UnTunes:General Hill's March

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General Hill's March, as performed by the British Philharmonic Marching Band and conducted by Ogg Vorbis.

History

Composed by Randy Newman to commemorate the death of the great tactician Edward Hill (1804-1856), General Hill's March became a rapid favourite of British politician Benny Hill, mostly because they shared the same last name.

Hill soon decided to use General Hill's March to add a touch of class to his television programme, The Benny Hill Show. The March was to play as the programme's title and closing theme, and soon became inseperable in the public consciousness from Hill himself; indeed, the piece is often mistakenly referred to as "the Benny Hill theme".

Due to the majestic nature of General Hill's March, it has often been claimed that it can make any piece of film - no matter how comical - appear solemn and dignified. A popular joke on the Interweb is to take an obviously funny piece of footage, play it at a slower speed, and dub General Hill's March over the top.

After Hill's death, overwhelming pressure from supporters in France caused the French government to adopt General Hill's March as their national anthem.

Credits

Midi sequence: Wyattj