THE VIRGINIA DYNASTY 1801 1825
HISTORY OF THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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Stairway to Heaven
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Drunken Sailor
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Anacreon in Heaven
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None of the above
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Detailed explanation-1: -Although Francis Scott Key penned the words in 1814 during the War of 1812, the melody is actually much older. It’s based off an 18th-century British pub song called “To Anacreon in Heaven.” That’s right: a song to be sung whilst drunk.
Detailed explanation-2: -The melody Francis Scott Key used for his song was the popular English tune known as “To Anacreon in Heaven” (MP3).
Detailed explanation-3: -The words of To Anacreon in Heaven, the song that Francis Scott Key borrowed for the melody of “The Star-Spangled Banner”, is a sly 1700s paean to drinking and sex.
Detailed explanation-4: -Was the “Star-Spangled Banner” an old drinking song? The words to our national anthem have nothing to do with consumption of alcohol, but the melody that Francis Scott Key had in mind when he wrote those words did originate decades earlier as the melody for a song in praise of wine.