Corporate Anthems update

Never mind ZDNet, YouTube is where the corporate anthems action is now.

There's We Built This Starbucks, and Messe Dusseldorf.

And - they have the IBM Marching Song!

The return of IT Anthems?

Everyone is very excited about the relaunch of ZDNet UK, in "Web 2.0" Social mode. It's a major revamp, sort of a cross between LinkedIn and MySpace for geeks.

Tons of content has pulled through the filter into the new site, but there was only one question I wanted to know. Would it still have IT Anthems, the fabled web craze of 2002.

To my surprise, those classic cringemaking company hits are still there. The only Anthems page that shows up on ZDNet's search is the abysmal Apple page, including Apple is Baking Fruit and Apple II Forever.

However, Google search the site, and the others crawl out of the woodwork.

Here's the earnest harmonies of Honeywell and the upbeat Ahhh fujitsu.

Outside ZDNet, I see interest in Anthems has not died out. There's an academic paper from 2003 on the subject, from a Martin Corbett of the University of Warwick - partly researched from our site from the look of it.

And here's one I missed. Apparently, in 2004, a corporate anthem broke through into the "real" pop charts in Japan. It helped that the lyrics "We wil destroy houses! We will destroy bridge!" describe the work of a demolition company.

That one I want to hear.