You might hum along to Advance Australia Fair when you hear its melody, but how much do you really know about the journey it took over 100 years to become the Australian national anthem?
From national polls to multiple lyric changes, here are five facts about this iconic song.
A twice-elected anthem
For decades, God Save the Queen was the Australian national anthem, but by the 1970s, calls for a uniquely Australian anthem grew louder.
In 1973, the Australia Council for the Arts launched to find new lyrics and music for the anthem.
Despite receiving over 2,600 entries, none met the required standards.
Instead, a national vote was held in 1974, pitting three beloved songs against each other: Advance Australia Fair, Waltzing Matilda, and Song of Australia.
Advance Australia Fair by Peter Dodds McCormick emerged victorious and was adopted as the national anthem.
However, in 1976, the Fraser government for all regal and vice-regal occasions.
Another plebiscite in 1977 confirmed Advance Australia Fair as the people's choice, but it wasn't until 1984 — seven years and a change of government later — that it was officially proclaimed as Australia’s national anthem.
More verses than you'd think
Most Australians know only the first verse of Advance Australia Fair, but the original 1878 composition by McCormick had four verses, according to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C).
In 1981, the National Australia Day Council recommended the national anthem consist of verses one and two of Advance Australia Fair with some modifications.
"It is protocol for us to sing verse one, but singing verse two is actually optional," Dr Wendy Hargreaves, a senior learning advisor from the University of Southern Queensland, said, explaining why the second verse is less known.
Interestingly enough, the second verse of the national anthem was not McCormick's original, she said.
McCormick's second verse celebrated British colonialism, while the current second verse comes from a version adapted for federation in 1901, Dr Hargreaves added.
Below is a comparison of its original verse two (L) and the current verse two (R).
Changing lyrics
The lyrics of Advance Australia Fair have been modified a few times, Dr Hargreaves said.
When it became the national anthem, the line from verse one "Australia's sons, let us rejoice" was changed to "Australians all, let us rejoice" to make it more inclusive.
The Council also fixed the gendered language in the federation version before using it as verse two, she said.
"'Loyal sons' became 'those who've come'. They deleted 'youthful' with an uncanny premonition that age would become sensitive," she said.
In 2021, the Morrison government changed "For we are young and free" to "For we are one and free" to acknowledge Indigenous heritage and promote unity.
However, the anthem has faced criticism from many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who feel it fails to acknowledge the nation's Indigenous population, their enduring connection to the land and the historical injustices brought onto them due to colonisation. Some believe that this change is symbolism without substance.
Dr Hargreaves says that there are more changes that need to be made, "Particularly when you look at verse two, there's something we took on from 1901 with the federation verse that we don't necessarily agree with today," she said.
"I would be open to if we had some wonderful musicians in Australia even suggesting, writing new songs."
A challenging tune
If you find the anthem difficult to sing, you are not alone.
According to Dr Hargreaves, the song’s wide vocal range poses musical challenges, especially for non-singers.
"We can sing it, but when we get to some of those other notes, we're going to just naturally not quite sing as high and drop our voices a bit because we're not used to stretching that far.
"That's why we are sounding we're out of tune."
Beyond the national anthem
Australia also has a royal anthem, God Save the King (formerly God Save the Queen).
According to PM&C, the national anthem is commonly performed at official ceremonies, such as Australia Day events, Anzac Day services, and citizenship ceremonies, as well as major sports competitions.
The royal anthem is reserved for occasions involving the King or the royal family.
When the King is in Australia, the royal anthem is played at the beginning of an official engagement and the Australian national anthem is played at the end.
In some instances, both anthems may be performed at the start of an engagement.
It is customary to stand whenever either anthem is played.
