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PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   1403 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for September 7, 2025

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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What are your favorite versions of classic songs/folk tunes/jingoistic drivel/any song or piece that's been covered many times over the years? I find some versions of these songs nigh unlistenable, but one inevitably ends up being 'the' authoritative version. In particular, prompted by the fact that I hate the Sinatra version of Moon River, but I've been subjecting my family to the Melody Gadot version for weeks now.

The Battle Hymn of the Republic (although the version by Jon Batiste is also interesting).

Will the circle be unbroken (shoutout to the Bioshock version).

Unchained Melody.

This version of La Marseillaise.

Hit me with anything you got that's even broadly related, I'm curious what I've been missing.

If we're counting historic songs that I like that have gone through a lot of versions before ending up in its current form then i would point you towards Björneborgarnas marsch. The melody was probably written in France, the melody was then popularised in Sweden by the famous Swedish troubadour Carl Michael Bellman and was subsequently adopted as a marsch by the Swedish army. 70 years later, and post Sweden losing Finland to Russia, a Swede living in (and naturalised citizen of) Finland wrote a poem that became the lyrics to the song of called Björneborgarnas marsch. This was eventually translated to Finnish and became the anthem of not only the Finnish armed forces but also their president and Estonia's armed forces.

For me, it's the instrumental version published by Naxos in the album Swedish March Favorites, which was included in the soundtrack of Victoria 1.

But then you're missing out on the wonderfully jingoistic lyrics!

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