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Telegraph’s own readers agog as paper rates God Save the King a better anthem than Hen Wlad fy Nhadau

10 Dec 2022 3 minute read
Wales and England line up for their national anthems. Picture by Nick Potts / Adam Davy / PA Wire.

The Telegraph‘s own readers were gobsmacked after they argued that God Save the King was a better anthem than Hen Wlad fy Nhadau.

The newspaper ranked the English anthem above the Welsh one in a rundown of which World Cup team has the best anthem.

Despite being consistently appraised as one of the best national anthems, Hen Wlad fy Nhadau was ranked only 14th out of 32 by the newspaper in a list of which national had the best anthem.

God Save the King was ranked 10th, despite the paper admitting that it was “sluggish”.

The Welsh anthem lost points for not being “an official anthem by law” only “used as one and is sung at sporting events and governmental ceremonies”.

Meanwhile, the Telegraph said that God Save the King was “possibly on the sluggish side for universal acclaim”.

“But in honour of the new King, Charles III, we’ve ranked this reasonably high on the list – plus, some of us quite like our anthem, okay?”

But the ranking did not impress the Telegraph’s own readers, with one of those commenting online saying that the rankings were “all over the place”.

“You are seriously having a laugh – in a list of 32 the English national anthem comes 50th,” Clive Woodbridge said. “And we can’t sing in properly because it is so funereal.”

“We have the best contemporary music in the world for the past sixty years but a truly awful anthem,” Michael O’Donnell said.

“As an Englishman I hate to say it, but the French, Welsh, Brazilian and Australian national anthems beat ours hands down,” Phil Tea responded.

“Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau at 14 and below God Save The King?” Susan Lewis asked. “I am not sure many English supporters would agree with that!”

‘Tuneless’

Irene Gunn was also confused by the rankings, responding “Our anthem is rather a dirge and doesn’t stir any passion in either the players or crowd. The French, Welsh and possibly the Italian anthems beat ours hands down.”

Daily Telegraph ranked that awful dirge above Wales’ anthem – from the Land of Song!” Alan Argent said.

Nicholas Hazelton said: “I love the monarchy but hate our national anthem. As a musical piece its boring and tuneless.”

“Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau has got to be right up there, surely,” Christopher House said. “Making me tingle just writing about it. French is good though as well.”

“God Save the King above Mae Hen Wlad for Nadau?” Huw Evans asked. “Absurd.”

I don’t think that your rankings would be shared by anyone else on the planet!” David Evans said. “‘God save the king’ is dire! Must be in the bottom five. Above the anthems of Germany and Wales? That is a joke.”

England’s opponents in the World Cup quarter-final, France, were rated to have the best anthem of all.


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Y Cymro
Y Cymro
1 year ago

If according to the Telegraph ‘God Save The Queen’ is better than ‘Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau’ their journalist is blind as well as deaf lol. It’s one of the most insular newspapers in print. To them Morris dancing is an English form of martial arts. I wouldn’t wipe my backside with that newspaper if they paid me.

Kerry Davies
Kerry Davies
1 year ago

The tune is just a part of it. We don’t sing about our royal masters lording it over us for ever and ever but about the land and culture we are part of.
The difference between us and them is that we belong to the place but they regard the place as belonging to them.

Richard
Richard
1 year ago

You can always rely on the Torygraff to catch the mood of the ‘ nation ‘ 😂

Pedr ap Ioan
Pedr ap Ioan
1 year ago
Reply to  Richard

😂👍

David
David
1 year ago

Who in Nation.Cymru wrote the heading “NAHADAU”?

Cynan again
Cynan again
1 year ago
Reply to  David

If my experience of the comments section is anything to go by … autocorrect

Riki
Riki
1 year ago

Ask anyone who has heard it fully in all its Glory, Wales ranks Number 1. Then I’d say Russia and Scotland in 2nd and 3rd. Obviously I’m not talking about World Cup anthems, but overall. They rating The British anthem that low out of bitterness towards us, hahaha.

Liam Griffiths
Liam Griffiths
1 year ago
Reply to  Riki

Speaking of bitterness…

Gwyn Hopkins
Gwyn Hopkins
1 year ago

God Save the Queen/King is clearly a Monarch Exaltation Anthem for it pays reverence to just one person, mentioning the Queen/King directly 8 times and indirectly 7 times. Except for a hostile reference to the Scots in verse 6 (rebellious Scots to crush), unlike all other national anthems no nation is mentioned or even implied in its 6 verses. Therefore, how can it possibly be a national anthem?
 

