What goes here?

[Gillian]

What goes with these singers who don't know the words to the "Star Spangled Banner"? Even I, a Canadian can sing this anthem, I have heard it and sung along often enough. If I looked at the words once before hand, I know I wouldn't make a mistake. I know that the Canadian anthem is simpler to sing, but come on, as a child we sang it every day at the start of school. The one country in the world that to me is the most patriotic, and they can't get someone who doesn't screw up the words and melody, thats sad. Get a military choir to do it, especially at the Super bowl where so many people are watching. Now that would be patriotic!

[DonnaT]

I reckon they over think their performance, and instead of following the tune was written, try to make changes to it, then mess up the words.

Admittedly, I don't know the words, but if I were to have to sing it in front of millions of people, I'd sure damn learn them.

[LaurenD]

How many times have we heard a soloist or a group BUTCHER our National Anthem? The abomination at the SuperBowl was the final straw for me. I think the sponsors/producers/whatever of any venue where the Star Spangled Banner is performed should make it a contractual obligation that the SSB be presented as it was written without embellishments of any kind. I'm sick and tired of hearing some clown(s) trying to "make it their own." I'm seriously pissed! 'Nuff said.

[Absaroka]

Given that jazz is considered to be one of Americ's greatest contributions to the arts, and that improvisation is absolutely essential to jazz, I have no problems with performers taking liberties with the national anthem. But in order to do this well you have to be good, and very familiar and comfortable with the song. I didn't hear the performance, but it sounds like the singer hadn't done enough preparation to be ready for that level of musicianship.

[Michelle Miller]

Didn't bother me in the slightest.

And to everyone out there saying 'learn the words', let's see how well you do standing in front of 100k+ fans, and millions upon millions more worldwide watching on television, knowing full well that every microsecond of your performance is being scrutinized, picked over and will be on every video site on the internet 37 seconds after you're done, and sooner if you screw up, then come the internet memes that get made about the line you blew, the spoofs, you become a joke, basically, all because of one little song you got nervous about and screwed up, and everyone and their brother saw it...

[Absaroka]

Michelle I thought that's what performers dream of....................

But as my father used to say, if you can't do better yourself don't criticize. That means singing it better in the conditions you describe....

[Anita]

I have watched it twice, and I don't pick up on this. From reading reports, I envisioned a horrible break-down, and that didn't happen. She never stopped singing, and I can't hear the repeat of the lines.

I read that many performers pre-record this song, and lip-sync to it. I would definitely do that in this situation, but that's me. Personally I'd rather we changed the anthem to something kinder to all singers.

[Lydia]

Her voice is a horror movie scream. Her trills and figures were totally inappropriate for the melody - and unmusical to boot. The piece itself is barely singable anyway. Even Rosie Barr's croaking rendition was better. It was an insult.

Hugs,

Lydia

[Paula G]

As a Brit I obviously object to your national anthem on principle, but......my band plays The National Anthem every rembrance day at a pretigious sercvice in London, as this is a special occasion we do two verses, NO ONE knows the words tro the second verse (including me, but I'm conducting so I don;t have to sing), BBC Radio 4 did a voxpop and couldn'y find anyone who knew more than teh first verse to Go Save the Queen, and , well, - who cares. In UK terms I'm a republican so while I haev nothin against the Queen personally do I want God to save her? and as for bashing up the Scots and the Welsh, well I'd rather have an extra verse about the Americas.

If the singing of the national anthem was so important surely you wouldn't be able to hear the soloist for all the crowd singing, to hear what I'm on about listen to the Welsh Rugby crowd when "Land of my Fathers" is played.

[Absaroka]

Okay I found it on you tube and listened to it.

FIrst of all I would far rather hear someone butcher it live than lip sync it. If you can't sing it for real don't insult us and humiliate yourself by lip syncing.

2nd, she messed up on some words, and recovered fairly well. Mistakes happen, and it's regrettable when it happens in such a venue, but they happen. I'd guess she was mortified.

One of the bands I play in screwed up the ending to the Star Spangled Banner last summer, due to the fact that the bass player, who was to conduct the ending, was standing in the wrong place and we couldn't see him. The rest of the concert also went poorly, it was an unrehearsed pickup band when asked we said "it went so badly we even screwed up the Banner" But that's not the case here.

I suspect however what really irritated a lot of people was that she chose to attempt a gospel rendition of the National Anthem rather than singing it straight. That's been done many times and as mentioned in an earlier post the whole improvisational approach to music is a proud American tradition. My personal opinion is that she has a good voice but resorted to an awful lot of uninspiring cliched phrasing; that there is something she just isn't getting about that kind of singing. But the folks who hired her presumably knew what she sounds like and what her limitations are.

I remember years ago playing a July 4th gig and the band after us did Jimi Hendrix's version of the Banner. He was doing a good job of it too, but the MC ran up on stage and disconnected him entirely half ways through.