The Battle Hymn of the Republic

"The Battle Hymn of the Republic" is a patriotic anthem written by Julia Ward Howe for the United States during the American Civil War as a variation for the words to the marching song "John Brown's Body". It was first published on the front page of The Atlantic Monthly of February 1862; the sixth verse written by Howe, which is less commonly sung, was not published then. The song is often regarded as the northern counterpart to "Dixie."

Trivia

• The Battle Hymn was played at the funeral of US president Ronald Reagan and also in the funerals of Robert Kennedy and Winston Churchill.
• In the movie The Right Stuff, John Glenn (played by Ed Harris), hums this tune as his space capsule is returning to earth.
• Christian Metal band Stryper recorded a heavy metal version of the hymn for their 1985 debut album Soldiers Under Command. Since then, it is used as the intro to all their concerts.
• Three hours before each Georgia football game (when the gates open) a lone trumpeter stands in the South Deck of Sanford Stadium and plays the first phrase. The UGA band also plays the entire song after home victories.
• The Japanese electronics retailer Yodobashi Camera uses the melody of the song in their in-store advertising jingle. Of course the lyrics are in Japanese and are about buying cameras and electronics.
• Schoolchildren all over the United States have sung an irreverent variation of the song beginning "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the burning of the school...".