O Canada

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"O Canada" is the national anthem of Canada. Calixa Lavallée composed the music in 1880 as a patriotic song for that year's St. Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony. The first lyrics that were composed for the song were written in French by Sir Adolphe Basile Routhier in 1880 for the same ceremony. An English translation did not appear until 1906, and it was two more years until Robert Stanley Weir penned the English lyrics. Weir's words were altered in 1968 to their present form, although the French lyrics remain unaltered. The choice of "O Canada" for the national anthem did not occur until 1980, when it was signed into law during the Canada Day celebrations that year. It was modified, along with the Royal Anthem of Canada, "God Save the Queen", to be part of the Vice Regal Salute.

Contents 1 Official lyrics 2 History 3 Notes 4 Performance and pop culture 5 Media 6 See also 7 External links

[edit] Official lyrics

Official (English)	Official (French)	Translation of French lyrics
O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all thy sons command. With glowing hearts we see thee rise, The True North strong and free! From far and wide, O Canada, We stand on guard for thee. God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!	Ô Canada! Terre de nos aïeux Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux Car ton bras sait porter l'épée Il sait porter la croix Ton histoire est une épopée Des plus brillants exploits Et ta valeur, de foi trempée Protégera nos foyers et nos droits Protégera nos foyers et nos droits	O Canada! Land of our ancestors Your forehead is wreathed with glorious garlands! As your arm can bear the sword, It can bear the cross; Your history is an epic Of the most brilliant feats. And your valour, in faith steeped, Will protect our homes and our rights; Will protect our homes and our rights.

[edit] History

The original French lyrics were written by Sir Adolphe Basile Routhier, as a French-Canadian patriotic song for the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society. The French "Ô Canada" was first performed on June 24, 1880 at a Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day banquet in Quebec City, but did not become Canada's official national anthem until July 1, 1980. When it was made the official anthem, most English Canadians were surprised to learn that it did not already have such status.

Since 1867, "God Save the King" and "The Maple Leaf Forever" had been competing as unofficial national anthems in English Canada. "O Canada" joined that fray when school children sang it for the 1901 tour of Canada by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall (later King George V and Queen Mary). Five years later Whaley and Royce in Toronto published the music with the French text and a first translation into English by Dr. Thomas Bedford Richardson. Then, in 1908, Collier's Weekly magazine held a competition to write English lyrics for "O Canada" and all kinds of versions were submitted. The competition was won by Mercy E. Powell McCulloch, but her version did not take.

The English version that gained the widest currency was written in 1908 by Robert Stanley Weir, a lawyer and at the time Recorder of the City of Montreal. A slightly modified version of his poem was published in an official form for the Diamond Jubilee of Confederation in 1927, and gradually became the most generally accepted anthem in English-speaking Canada, winning out over the alternatives by the 1960s. "God Save the Queen" is now Canada's royal anthem, while "The Maple Leaf Forever" is virtually forgotten.

The line "The True North strong and free" is based on Alfred Lord Tennyson's description of Canada as "That True North whereof we lately heard".^[1] In the context of Tennyson's poem, true means loyal or faithful.

Official changes to the English version were recommended in 1968 by a Special Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons. The National Anthem Act of 1980 added a religious reference to the English lyrics and the phrase "From far and wide, O Canada" to replace one of the somewhat tedious repetitions of the phrase "We stand on guard". This change was controversial with traditionalists, and for several years afterwards it was not uncommon to hear people still singing the old lyrics at public events. By contrast, the French version never wavered from its original.

Two provinces have adopted Latin translations of phrases from the English lyrics as their mottos: Manitoba —Gloriosus et liber (glorious and free)— and Alberta —Fortis et liber (strong and free). Similarly, the motto of Canadian Forces Land Force Command is Vigilamus pro te (we stand on guard for thee).

The original song has several additional verses, but these are rarely sung. One of these verses, the second as written by Wier, has gained some recent favour in critics of the current English version. It is (in its original English form) as follows:

O Canada! Where pines and maples grow,
Great prairies spread, And Lordly rivers flow!
How dear to us, thy broad domain,
From East to Western sea!
The Land of Hope, for all who toil,
The True North Strong and Free!
Oh Canada, Glorious and Free!
We stand on guard, we stand on guard for thee!
Oh Canada, We stand on guard for thee!

The line "Land of Hope, for all who toil" strikes a chord with some conservatives, reasoning that Canada is the "Land of Hope", but only if you work (toil) for it.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ To the Queen. Retrieved on April 23, 2006.

[edit] Performance and pop culture

- Singers at public events often mix the English and French lyrics to represent Canada's linguistic duality. For example, one form is singing the first two and last three lines in French avoids sexist language or religious connotations (see Criticism.) - - Many versions of the song by Canadian rock, pop and folk artists have been released on album, both with and without vocals. The blues-rock band Big Sugar released a rock rendition of "O Canada" on their 2001 album Brothers and Sisters, Are You Ready? The band's stated goal was to give the song a treatment that resembled Jimi Hendrix's famed rock interpretation of "The Star-Spangled Banner". The Pea Tear Briggs Experience covered it in 2006, giving it a bizarre, avant-garde treatment that some Canadians found offensive and mocking. The band "Five Iron Frenzy" wrote a pop song, called "Oh, Canada", with different lyrics than the original anthem. - - A rock-tinged version of the anthem has been used by the now-defunct heel professional wrestling stable in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling known as Team Canada. - - The anthem has often been spoofed in American sitcoms and movies, including South Park, The Simpsons, The West Wing and That '70s Show. "O Canada" was included in the South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut soundtrack, performed by Rush members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. - - In 1995, Dennis K.C. Parks sang O Canada to the tune of O Christmas Tree at the Las Vegas Posse's first home game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. In 1997, the MacAuley Boys' rendition of O Canada at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio was preempted on network television not only in the United States but also in other countries, including Canada. When "The Star-Spangled Banner" ended on TSN's broadcast of the Game, angered Canadians called the network asking why "O Canada" didn't air. ^[2] -

[edit] Media

[edit] See also

• Read full French texts on the French Wikisource

[edit] External links

• Canadian Heritage (National Anthem: O Canada)
• Canadian Heritage (Sheet music)
• Department of Justice - National Anthem Act
• Heritage Minutes commemorating the anthem (English, French)
• The Story Behind the Song