# Sing our National Anthem the right way! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 7, 2011, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471 "2011-02-07T01:24:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471/61 "2011-02-07T18:12:18Z")
Some of us are still scarred by this, too: [Roseann Barr](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls1YVhcLD2c) “sings” the national anthem. ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471/62 "2011-02-07T18:14:02Z")
> [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](#): > > I believe it was Whitney Houston that ruined the National Anthem. She was the queen of overly dramatic vocalizations and managed to score a Top 20 hit (#6 on re-release after 9-11) with the song. Whitney Houston '91 is often cited as one of the best renditions of TSSB. There’s actually very little melisma. If you want to say today’s singers copy Whitney’s style but overdo it you might have a case. [From Esquire.com](http://www.esquire.com/blogs/lists/5-best-spar-spangled-banner) ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471/63 "2011-02-07T18:22:26Z")
By the way, the whole poem where the lyrics come from is a thing of beauty. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471/64 "2011-02-07T18:26:17Z")
> [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](#): > > Dude, she made the word “wave” into at least twenty syllables. As noted above, it’s called “melisma”. My son calls it “yodeling”. I think he’s right. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471/65 "2011-02-07T19:21:34Z")
I call it “urban yodelling” (so as to distinguish it from country yodelling). ---
**Author:** ![beartato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@beartato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beartato)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471/66 "2011-02-07T19:29:57Z")
Okay, is there anyone here who thinks that melisma makes this, or any, song better? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471/67 "2011-02-07T19:32:43Z")
> [@beartato](#): > > Okay, is there anyone here who thinks that melisma makes this, or any, song better? Done in moderation, it is good if the singer has a good voice. Most examples of this are neither moderate nor well-sung (and by that I mean not just technical virtuosity.) ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471/68 "2011-02-07T19:44:46Z")
It should be sung as intended. It’s a national anthem, not an Aguilera cover anthem. It’s a difficult song to sing and the privilege should be given to people who can sing it. Otherwise it’s just the first episode of American Idol. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471/69 "2011-02-07T19:58:49Z")
Just for laughs, from the wiki page on the US anthem: > [@wiki quoting a humorist](#): > > In an attempt to take Baltimore, the British attacked Fort McHenry, which protected the harbor. Bombs were soon bursting in air, rockets were glaring, and all in all it was a moment of great historical interest. During the bombardment, a young lawyer named Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner”, and when, by the dawn’s early light, the British heard it sung, they fled in terror > —Richard Armour ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471/70 "2011-02-07T20:10:18Z")
This is probably my favorite version that I’ve heard live, laugh if you must: [The Cactus Cuties](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKCVS57j284). ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471/71 "2011-02-07T20:20:31Z")
I’m not really all that amazed at Christina’s error. Stuff like that happens and shes a pro because she covered it perfectly. OTOH, I’m not a big fan of Christina Aguillera. It seems vocal gymnastics is all she’s good for. Her timbre is generic and uninspiring. Singing is more than just how high and fast you can sing. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471/72 "2011-02-07T21:04:39Z")
I usually cringe at the way the National Anthem is sung. I agree almost 100% with the sentiments expressed by the OP. Remember what Roseanne Barr did to it? My father, a conservative, non-demonstrative person, whose politics pretty much are 180 degrees opposite of mine, watched Barr sing and said "It would be worth getting arrested to try and run out on the field, grab the mike and say “Let’s do it right”. I told him I’d run interference with the cops and security. The best two singings of the anthem I can remember were both at baseball games. Toni Tenille sang at a World Series game. Before beginning she told the folks present “Won’t you please join me in singing our National Anthem?” and then just sang it straight, no embellishments. Then, in the sixth game of the Series, in 1985(Go Royals!!!) the Oak Ridge Boys sang the anthem. I’d heard of them but never seen them and when I saw the group(which guy is it has the long beard?) I thought “Oh no!” But they sang it straight, in perfect four-part harmony, and the audience sang with them. Worst version, after Roseanne, was Willie Nelson at the Democratic National Convention. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471/73 "2011-02-07T21:10:39Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Holy shit, that was one of the best renditions of it I have heard in many fucking years of it being ruined by ‘artistic interpretations’ > > I am one who believes that music should be performed as written, the composer wanted it done in a particular manner, and that is how it should be done. [and yes, I am another person who hates when light opera companies fuck with the lyrics of I have a Little List] Ohh, to go off topic on “I’ve Got a Little List” I thought it was traditional to do that. Last year I saw this performed in Topeka, Kansas, my home town and also where the rock is located that Fred Phelps and his “church” live under. One of the lines in “List” got a lusty cheer from the audience, when it was sung. _“And those that walk Topeka streets with signs that hate insist/ I’ve got them on my list, they never will be missed!”_ ---
