God Save the Queen?
 

In the UK is "God Save the Queen" played before 1) movies, 2) stage productions, 3) what other events? What's the audience response: singing along, standing, sitting, etc.?

Let me get my popcorn...

>>is "God Save the Queen" played before . . .<<

Yes and no. It is played before international sporting events and such. The audience stands and normally sings.

When I lived in the UK years ago the practice of playing it at the end of movies and theatre performances had pretty much ended.

(It used to also be played at the end of the television day.)

When I was growing up in England in the late 50s and early 60s it was still played after the last movie. People stood, but I don't remember anyone singing.

No, indeed. This seems to have come up quite a bit recently (I wonder why :) ), and as I've pointed out before, the end of an evening in the cinema throughout the 50s and into the 60s was often enlivened by stalwart patriots on the end of a row standing to attention and blocking the exit for the people trying to get to the pub before last orders, or to a bus home, and having to steeplechase over the seats to get out.

Nowadays, it's official and state events only, and not always then. It would be thought a bit odd, or trying to make some political point, if it were shoe-horned into some ordinary private or commercial event.

It's the fortieth anniversary of the most famous version.

My mother in law always stood up when the National Anthem was played, even if she was in her own home!

I'm certain the Queen would prefer that version.

She probably prefers the 40 year old version to this 12 year old version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaUsWfeULks

The BBC still plays the national anthem at the close of Radio 4, and on important royal birthdays they play it in the morning too. I don't leap out of bed and sing along.

I wouldn't bother standing. And most people only know the words to the first verse anyway.

Don't they sing it on the last night of the proms?

We're not particularly bothered about the flag either. Or respecting our leaders.

National culture is just different.

This sort of thing only happens in governmental-insecure countries. For instance I understand that India plays it before films https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...m-before-films. Still if we were all the same there would be no "abroad" :-)

Radio 4 also plays "sailing-by" and "early-one-morning", they are just filler pieces

What we used to get at the end of an evening at the flicks in the 50s:

https://youtu.be/8zCAuBJZhuY


But... Christmas in the 1960s:
https://youtu.be/dOOXU3A8Whg


Yes, it's still played at the last night of the Proms, but that's a very specific tradition.

What anthem is played for England in "international" football and rugby matches with Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland?

"Still if we were all the same there would be no "abroad" :-)"

But "... abroad is unutterably bloody and foreigners are fiends", as Uncle Mathew had it, so there is really no point in travelling. :)

And they still play "Land of Hope and Glory" the last night of the Proms, right Patrick? Tradition, not nationalism. Unless you think respect for tradition is itself nationalism.

Excuse a stupid question but when Charles takes over, assuming he doesn’t go first, will they change the name of the song?

Good question,laverendrye. I think that GSTQ is used by the England soccer team for all internationals, and the other home countries have their own tunes, and that for rugby internationals, England uses some other tune (Jerusalem?), but I might be wrong. For the Commonwealth Games, where the home countries compete separately, they all have their own tunes (Jerusalem for England). For all of these, it's entirely up to the sport governing bodies, though no doubt some publicity-hound MP would get in a huff if they chose I Like A Nice Cup of Tea.

Yes, xcountry, it will shift back to God Save the King, as before.

After I moved to the US, I was amused to discover that the music for "Land of Hope and Glory", aka Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance", was played as a processional at high school and university graduations. It was, of course, an orchestral, but I did wonder what the assembled parents would think if they knew the words and their origin.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_of_Hope_and_Glory

Warning - this is LOUD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wN_5LhnbW5k

Of course, the fact that "My Country, Tis of Thee" aka "America" uses the music for GSTQ is also amusing.

Is it raining where the OP lives?

Boredom?