This is extremely out of character for me, since I’ve been - with very few exceptions - rendered incapable of crying in my adulthood, but I shed a couple tears during that song. The inauguration, plus the song, plus the image of the Lincoln Memorial put me over the top.
Oh, and the hat was awful.
Looks like a freeway interchange.
I like the hat. I think it was in good proportion, gave her balance. A smaller hat would have given her a pin-head look. I thought it was tasteful, it’s a bit shiny but of good quality.
And the singing, I liked that too.
When she took a breath between “coun” and “try” right off the bat, I cringed. And her background singers were over the top I thought. Ah well.
I liked the hat and I liked the song. While I think that there is power in songs being sung “straight” when you have a legendary voice (take note Beyonce, that doesn’t mean you) adding their own flavor to it, it’s no longer just a rendition, it’s a performance. Some people think that patriotic songs should not be “performed” but I have no trouble with it.
When I saw it, it reminded me instantly of Eva Longoria’s Marchesa that she wore to the Emmys last year.
Yes…
DO enunciate
please avoid yodling in the future
and lose the hat
But it was a crappy performance, that’s the thing.
If she had just sung it, she wouldn’t have gone so wonky.
She was seriously wonky. Now, Immortally Wonky, forever on YouTube.
I thought it was pretty bad, too. But I did like the hat. Did you notice she could barely get by the people when she was going to the microphone?
I thought the hat was awesome, but not too many people could have carried it off. I thought her voice got better when she warmed up a bit, but her lower range was definitely better–her upper range pretty much disappeared. Could’ve been the cold, I guess. I liked all of the song except the endless repeats of “let freedom ring” at the end, which I thought was really overdone.
If the occasion was a concert, or some other type of entertainment venue, then I would admit that the performance was not her best. But given the circimstance, the performance was heartfelt and real.
The hat was interesting, but four minutes into it I had to be reminded what song it was she was singing again. It became completely unrecognizable.
“Yes” to the hat, “no” to quite so much dicking around with the melody.
More like the Flying Nun after a mid-air collision.
Regards,
Shodan
i liked the hat. that is a hat with presence. that is a church hat. it would easily fit into the book called “crowns”.
I think even an American Eagle would have had difficulty carrying that thing off. Maybe a Roc, or a Thunderbird.
She’s being attacked by a rhinestone bat!
I liked the hat. But the song? I liked it til it got a little gospel-y sounding, not that there’s anything wrong with gospel. I would have preferred God Bless America myself. Wouldn’t it have been something to have heard everyone on the Mall singing along?
Oh, on most other people the hat would have been appalling, but on Aretha? It goes with her. And yes, the singing was below usual Aretha standard, but heck, time does not pass in vain, and freezing air isn’t exactly helpful.
I suppose that the choice of “America (My Country ‘Tis o’ Thee)” as opposed to “AtB” or “GBA” may have been an allusion to Dr. King’s speech (“from ev’ry mountaintop, let Freedom ring”).
I loved the hat! There was also a bright red fedora someone in the handshake line was wearing that was hot, hot, hot.
If I thought I could have got away with it, I’da knocked 'em both down and stole both their hats. I love hats. 
