Unexpected Anthems

Usually, songs described as 'anthems' possess traditional characteristics. They tend to have a unifying message, a big, guitar, piano or string-laden sound, a huge chorus, and a crowd-pleasing tunefulness. The sort of thing you can imagine an army of drunken fans singing along to with their arms waving above their heads.

This thread is for the atypical anthems, the songs which given a description of you wouldn't even begin to describe as anthemic. I shall start with one of my favourite recent discoveries: Super Furry Animals' 'Wherever I Lay My Phone (That's My Home)'. A loopy effects-laden techno number with a fast, funky bassline and nonsense lyrics such as 'I've got mobile phone...I've got mobile phone...SFA-OK...SFA-OK'; you wouldn't for a moment think this a song with any emotional power or the ability to speak for all its listeners.

However, this song is probably the most wonderfully anthemic I've heard recently. Its message is to point out how wonderfully absurd the power of telecommunications has become, and it invites its audience, ironically or otherwise, to celebrate the ridiculous ease with which their mobile phone can contextualise their place within the world. It mentions the possible dangers ('Tumour on the brain...'), continues to assert its joy ('SFA-OK') by invoking the name of the band (thus strengthening the contextualism and sense of heightened identity), and yet all of these things are common ground amongst all phone-owners. Moreover, its beat is so addictive, so danceable, and its melodies are so outrageously catchy, that the audience's attention is easily sustained. It's a bloody enjoyable song, but its message is as important and anthemic as any power-ballad or torch-song.

Right, let's have your own...