song containing star spangled banner lyrics

The San Francisco 49ers quarterback has thrust the song - and its complicated backstory - into the national conversation after his recent refusals to stand when the anthem is played during NFL games. To this colorful history, football player Colin Kaepernick adds another refrain of discontent.

'It was an exhaustive process,' said Mark Hildebrand, the director of the 2012 documentary 'Anthem - the Story Behind the Star-Spangled Banner.' But the debate ended when President Herbert Hoover signed the bill into law, and 'The Star-Spangled Banner' has remained the national anthem ever since. There were also other viable competitors, including 'Hail, Columbia,' a patriotic song that served as an informal national anthem for much of the 19th century, and 'America the Beautiful,' whose popularity soared during the early 20th century. The tune had ties to drinking societies, and the United States was in the midst of Prohibition.

The lyrics were written by American attorney Francis Scott Key during the War of 1812, but the music was borrowed from the 18th century British song 'To Anacreon in Heaven.' But the decision was far from simple.Īmong the points of contention was the music's foreign origin. In 1931, Congress passed a bill to make 'The Star-Spangled Banner' the official national anthem of the United States.

Song containing star spangled banner lyrics