Maple Leaf Boy raises an interesting tangent. Is it the Canadian tradition to LISTEN to the National Anthem, or to The Mary Ellen Carter? As a boy during the sixties (In USA) I remember hearing the anthem at public events and the crowd always sang along. Now it's become a performance piece and everyone listens as the performer shows off range and melismatic skills. Perhaps in my youth I just was around more WWII vets who had considerable investment in being Americans, or maybe it's just because my parents were fine singers, but I miss those days and the feeling that we were all Americans together, despite our many differences.