from Amazon
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Canadian National Anthem: Sold!
Americans have a few anthems: the Star Spangled one, God Bless one, and Pledge Allegiance one. I suppose even the This Land one (though Canada among other countries have their own version with the text changed, but it’s not as popular as in America).
Canada has two big anthems: Oh Canada..... and The Hockey Night In Canada theme song. CBC, which held the licencing rights for the last 40 years let it lapse, and TSN (the Canadian version of ESPN, and owned by CBC competitior CTV) bought perpetual use rights for likely between 2.5 and 3 million$. (CBC went as high as 1 million$)
I’m trying to think of a song or melody that is as iconic as this theme is, in America. Maybe the Wide World of Sports, at one point? But, even that one pales in comparison. Maybe you have to go to the movies, like Godfather or Star Wars?