I’ve got to go with Faith Hill. I knew she could sing, but she blew my mind with this performance.
Oh C’mon…gold medal winner… political candidate for office… movie star…
carl lewis national anthem - YouTube
Everything that’s great about this country!!!
I’m not a musician, so I don’t know what beat it uses, but I assume it is what whoever originally wrote it put. But I can certainly hear a difference from the proper tempo. Houston’s is clearly too slow, for example.
Yep. Kelly Clarkson’s rendition, while nice in many ways, f-ed with the meter so much (seemed like she added beats because she couldn’t get her breath otherwise) that it really threw me off the song.
The reaction of the announcers is what really makes it: UH-OH!
Marvin’s is my all time favorite. I don’t know how you can watch that and NOT smile. It’s like the crowd slowly realizes throughout the whole thing that they’re witnessing something really special.
For a quirky acapella version, I like Uncle Bonsai, who sung it for a Sonics game in the 80s. - YouTube
She was…really? Well, that sucks.
Exactly. I wish I would have known that. If so, I would not have even started this thread!
I am a fan of more “traditional” renditions of the anthem (especially with classical-style instruments backing it). The best one I can think of at a sporting event off the top of my head was Amber Riley at the 2009 World Series (it was billed as “the cast of Glee,” but it’s pretty much a Riley solo); I thought it was Game 1, but apparently it was Game 3.
But even that is tricky. The words come from a poem, which were set to a much older drinking tune. I have no idea how standardized To Anacreon in Heaven was, but I kinda doubt there was one official tempo. We barely know who even composed the tune - it was apparently first published in 1778. The versions I can find on line say “pronto” or “con spirito” - which are considerably faster than what is “typically” sung, IME.
I just listened toMarvin’s version again, and forget about smiling. This makes me want to make sweet lovin’ to my lady.
I think that should be the bar at which we judge Star Spangled Banner performances-- which one makes you the horniest.
Roseanne.
Oh! Best…nevermind, misread OP
In that case…
The problem with Whitney’s (apart from playing hunt-for-the-right-note) isn’t the tempo, it’s the time signature. The song is in 3/4 and she sang it in 4/4, which means stretching out the first beat of every measure. That causes it to sound draggy even if the tempo really isn’t slow.
Nice!
Whitney did sing the anthem. It was recorded earlier with the orchestra. And according to an account (some recent other source I can’t remember now but had a good description of the recording mechanics and the actual playing that day) she sang during the play back and those around her were very moved. The earlier recording was played over the sound system.
Sorry everyone, but this is the best one:
Love the way he has to unbutton his jacket at the end to get it all out.
By the way, you have a great song there for your national anthem!