (complete with zombie dance movies), Happy by Pharrell Williams, Glenn Miller's In the Mood, and Can't Buy Me Love by the Beatles.

Dancing to Cole Porter: "In olden days a glimpse of stocking / Was looked on as something shocking, / But now, God knows, / Anything Goes."

All evening shows have fireworks, but the Saturday night shows have an extensive fireworks display.

Highland, Zulu, Maori, and Caribbean dancers.

For its first five decades, the Tattoo used Edinburgh Castle mostly as a dramatic backdrop. But starting in 2005, it has been utilized as a screen to display still or moving images in a son et lumière show. The castle facade is lit up by various emblems, flags, and images in relation to the performers.

Lions rampant and to sinister guard the gatehouse.

Commemorating the soldiers of World War I.

Union Jack flags for singing the national anthem.

The Tattoo lasts approximately 90 minutes. The last 15 to 20 minutes are with the entire ensemble, singing, dancing, and eventually marching away. The pipers and drummers march right out of the arena and down the Royal Mile. Gotta figure that wakes up the kiddos at 10:30 pm.

The full stadium sings God Save the Queen.

We had a great time. It's a fast 90 minutes. Since it goes late, we left our toddler at home in Glasgow with a babysitter, though he would've enjoyed the show quite a bit. Maybe next year for him.

Our only slight difficulty was getting out of the stands after the show finished. It took a long time. A long time. More than 20 minutes just to walk down the stairs to the floor, and we were sitting on the aisle. The arena seats around 9,000 people. I've been in stadiums that seat 50,000, 70,000, even more than 100,000 people, and nothing has ever come close to how long it took for us to exit. Even Kate, my calm, relaxed, go-with-the-flow wife, was muttering before we descended. If there's an emergency, say your prayers, 'cause you ain't getting outta there.

You may wonder, what happens if it rains? Don't worry. The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has never been cancelled because of inclement weather. They emphasize the never. {Ed.'s note: How is that possible? Doesn't it rain a lot in Scotland?} Come prepared with layers and ponchos.

Also, if you don't get your tickets months in advance, is there any way to see the show? Yes, but it depends on luck. People who've bought tickets but cannot attend sometimes turn in their tickets for resale by the Tattoo. So it's possible to check daily with the Tattoo for available last-minute tickets.

I have no doubt we'll attend the Tattoo in future years. The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is one of those quintessential events on Scotland's cultural calendar that combines hallowed traditions with modern flair.

Whaddya think? Have I piqued your interest for next year's show?

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.