‘Viva Malta’ : national unity, loyalty and the familiar in a post-independence Maltese song

Abstract

In the years following its independence from Britain in 1964, Malta experienced several changes socially, politically, economically and culturally. In part, these arose from the fact that after independence Malta, as a small Mediterranean island-country, had to take full control of its own destiny, including its economy and politics. At approximately the same time a band called The Malta Bums was set up and eventually gained popularity both locally and further afield. Their 1967 release of ‘Viva Malta’ achieved unprecedented success and is still hugely popular today. This article analyses this song in its historical, cultural and social context. It discusses how and why this track became so popular at that time and is still popular nowadays. For that purpose, it scrutinises its music and lyrics, as well as the production process and how each one of these built on the familiar to convey sentiments of national unity central to the loyalty that the lyrics call for.