Nuestro Himno
Encyclopedia
"" is a Spanish-language version of the United States
national anthem
, "The Star-Spangled Banner
". The debut of the translation came amid a growing controversy over immigration in the United States (see 2006 U.S. immigration reform protests).
music executive Adam Kidron
, as a show of support to Hispanic
immigrants in the United States
. The song is included on the album ; a portion of the profits of which go to the National Capital Immigration Coalition, a Washington, D.C.
-based group.
Reporter Stephen Dinan wrote: "The song 'Nuestro Himno,' which means 'Our Anthem,' is not a faithful and literal Spanish translation of the words to 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' but is a hip-hop-style remix with new raps and chants."
The song's first verse is apparently based on a 1919 translation prepared by Francis Haffkine Snow for the U.S.
Bureau of Education. The only changes to the first verse from this version are a replacement of "" ("don't you see?") with "" ("do you see it?"); "" ("bars") with "" ("stripes"); and "" ("the brilliance of rockets, the roar of bombs") with "" ("the brilliance of struggle, in step with freedom"). However, subsequent verses diverge significantly between the 1919 and 2006 versions.
The song features Latin America
n artists such as Haiti
an native Wyclef Jean
, Cuba
n-American hip hop
star Pitbull and Puerto Rican
singers Carlos Ponce
and Olga Tañón
. It debuted at 7:00 p.m. ET on April 28, 2006 on more than 500 Spanish language radio stations.
A remix
was planned to be released in June
. It will contain several lines in English
that condemn U.S. immigration
laws. Among them: "These kids have no parents, cause all of these mean laws... let's not start a war with all these hard workers, they can't help where they were born."
This is not the first time that the National Anthem has been translated into another language by ethnic and immigrant groups in the United States. In 1861, it was translated into German
. It has also been translated into Yiddish
by Jewish immigrants and into French
by Cajun
s.
, Georgia
, "The flag, and the country's national anthem are sacred. You shouldn't touch them. You shouldn't change them."
Another critic of the new version is Charles Key, great-great-grandson of Francis Scott Key
, whose poem "Defense of Fort McHenry" was set to music as "The Star-Spangled Banner." Key has commented that he "think[s] it's a despicable thing that someone is going into our society from another country and ... changing our national anthem."
During a press conference on April 28, 2006, President
George W. Bush
commented, "I think people who want to be a citizen
of this country ought to learn English
. And they ought to learn to sing the anthem in English." However, author Kevin Phillips has noted that "[w]hen visiting cities like Chicago
, Milwaukee, or Philadelphia, in pivotal states, he would drop in at Hispanic festivals and parties, sometimes joining in singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in Spanish, sometimes partying with a "Viva Bush" mariachi
band flown in from Texas
." In addition, the Department of State offers several Spanish translations of the anthem on its website.
On May 4, 2006, comedian Jon Stewart
called the controversy over the translation "unbelievably stupid," and jokingly suggested that the first verse (the only verse commonly sung) be kept in English, and that the other verses be given to "whoever wants [them]," because those are the verses "Americans don't want or won't sing," alluding to the stereotype that undocumented immigrants take the jobs that other Americans don't want.
On the second season of Mind of Mencia
, comedian Carlos Mencia
decodes the first verse of the song.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
, "The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
". The debut of the translation came amid a growing controversy over immigration in the United States (see 2006 U.S. immigration reform protests).
Background
The idea for the song came from BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
music executive Adam Kidron
Adam Kidron
Adam Kidron is a British-born ex-music producer, serial entrepreneur, and the ex-Chief Executive Officer of Urban Box Office , a reggaeton and urban Latino record label based in New York City. He is currently the Managing Partner of 4food, a fast-healthy food concept launching in New York in 2009...
, as a show of support to Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
immigrants in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The song is included on the album ; a portion of the profits of which go to the National Capital Immigration Coalition, a Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
-based group.
Reporter Stephen Dinan wrote: "The song 'Nuestro Himno,' which means 'Our Anthem,' is not a faithful and literal Spanish translation of the words to 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' but is a hip-hop-style remix with new raps and chants."
The song's first verse is apparently based on a 1919 translation prepared by Francis Haffkine Snow for the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Bureau of Education. The only changes to the first verse from this version are a replacement of "" ("don't you see?") with "" ("do you see it?"); "" ("bars") with "" ("stripes"); and "" ("the brilliance of rockets, the roar of bombs") with "" ("the brilliance of struggle, in step with freedom"). However, subsequent verses diverge significantly between the 1919 and 2006 versions.
The song features Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n artists such as Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an native Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n-American hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
star Pitbull and Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
singers Carlos Ponce
Carlos Ponce
Carlos Armando Ponce, Jr. is a Puerto Rican actor, singer, composer and television personality. Ponce began his acting career by participating in Spanish language soap operas for Televisa and Telemundo. Ponce continued to expand his acting career by participating in various American television...
and Olga Tañón
Olga Tañón
Olga Tañón is a two-time Grammy Award and three-time Latin Grammy-winning Merengue and Latin Pop artist. Tañón has earned 5 Latin Grammy Awards and 19 Premios Lo Nuestro awards during her career.-Early years:...
