07/06/2026
Z-Sides Press
Free Speech Action - 002
Performer: Lane Pianta
Camera Operator: Dana Sexton
Filmed at Ahnser Park, Sacramento, CA
on July 4, 2026
***
EXPLANATION OF ACTION
Like so many early American figures, Key's life barely withstands the scrutiny of our contemporary critical gaze, if it does at all, and yet these famous lines from our national anthem (only the first two of four total verses in his original poem) encapsulate the drama of the battle of Baltimore, and still possess the mysterious power to rouse patriotic fervor. It occurs to me, as I sing the song I think I know by heart, that I can hear the nervous anticipation of the spectators waiting for the sun to rise in the caesuras that delineate each successive verse.
The melody of this song, with which most Americans feel deeply familiar, were actually composed by a British songwriter, John Stafford Smith. The Anacreontic Song, as originally titled, enjoyed some popularity in the pubs of England and was also widely known among the American citizens living at that time. So, when Francis Scott Key wrote his poem, 'The Star Spangled Banner', he wrote it to the popular melody of Smith's tavern tune - a practice common to the times. On the occasion of the 250th anniversary since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, I daresay the song takes on a kind of newfound relevance.
Linked below, find more information about this extraordinary song. The original Stafford Smith version of the song, believed to have been composed in 1775 or 1776, barely predates the nation's founding. Key's updated version wasn't written until 1814, when the British assaulted Fort McHenry in their effort to reclaim its former colonies, nearly 30 years later. Maybe they just wanted to make England great again? Listening to the words with fresh ears, I'm tempted to hear the stirring refrains of a protest song. Do you hear it too?
Shout out to the U-M American Music Institute and the Star Spangled Music Foundation for their recreation of the original tune. Their version, also linked below, seems musically authentic and when I listen to the more archaic version of the song, I hear in my mind's ear the countless orchestral scores I've heard in my life and with which so many of my fellow listeners will recognize. Those versions introduce a sort of rhythmic elasticity that feels integral to the song's subject matter, in the opinion of this interpreter.
Thanks to the dedication of the musical re-enactors linked below, we may better appreciate the choices made by musicians past and thus, understand our own artistic choices within a deeper historical context.
The Anacreontic Song—18c. Source Tune for U.S. National Anthem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l-n64NWHS4&list=RD3l-n64NWHS4&start_radio=1
The Tune Behind the Star Spangled Banner: The Anacreontic Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQAnaZzNXDM
New book reveals dark history behind the Star Spangled Banner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiG--jJz8tI
But why perform the song the way that I have? A ca****la, in public, a song by which too many people feel intimidated - these make for the ingredients of an effective free speech action. The courage to speak up, to exercise our freedom of speech as American citizens and to defy the social norms and conventions of a formerly polite society should not represent extraordinary actions, and yet they still do. Free speech actions embolden us, inspiring the courage and the fortitude to face down the dread of sudden autocracy, and also they serve to disrupt the regular order of a neo-fascist state. Song represents a powerful weapon against vain demagoguery; would that our nation might produce a choir of many millions to activate and enact that power.
***
To Support Z-Sides Press
with your tax-deductible donation,
Visit our website:
www.zsidespress.org
***
FOXTROT DELTA TANGO
