website title

Update Materials

Update 2 (June 2008)
Relevant to Chapter 7

The Spanish National Anthem

Seen but still not heard – the new lyrics to Spain’s national anthem:

As noted in our country profile of Spain, its national anthem La Marcha Real has for some years now been a tune without words. Memories of the Franco era and the sensibilities of some of the country’s ‘historic nationalities’ have ruled out the old lyrics and put people off finding new ones. Until recently that is.

In June 2007 Spain’s Olympic Committee announced a competition to supply new words for La Marcha. More than seven thousand people had a try, and the result was announced in mid January 2008.

But just when Spanish sportsmen and women finally thought they would be able to sing along like their opponents – and just before the famous Spanish tenor, Placido Domingo, was due to give the new lyrics their first official outing – the Olympic Committee announced it was withdrawing them with immediate effect.

Perhaps not surprisingly, in a country that contains at least two and possibly more regions that were once independent nations and have pretentions to be so once again, the new words provoked a storm of criticism that they were, well, simply too Spanish – redolent even of its authoritarian past (as well a truly cheesey Euro-pop hit in the from the 1970s).

You can make up your own mind by reading the new lyrics (helpfully provided by: http://www.musiclyricsfyi.com/blog2/index.php/lyrics) below in both Castellano (Spanish) and English:

Viva Espana!
Cantemos todos juntos
con distinta voz
y un solo corazon.

Viva Espana!
Desde los verdes valles
al inmenso mar,
un himno de hermandad.

Ama a la Patria
pues sabe abrazar,
bajo su cielo azul,
pueblos en libertad.

Gloria a los hijos
que a la Historia dan
justicia y grandeza
democracia y paz.

Long live Spain!
Let us all sing together
with different voices
and one heart.

Long live Spain!
From the green valleys
to the vast sea
a hymn of brotherhood.

Love the fatherland
as it knows how to embrace
under its blue sky
peoples in freedom.

Glory to its children
who to History give
democracy and peace.

Back to updates list
Back to home page