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Spangled mangled in other language?
Pro-immigrant and Spanish versions of the national anthem strike a chord with some and a nerve with others.
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published April 28, 2006
MIAMI - British music producer Adam Kidron says that when he came up with the idea of a Spanish version of the U.S. national anthem, he saw it as an ode to the millions of immigrants seeking a better life.
But in the week since Kidron announced the song - which features artists such as Wyclef Jean, hip-hop star Pitbull and Puerto Rican singers Carlos Ponce and Olga Tanon - it has been the target of a fierce backlash.
Some Internet bloggers and others are infuriated by the thought of The Star-Spangled Banner sung in a language other than English. Others are outraged by an unreleased version with new and ardently pro-immigrant lyrics.
"Would the French accept people singing the La Marseillaise in English as a sign of French patriotism? Of course not," said Mark Krikorian, head of the Washington Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that supports tighter immigration controls.
The initial version of Nuestro Himno, or Our Anthem, comes out today and uses lyrics based closely on the English original, said Kidron, who heads the record label Urban Box Office. Pro-immigration protests are planned around the country for Monday, and the record label is urging Hispanic radio stations nationwide to play the cut at 7 p.m. Friday in a sign of solidarity.
A remix to be released in June will contain several lines in English that condemn U.S. immigration laws. Among them: "These kids have no parents, cause all of these mean laws . . . let's not start a war with all these hard workers, they can't help where they were born."
Bryanna Bevens of Hanford, Calif., who writes for the immigration-focused Web magazine Vdare.com, said the remix particularly upset her.
"It's very whiny," she said.
Kidron, a U.S. resident for 16 years, maintains the changes are fitting. After all, he notes, American immigrants borrowed the melody of The Star-Spangled Banner from an English drinking song.
[Last modified April 28, 2006, 01:17:12]
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