Flower of Scotland withers as poll fails to name that tune

Published on Sunday 19 October 2008 22:14

IT MAY be sung before every national sporting event, but Flower of Scotland has been rejected as a contender for Scotland's most-loved song.

The Roy Williamson-penned anthem, widely adopted by Scottish football and rugby fans, has failed to make it on to a shortlist of the top five contenders for the title.

Rabbie Burns's Auld Lang Syne, sung across the world on Hogmanay and considered to be the best known Scottish song on the list, was also not popular enough to make the final cut.

The competition was launched by the ScotsCare charity in September and the winner will be announced to mark St Andrew's Day on 30 November.

Members of the public have been voting on the charity's website over the past month and a list of 12 potential winners has been whittled down to five songs. The shortlisted songs are Runrig's version of Loch Lomond; I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by the Proclaimers, Deacon Blue's Dignity, Caledonia by Dougie McLean and Big Country's Fields of Fire. Big Country were not on the original list when the competition was launched but were added because of public demand.

As well as Flower of Scotland and Auld Lang Syne, other hopefuls ruled out of the contest include Maggie May by Rod Stewart and Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney and Wings.

Playground favourite O' Ye Cannae Shove Yer Granny Aff A Bus was also shoved off the list. Its inclusion on the list of 12 had provoked a mixed reaction from music critics.

Willie Docherty, chief executive of ScotsCare, a charity which helps needy Scots in London, said he was saddened to see Flower of Scotland did not get enough votes.

"With results not going the way of the national football and rugby teams, perhaps it's not a surprise that the public have voted for other songs," he said.

Runrig's Bruce Guthro said of Loch Lomond: "It just goes to prove that you can't keep a good song down.

"Sometimes when a song has been around for so long and has crossed over into every possible genre, it becomes so familiar that it starts to lose its meaning but I guess Loch Lomond has well and truly stood the test of time.

"It's great to see a song from the 18th century topping a poll like this. It's such a powerful, emotional, spiritual song and we're all chuffed to bits."

Veteran Scots folk musician Aly Bain said that he was not surprised Flower of Scotland did not make it into the final five: "I don't actually like the words of it. I love the tune and melody, but I don't think any song that represents us should be anti-English. It should be about Scotland."

Ian Scott, a member of the Saltire Society council, said that the list reflected the age of the voters: "The majority of those who get involved in this sort of thing are likely to come from a younger generation and so it doesn't surprise me that the final list is mainly modern renditions."

"Also familiarity of the likes of Flower of Scotland tends to perhaps dull appreciation, but I think if you were to speak to people of my generation, those in their 60s, you'd find that the older songs would have been their choice.

"But from those that made it into the last five, I would say that Caledonia is my favourite, it's an excellent song."