Spanish Translation of the U.S. Anthem

A representation of Latinos’ U.S. patriotism or a distortion of a sacred symbol?

by Rachel Roubein

The great, great grandson of Francis Scott Key would have been fuming.

Marvette Pérez, a curator at the National Museum of American History, used the music of the Spanish translation of the U.S. National Anthem to fuel conversation at U-Md. on the meaning and sacredness of an anthem and on nationalism as a whole.  She also spoke of her ideas for a new exhibit at the museum, which would explore the typically unshared history of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

On October 28 in room 2120 of the Francis Scott Key building, Pérez showed the controversial music video “Nuestro Himno” to a group of ten attendees. Meaning “Our Anthem,” this song is a twist on “The Star-Spangled Banner” sung in Spanish by 19 artists, including Pitbull and Wyclef Jean.

Upon release in April 2006, George Key told NPR of his outrage.  He was offended that the national anthem, which was written by his great, great grandfather in 1814, could be sung in a different language.

On April 28, 2006 at EST 7 p.m., “Nuestro Himno” could be heard playing on more than 500 radio stations simultaneously.  It created havoc in the blogosphere as many called it a “bastardization” of the official song of the United States.

In a news briefing at the Rose Garden that same day, former President George W. Bush said “I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English. And they ought to sing the national anthem in English.”

“I think it’s interesting that because it’s not sung in English, people think it’s less sincere,” senior American studies major Milaena Hamilton said.

This is not the first version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” that strays from the original version of the song, yet it perturbed the public for a different reason, Pérez said.

“What disturbed people the most, especially the president, is that it was a loose translation and had elements of hip-hop and improvisation,” she said. “This is a song taken from a freakin’ drinking game in London.”

Sung to the tune of a British drinking song, “The Star-Spangled Banner” did not become the national anthem until 1931, yet in 78 years it has stirred up much controversy, Perez said.

Chair of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Professor Juan Carlos Quintero said he could understand why mainstream America could have a negative view of “Nuestro Himno.”  He compared the sacredness of the song to untouchable objects in a church.

Jose Feliciano, singer of the popular Christmas song “Feliz Navidad,” started the first dispute in 1968 at a baseball game.  His version was slightly different, incorporating the accompaniment of his band.  It was greeted angrily, as spectators threw shoes into the field, Perez said.

Since then, singers, such as Jimi Hendriz, Marvin Gaye and Whitney Houston, have put their own creative and popular spins on the anthem. Houston’s even reached the Top 40 chart, Perez said.

Pérez hopes to open an exhibit in the National Museum of American History documenting all the hidden histories of “The Star-Spangled Banner” in September 2010.

“What’s left out is what I want to put here.  The left out part is the less patriotic,” Pérez said

In the exhibit, she plans to feature Clotilde Arias, the Peruvian immigrant who translated the national anthem into Spanish in 1946 after being asked by the State Department.  Pérez has located one of the documents which awarded her compensation for her lyrics.

“I hope that people will understand that there is a whole history to this sacred song, an interesting one, and the history can explain the controversies,” Pérez said.

To watch the music video of “Nuestro Himno,” go to youtube.com and type in “Nuestro Himno.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4gP_pSOCz4&feature=related]

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Posted by admin on Nov 26 2009. Filed under Entertainment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry