ADAPTIVE REUSE IS THE AMERICAN WAY.

A quarter century ago I was in Moscow on Independence Day.  The Russians were rebuilding the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.  The consecration of the original church included music that has subsequently become part of our Independence Day concerts.

I recently came across a Nails on Blackboards post objecting to the use of that music.

An overture full of Russian folk tunes, La Marseillaise, the French national anthem (which Napoleon had actually banned in 1805, but never mind), and Russian hymns God Save the Tsar!, and God Preserve Thy People. What all this has to do with America's or DPRAV's birthday escapes my poor understanding. This is the celebration of the defeat of one European autocrat's armies by the armies of another European autocrat (with a huge assist from the weather), neither of whom had any use for what happened here in 1776, and both of whom happily imprisoned or murdered any of their royal subjects who had any thought of trying to bring 1776 to Paris or Moscow.

It's the American Way.

There's nothing new about "Misunderstood 'patriotic' songs for the Fourth of July."  Consider "Born in the U.S.A.," "Fortunate Son," "This Land is Your Land," "Rockin' in the Free World," and "American Woman."  "Yet, many of the classic songs that casual listeners may assume to be patriotic are anything but, from misunderstood anti-war missives to singalong favorites masking darker meanings."

Nothing really new, either.  Are you only familiar with the hero's welcome "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again?"  There's another version, in which Johnny hasn't an arm and hasn't a leg, and his sweetheart fears his dancin' days are done, ending "Johnny, we hardly knew ye," that perhaps based on an earlier song.  Then there's that favorite for bringing on the fireworks, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, originally written as a celebration of Imperial Russian power.

With "America" borrowing the tune of Heil Dir im Siegerkranz and the National Anthem recycling a hard-to-sing British drinking tune, thinking about cereal that's shot from guns is a natural transition to the fireworks display.