The Most Famous

European anthem

Europe's anthem is the melody of the ‘Ode to Joy’ from the finale of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, adopted by the Council of Europe in 1972 and by the EU in 1985. It is deliberately played without lyrics.

💡 Did you know? Lyrics were left out so that none of Europe's many languages would be favoured: the melody alone is meant to speak for everyone.

Germany

The German anthem is the third verse of the ‘Deutschlandlied’; the melody was written by Joseph Haydn (1797).

💡 Did you know? Haydn originally wrote the melody as an imperial anthem for Austria.

France

‘La Marseillaise’ was written in 1792 as a revolutionary song and is one of the most militant anthems in the world.

💡 Did you know? It got its name because volunteers from Marseille sang it while marching on Paris.

United Kingdom

‘God Save the King’ (or Queen) is one of the oldest national anthems still in use.

💡 Did you know? Its melody has been borrowed by many countries: even the old German imperial anthem used it.

Italy

The Italian anthem ‘Il Canto degli Italiani’ (also ‘Fratelli d’Italia’) dates from 1847.

💡 Did you know? It was only a provisional anthem for decades and was made official by law only in 2017.

Spain

The ‘Marcha Real’ is one of the few national anthems in the world with no official lyrics at all.

💡 Did you know? Because there are no words, fans often just hum along with ‘lo-lo-lo’.

Netherlands

‘Het Wilhelmus’ is considered the oldest national anthem in the world: its text dates from the 16th century.

💡 Did you know? The first letters of its 15 verses spell out the name ‘Willem van Nassov’.

Switzerland

The ‘Swiss Psalm’ became Switzerland's official anthem only in 1981.

💡 Did you know? Because of its strongly religious text, a new anthem is occasionally discussed.

Austria

Austria's anthem ‘Land der Berge, Land am Strome’ is often attributed to Mozart.

💡 Did you know? In 2012 the lyrics were amended to include ‘great daughters’: previously only ‘sons’ were mentioned.

Sweden

Sweden's ‘Du gamla, du fria’ is the anthem by custom; there is no law making it official.

💡 Did you know? The name ‘Sweden’ originally does not appear in the lyrics at all.

Poland

The ‘Mazurek Dąbrowskiego’ is a mazurka in triple time: a Polish folk dance.

💡 Did you know? It inspired the anthems of several other Slavic nations.

Greece

The ‘Hymn to Liberty’ has 158 verses in the original: only the first two are sung.

💡 Did you know? It is also the national anthem of Cyprus.

Russia

Russia's anthem uses the melody of the Soviet anthem of 1944, with new lyrics since 2000.

💡 Did you know? In the 1990s Russia had a wordless anthem, which athletes disliked.

USA

‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ was written in 1814; the melody comes from a British drinking song.

💡 Did you know? It was only officially made the US national anthem in 1931.

Canada

‘O Canada’ is sung bilingually in English and French.

💡 Did you know? In 2018 the line ‘in all thy sons’ was changed to the gender-neutral ‘in all of us’.

Mexico

The Mexican anthem is martial and describes the fight against foreign invaders.

💡 Did you know? Singing it incorrectly in public can, in theory, incur a fine in Mexico.

Brazil

The Brazilian anthem is considered melodically demanding and fast-paced.

💡 Did you know? At football matches, fans often keep singing even after the music has stopped.

Argentina

The Argentine anthem of 1813 is, in its original form, one of the longest in the world.

💡 Did you know? Today usually only a much-shortened version is performed.

China

The ‘March of the Volunteers’ comes from a 1935 film about the resistance against Japan.

💡 Did you know? During the Cultural Revolution its lyrics were temporarily banned, only the melody allowed.

Japan

Japan's ‘Kimigayo’ has the oldest lyrics of any national anthem: from a 10th-century poem.

💡 Did you know? At only eleven bars, it is also one of the shortest anthems in the world.

India

The lyrics of ‘Jana Gana Mana’ were written by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

💡 Did you know? Tagore also wrote the national anthem of Bangladesh.

Turkey

The ‘İstiklal Marşı’ (‘Independence March’) was chosen from a competition in 1921.

💡 Did you know? It is also the national anthem of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Egypt

‘Bilady, Bilady, Bilady’ (‘My Homeland’) is based on a speech by the national hero Mustafa Kamil.

💡 Did you know? The melody is by Sayed Darwish, a pioneer of Egyptian music.

South Africa

South Africa's anthem combines two songs and moves through five languages.

💡 Did you know? It begins with ‘Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika’ and ends with the old anthem ‘Die Stem’.

Australia

‘Advance Australia Fair’ replaced ‘God Save the Queen’ as the anthem only in 1984.

💡 Did you know? In 2021 a line was changed to include Indigenous peoples: ‘for we are one and free’.