David Charles pearn
David Charles pearn
1 year ago

Torygraph what do you expect 🤣🤣🤣.

Steve A Duggan
Steve A Duggan
1 year ago

The Telegraph is bound to put the English anthem higher than the Welsh – there is more chance of pigs flying than it not doing so. However, we all know, and many over the border too, that the Welsh anthem is the more spine tingling and inspiring. And that is all that counts.

DAI Ponty
DAI Ponty
1 year ago

You need to remember the Tory party for a long time are an english national party with no interest other than holding on to the other 3 countries Scotland Wales and Northern and USING THEM 3NATIONS for their own ends the TORYGRAPH THE DAILY MAIL AND DAILY EXPRESS are the PROPAGANDA and the 2 new news stations NEWS G B and the other one TORY RIGHT WING MOUTHPIECES

Gareth Davies
1 year ago

Same old Torygraph🥱Some things never change.

The Original Mark
The Original Mark
1 year ago

Yawn! seriously, who gives a flying f**k what the torygraph says?

Nobby Tart
Nobby Tart
1 year ago

Indeed.
It’s the newspaper for outraged little Englanders.

Andy Williams
1 year ago

Well said sir

Cynan again
Cynan again
1 year ago

The Torygraph HAS to believe that the dirge is the best one because English Exceptionalism. Meanwhile in the rest of the world ….
But then these are only anthems. National songs. Though ours is top 5, I don’t know that I care much. I’ll sing it at sporting events just to be polite, but TBH the whole anthem thing for ANY nation I find a bit embarrassing. Organised patriotism is not spontaneous so means little to me. But that’s just me. Other opinions are available

Dafydd
Dafydd
1 year ago
Reply to  Cynan again

Its a focus for our patriotism?

Cynan again
Cynan again
1 year ago
Reply to  Dafydd

Yeah. I get it. It’s just not something I need. Not knocking others for it. I see it simply as a lovely song.

Charlie James
Charlie James
1 year ago
Reply to  Cynan again

I bet your a barrel of laughs to have a pint with , please don’t invite me though 🥱

Cynan again
Cynan again
1 year ago
Reply to  Charlie James

*you’re
Don’t worry. I wouldn’t. I don’t drink in spoons and I doubt you could hold your own in the conversation anyway.

Last edited 1 year ago by Cynan again
David thomas
David thomas
1 year ago

A few years ago a gang of us French speakers from sir Gar went to Paris by coach. We had booked a night at a restaurant in st germain it was a great night we sang sospan fach firstly then the staff sang the French anthem to our applause. Then we sang hen wlad fy nhadau to rapturous applause. Then another group of Russians sang theirs. What a night. My list of the 3 best anthems (although Russian taboo now).

Erisian
Erisian
1 year ago

God save the Queen is neither an anthem or a tune, it is a dirge and the dreariest hymn to a nation ever composed.

Andy Williams
1 year ago

Who cares what this English Tory rag thinks, The word rubbish comes to mind

Fi yn unig
Fi yn unig
1 year ago

Our NATIONAL anthem, the anthem of our NATION, is ‘not an official anthem by law’. Whose law? Will FIFA be asking ‘What was this imposter country with its’s illegal song doing in our World Cup?’. Action needed by our Senedd to rectify this matter immediately to nullify any law set by outside forces to be superseded by OUR law.

Richard Thomas
Richard Thomas
1 year ago
Reply to  Fi yn unig

What they’re saying is technically correct (but it doesn’t stop it being irrelevant), and it’s also true of GSTK for England. England doesn’t have an official anthem, it borrows the UK one, except on the odd things like the Commonwealth Games, when it uses something else. GSTK is both a poor national anthem in general and for England in particular when the King is also King of Scotland in his own right since the Union of the Crowns. The SNP were notably far more vocal in expression of condolences and mourning than any Welsh politician on the Queen’s death for… Read more »

Richard Thomas
Richard Thomas
1 year ago

The Telegraph spouts that much nonsense I’m amazed anyone reads it.

I.Humphrys
I.Humphrys
1 year ago

Land of Hope and Glory, especially the intro, would be my choice if I was English.
Mind you, footy is so pedestrian if you are used to Ice Hockey!

Last edited 1 year ago by I.Humphrys
Kenneth Vivian
Kenneth Vivian
1 year ago

Other anthems demand dominion over neighbours whereas the Welsh sing to celebrate, not hostility, but pride in their own history and survival of culture against all odds.

John Richardson
John Richardson
1 year ago

Is anything the Daily Telegraph prints really worth an article in Nation.Cymru?

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