Scotland’s History: The Anthem.

No Official National Anthem

As Scotland currently remains a part of the United Kingdom, its formal national anthem continues to be the English one, “God Save the Queen.” That said, with the historic rivalry between Scotland and England still strong after all these years, you’d be hard pushed to find many folks north of the border who will stand for this one.

Instead, whenever the situation calls for it, Scots will generally go for one of two unofficial national anthems, “Scotland the Brave,” an old Gaelic tune, or “Flower of Scotland,” a 1967 song written by the folk band The Corries.

In recent years though, with the debate over Scottish independence continuing to be a hot button issue, there have been suggestions that a newer, more modern song should be used. And the most popular suggestion out of these has been The Proclaimers hit, “500 Miles.” It would certainly be an interesting one to hear at the Olympics alongside “The Star-Spangled Banner” or “La Marseillaise.”