It may be the most talked about song of the week … that nobody is downloading unironically.
The U.S. Space Force released its official anthem — “Semper Supra,” and most of the reviews are not raving (but they are funny).
The song was unveiled for the first time during Chief of Space Operations Gen. John “Jay” Raymond’s speech at the 2022 Air & Space Forces Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference in Maryland on Tuesday.
“I don’t know who thought the song should sound like it was recorded in 1942 by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir,” said late-night TV talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.
And it’s not just professional comedians making jokes about the song. Twitter is full of reviews like, “It’s not a banger,” and others expressing surprise that the song wasn’t a parody.
The Space Force was established in 2019 and is still building traditions. According to a military press release, “Semper Supra” was created by two military veterans and has been in the works for several years.
“The song was a long work in progress because I wanted it to encompass all the capabilities that the Space Force offers and its vision,” said James Teachenor, the composer who created the song with Sean Nelson, a U.S. Coast Guard Band trombonist and staff arranger.
“Semper Supra” was named after the USSF motto, which is Latin for “Always Above.”
Each branch of the military has a song and even if you don’t know all the words, chances are you at least can hum along to the familiar tunes.
Tradition takes time. So, maybe the song is just too new to be appreciated properly.
Here are the lyrics to Semper Supra, so you can sing along at the next patriotic ceremony:
SEMPER SUPRA – The Official U.S. Space Force Song
We’re the mighty watchful eye,
Guardians beyond the blue,
he invisible front line, Warfighters brave and true.
Boldly reaching into space,
There’s no limit to our sky.
Standing guard both night and day,
We’re the Space Force from on high.
Listen to the song yourself in the video below. You can watch a behind-the music video in the video player at the top of this article.