The Stars and Stripes Forever - Variations and Notable Uses

Variations and Notable Uses

"The Stars and Stripes Forever" is featured in many U.S. musical performances:

• There are several orchestral transcriptions of "The Stars and Stripes Forever", including one by Conductor Leopold Stokowski and one by Keith Brion and Loras Schissel.
• The tune is widely used by soccer fans, with the chorus sung with the words "Here We Go". The supporters of Spanish side Valencia CF use to sing it with the words "Xe que bó!" which means something like "Oh! How good" in Catalan, and those words has become a symbol for the team.
• In show business, particularly theater and the circus, this piece is called "the Disaster March". It is traditional code signaling a life-threatening emergency. This helps theater personnel to handle events and organize the audience's exit without panic. Circus bands never play it under any other circumstances. One memorable example of its use was at the Hartford Circus Fire in July 1944.
• The student band Strindens Promenade Orchester in Trondheim, Norway, has the world record in "speed playing" of The Stars and Stripes Forever (absolutely all notes must be played). The band calls their speedy rendering of the march Stars and Stribes, and performs the march at all Saturday parties at the Trondheim Student Society. Set during the fall term of 1999, the record time is 50.9 seconds (nominal time is 3 minutes 50 seconds). For this, the band is noted in the Norwegian edition of the Guinness Book of Records.
• A 1952 biographical film, Stars and Stripes Forever, gives an account of the composer's life and music.
• The Russian born pianist Vladimir Horowitz, who lived most his life in the United States, wrote a famous transcription of The Stars and Stripes Forever for solo piano to celebrate his becoming an American citizen. In an interview, Horowitz opined that the march, being a military march, is meant to be played at a walking tempo. He complained that many conductors played the piece too fast, resulting in music that is "hackneyed."
• The song is usually played for the President of the United States after he gives a speech at a public forum, event or ceremony, whereas Hail to the Chief is played when the President is introduced.
• In 2008, the Muppets performed a web version starring Sam the Eagle, Beaker, a clucking chicken, Bobo the Bear, The Swedish Chef, and Crazy Harry.
• The song was adapted for the theme song to The Berenstain Bears 1985 cartoon.