Arabia - 22
Assyria - 21
Austria - 21
Aztec - 12
Brazil - 17
Byzantium - 21
Carthage - 12
Celts - 21
China - 20
Dutch - 22
England - 22
Ethiopia - 23
Greece - 22
Huns - 21
Inca - 21
India - 14
Indonesia - 20
Japan - 17
Korea - 17
Maya - 20
Mongolia - 20
Ottomans - 15
Persia - 21
Poland - 26 - 3 = 23
Polynesia - 19
Portugal - 10 + 1 = 11
Shoshone - 23
Songhai - 6
Spain - 22
Sweden - 25
Venice - 21
Zulu - 22
Poland:
"Poland's peace theme is amazing!" "It's so grand, and perfect for Casimir III!" "Wow," I thought, and decided to give it a listen. To make a long story short, Bóg Się Rodzi was an excellent song. However, the Hype Train crashed and burned when I was not lifted into Heaven by a chorus of beautiful angels with sunshine smiles, as this very enthusiastic tread had led me to believe would occur. xD
And here's the shocker - I listened to all three and a half minutes of it, as well as a choral version of the song, as it is originally a traditional Polish Christmas Carol.
Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely song - powerful and moving, with a slow, wistful melody and a memorable strings part - just not
quite deserving of a whopping 26 point lead, especially when it seems to share many of the qualities for which other songs in this thread have been downvoted - "It's too slow," "It sounds sad," or "It doesn't encourage me to build an empire." Even worse "This theme is better," or "That theme is worse." What about those songs make them "better," or "worse?" I'm not judging, honestly - I genuinely would like to know what, in our your humble opinion, constitutes a "good" or a "bad" peace theme. By no means is Poland's theme the worst one on the list. As a matter of fact, I think that it's deserving of second-place, right after Portugal. This is a one time deal, to make a point. I'm sorry, everyone. And besides, even after this, Poland will still be tied for second-place with Ethiopia and the Shoshone. Hardly a dim fate. =)
TL;DR - Poland's theme could easily be characterized as "slow" and "depressing," although many such songs are also called "powerful" and "moving." It shares this general tone with several rival peace themes, and yet, it is
extremely high on the list. What gives?
Portugal:
I have looked at Portugal's downvote history and have become quite dismayed upon reading the reasons as to why it has dropped to its current score of 10 points (11, now). To pull a few quotes:
TBH I haven't actually listened past the first couple seconds of this. I'm not sure whether those first few seconds are offnotes or just what traditional Portuguese music sounds like, but it definitely sounds a bit ear-piercing to me.
and
I'm with everyone else, those first few notes throw me off.
Really, you guys? Please, give Portugal a fair chance. All I ask is that you actually listen to the entire song (or, at the
very least, half of it) before downvoting it. To judge the entire song by its first few notes is... saddening, really. Quite honestly, Poland's first few measures aren't much to listen to either, and are wholly unrepresentative of the remainder of the song, the melody of which is positively wonderful.
This same idea applies with Portugal. The best part of the Portuguese peace theme is the traditional guitar melody. And yet, if you only listened to the "first few notes," you didn't get to hear the guitar. It's the best part! It's powerful and moving, playing a passionate, wistful melody, and - wait a second, isn't this exactly what I said about Poland? It is. And that's because the two songs are
very similar in terms of their mood. As a matter of fact, the only reason I like Portugal's song more than Poland's is because of the guitar. That's how close they are, at least in my mind.
So please, before you go and downvote Portugal, actually listen to the song. All of it. If, even after hearing the amazing guitar, you still don't like it, that's fine, you're entitled to have your own opinion just as much as I am. But c'mon, at least give Portugal a fair chance, and don't just listen to the "first few notes." I think that's fair.
TL;DR - For the love of Polders, actually listen to a song before you up/downvote it. Fifteen seconds or less doesn't count. Also, guitars are awesome.
(after all, I almost downvoted India at one point, before deciding to listen to the whole song, and I'm glad I did)
They were gone so soon.
