Review of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬, 𝐛𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐞.
One of the most intimidating things I had to do as a reporter for CBC Nova Scotia was write a script for my TV news and then take it to David Pate for approval. He was always tough and kept his focus on the story. Week by week, he improved my work: write to the pictures became my mantra.
And he never forgot about the one time I spelled my own name wrong on a TV super: Jon Tatrie, CBC News….
I was upset when I learned David had died this year at 64, at the start of a rich retirement. Wisely, he had poured his new time into his family and into an MFA from the University of King’s College, through which he wrote his first book. (I graduated from the program in 2020, which is around when David joined it.)
I knew him as an enthusiastic scuba diver who always seemed ready to leap into the Northwest Arm. We often spoke about British politics, as he came from Scotland, and I lived there for my 20s. He loved sports and regularly travelled for big rugby matches. I enjoyed his return when he told us about the World Cup and made me care about something I’d never given much thought to.
After he retired in 2020, he took on a huge dream: to write and publish his first book. I will be reading from The Worst Songs in the World next week as friends and family rally to launch his book for him. (Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. in Alumni Hall at King’s if you’re in Halifax).
At CBC, I got to see the funnier, lighter side of David only on occasion. In this delightful book, his wit and intellect jump off every page. He clearly had a blast researching and writing this book, which will change forever how you clear your throat and sing, “O Canada, our home and ….”
Well, that’s where things get interesting. David dives deep into Canada’s contested lyrics (and not just the famous line about sons) and puts the same compelling insight into every other country he encounters. Billions of people sing national anthems, but nobody has ever explored them quite like this. From “singing revolutions” to the longest anthem in the world, it’s a fun and fascinating trip around the world and through history.
How did a folk group write a song that would shove the king or queen right out of Scotland’s unofficial national anthem?
Why did it take God so long to join Canada’s national song?
And why do we sing so many songs about death and destruction to celebrate our peaceful homelands? (One country even finds the “melody” in machine guns!)
Buy yourself a copy to help make David’s dreams come true beyond his death. For a few weeks, instead of checking your socials, read a few pages. You’ll feel better when you’re done. Each page has something interesting on it, and David never wastes your time.
Only David Pate could turn the ‘worst songs into the world’ into one of the best books of the fall.