. It debuted at 7:00 p.m. ET on April 28, 2006 on more than 500 Spanish language radio stations.
A remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
was planned to be released in June
June 2006
June 2006 was the sixth month of that year. It began on a Thursday and ended after 30 days on a FridayThe following events also occurred during the month:...
. It will contain several lines in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
that condemn U.S. immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
laws. Among them: "These kids have no parents, cause all of these mean laws... let's not start a war with all these hard workers, they can't help where they were born."
This is not the first time that the National Anthem has been translated into another language by ethnic and immigrant groups in the United States. In 1861, it was translated into German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. It has also been translated into Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
by Jewish immigrants and into French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
by Cajun
Cajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
s.
Controversy
Although the song's creators did not claim that it was a verbatim translation, Nuestro Himno has nonetheless provoked controversy for favoring style over precision and de-emphasizing the original anthem's bellicose aspects. It has also received criticism for its political use by supporters of undocumented immigrants and more liberalized immigration policies. Others criticize the rendition, believing that any variation from the official version bastardizes a near-sacred symbol to some Americans. According to Victor Martinez of LaLey and Radio Mex in AtlantaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, "The flag, and the country's national anthem are sacred. You shouldn't touch them. You shouldn't change them."
Another critic of the new version is Charles Key, great-great-grandson of Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet, from Georgetown, who wrote the lyrics to the United States' national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner".-Life:...
, whose poem "Defense of Fort McHenry" was set to music as "The Star-Spangled Banner." Key has commented that he "think[s] it's a despicable thing that someone is going into our society from another country and ... changing our national anthem."
During a press conference on April 28, 2006, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
commented, "I think people who want to be a citizen
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
of this country ought to learn English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. And they ought to learn to sing the anthem in English." However, author Kevin Phillips has noted that "[w]hen visiting cities like Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Milwaukee, or Philadelphia, in pivotal states, he would drop in at Hispanic festivals and parties, sometimes joining in singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in Spanish, sometimes partying with a "Viva Bush" mariachi
Mariachi
Mariachi is a genre of music that originated in the State of Jalisco, in Mexico. It is an integration of stringed instruments highly influenced by the cultural impacts of the historical development of Western Mexico. Throughout the history of mariachi, musicians have experimented with brass, wind,...
band flown in from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
." In addition, the Department of State offers several Spanish translations of the anthem on its website.
On May 4, 2006, comedian Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
called the controversy over the translation "unbelievably stupid," and jokingly suggested that the first verse (the only verse commonly sung) be kept in English, and that the other verses be given to "whoever wants [them]," because those are the verses "Americans don't want or won't sing," alluding to the stereotype that undocumented immigrants take the jobs that other Americans don't want.
On the second season of Mind of Mencia
Mind of Mencia
Mind of Mencia is an American television comedy series on the cable channel Comedy Central. Hosted by Carlos Mencia, it aired from 2005 to 2008.- History :...
, comedian Carlos Mencia
Carlos Mencia
Carlos Mencia , born Ned Arnel Mencia, is a Honduran-born American comedian, writer, and actor. His style of comedy is often political and involves issues of race, culture, criminal justice, and social class...
decodes the first verse of the song.
Lyrics
- Amanece: ¿lo veis a la luz de la aurora
- Lo que tanto aclamamos la noche al caer?
- Sus estrellas, sus franjas flotaban ayer,
- En el fiero combate en señal de victoria.
- Fulgor de lucha, al paso de la libertad,
- Por la noche decían: «¡Se va defendiendo!»
- ¡Oh, decid! ¿Despliega aún su hermosura estrellada
- Sobre tierra de libres la bandera sagrada?
English translation
- Day is breaking: Do you see by the light of the dawn
- What so proudly we hailed at last night's fall?
- Its stars, its stripes, streamed yesterday,
- Above fierce combat as a symbol of victory.
- The splendor of battle, on the march toward liberty.
- Throughout the night, they proclaimed: "We march on to defend it!"
- O say! Does its starry beauty still wave
- Above the land of the free, the sacred flag?
See also
- Immigration reformImmigration reformImmigration reform is a term used in political discussion regarding changes to current immigration policy of a country. In its strict definition, "reform " means to change into an improved form or condition, by amending or removing faults or abuses....
- Jimi Hendrix's Star Spangled Banner
- List of United States immigration legislation
- United States immigration debate
- Official Spanish (singable) translation of the Star Spangled BannerClotilde AriasLyricist and composer Clotilde Arias was born in Iquitos, Perú, on the shores of the Amazon, and went to the USA in 1923 to study music and with aspirations of a promising future. She is most known for her composition of the song Huiracocha, popular in Peru and sung worldwide, and her translation...
External links
- Blog of Nuestro Himno creator, Adam Kidron of UBO
- MP3 audio file of Nuestro Himno, provided by the New York Times
- Other Spanish translations of the US national anthem, via the US State Department
- NPR: A Spanish Version of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' — includes a link to a full version of the song (See relevant info about NPR’s translation on the discussion page)