Research Catalog

Title

O say can you hear? : a cultural biography of "The Star-spangled banner" / Mark Clague.

Author

Clague, Mark, 1966-

Publication

New York, NY : W.W. Norton & Company, [2022]

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

xvi, 325 pages : illustrations, maps, music; 24 cm

Summary

"The fascinating story of America's national anthem and an examination of its powerful meaning today. Most Americans learn the tale in elementary school: During the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key witnessed the daylong bombardment of Baltimore's Fort McHenry by British navy ships; seeing the Stars and Stripes still flying proudly at first light, he was inspired to pen his famous lyric. What Americans don't know is the story of how this everyday "broadside ballad," one of thousands of such topical songs that captured the events and emotions of early American life, rose to become the nation's one and only anthem and today's magnet for controversy. In O Say Can You Hear? Mark Clague brilliantly weaves together the stories of the song and the nation it represents. Examining the origins of both text and music, alternate lyrics and translations, and the song's use in sports, at times of war, and for political protest, he argues that the anthem's meaning reflects--and is reflected by--the nation's quest to become a more perfect union. From victory song to hymn of sacrifice and vehicle for protest, the story of Key's song is the story of America itself. Each chapter in the book explores a different facet of the anthem's story. In one, we learn the real history behind the singing of the anthem at sporting events; in another, Clague explores Key's complicated relationship with slavery and its repercussions today. An entire chapter is devoted to some of the most famous performances of the anthem, from Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock to Roseanne Barr at a baseball game to the iconic Whitney Houston version from the 1991 Super Bowl. At every turn, the book goes beyond the events to explore the song's resonance and meaning. From its first lines Key's lyric poses questions: "O say can you see?" "Does that banner yet wave?" Likewise, Clague's O Say Can You Hear? raises important questions about the banner; what it meant in 1814, what it means to us today, and why it matters."--

Subject

• Star-spangled banner (Song)
• Patriotic music > United States > History and criticism
• Patriotic music
• United States

Genre/Form

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages [257]-305) and index.

Contents

Prologue -- American Dreams : Francis Scott Key and the Writing of The Star-Spangled Banner -- Origins of a Melody : The Music of The Star- Spangled Banner -- Banner Ballads : The Many Lyrics of The Star- Spangled Banner -- The Banner at War : A Song Sanctified -- Play Ball! : The Banner in Sports -- Singing Citizenship : A Tradition of Dissent -- Nation in Translation : Language and the Politics of Belonging -- The Anthem and Black Lives : An American History -- Performing Patriotism : Musical Style as Social Symbol -- Postlude. Composing Nation.

Call Number

JME 22-219

ISBN

• 9780393651386
• 039365138X

LCCN

• 2022008993
• 40031236081
• 40031215809

OCLC

1272856494

Author

Clague, Mark, 1966- author.

Title

O say can you hear? : a cultural biography of "The Star-spangled banner" / Mark Clague.

Publisher

New York, NY : W.W. Norton & Company, [2022]

Edition

First edition.

Type of Content

text

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages [257]-305) and index.

Other Form:

ebook version : 9780393651393

Other Standard Identifier

40031236081

40031215809

Research Call Number

JME 22-219