**Author:** ![Sycorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Sycorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sycorax)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471/74 "2011-02-07T22:14:26Z")
“Lump in the throat and a tear in the eye? Even at sporting events? Mostly I just see people shuffling from foot to foot, staring at the ground, waiting for it to be over so the game can start, boredom wafting off their bodies.” No, not at sporting events, which I don’t attend, but it’s hard to avoid the one sung at the Super Bowl. I didn’t see it on tv, but had to hear it online because I just knew it was going to suck (IMO). ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471/75 "2011-02-07T22:24:11Z")
> [@beartato](#): > > Okay, is there anyone here who thinks that melisma makes this, or any, song better? This NPR [interview](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6791133)talks about its roots in gospel, and how it can be used well. Personally the one example I could think of was The Isley Brothers’ [Shout](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kke9kaV9sMU). Starting at about 2:09. But you can probably hear it in your head: Now waaaaaaaaiiiit a minute (yeah yeah, yeah yeah!) You been so good to me You been so good to me I feel aaaaaaaaaalll riiiiiiiiight etc. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471/76 "2011-02-08T00:37:27Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Ohh, to go off topic on “I’ve Got a Little List” I thought it was traditional to do that. > > Last year I saw this performed in Topeka, Kansas, my home town and also where the rock is located that Fred Phelps and his “church” live under. One of the lines in “List” got a lusty cheer from the audience, when it was sung. > > _“And those that walk Topeka streets with signs that hate insist/ > I’ve got them on my list, they never will be missed!”_ When it was written, it was not traditional to do that. Gilbert and Sullivan would _not_ have stood for it. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471/77 "2011-02-08T00:52:19Z")
The one thing that always bothers me is, if you’re singing the national anthem to show respect for your country, why does no one sing the [whole song](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Star-Spangled_Banner#Lyrics) any more? Sing the whole thing, or don’t sing it at all. The message you’re giving is that we want to honor the country, but six minutes would take too long and cut too much into commercial time. A minute and a half is about as much time as the country’s worth. Either that or people think the rest of the lyrics suck. If they do, then change the words to something better or pick a different song! ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471/78 "2011-02-08T01:07:23Z")
It’s true that if you only sing the first verse it isn’t a very good anthem - it’s an unanswered question. On the other hand, only people my mom’s age know anything but the first verse. (What blows my mind is that some people don’t even know that much - how do you grow up in a country and not know the national anthem?) ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471/79 "2011-02-08T01:24:17Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > On the other hand, only people my mom’s age know anything but the first verse. Then you learn it, or have a sheet of paper in front of you, or get a teleprompter. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471/80 "2011-02-08T01:26:44Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > When it was written, it was not traditional to do that. Gilbert and Sullivan would _not_ have stood for it. I beg your pardon, but Gilbert himself would pen different lyrics for songs such as “As some day it may happen” (Better known as ‘I’ve got a little list’.) for each production in other cities. They established the tradition themselves. From the Wiki article on[The Mikado](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mikado) - > [@](#): > > **Modernised words and phrases** > > In the song “As some day it may happen”, sung by Ko-Ko in Act I, the character goes through a “little list” of “society offenders” who, if executed, “would not be missed”. One of these is “the nigger serenader and the others of his race”. Gilbert’s reference was to blackface minstrels who were white entertainers in makeup, not to dark skinned people.[51] Also included in the list are “the lady novelist”, referring to a particular type of novelist earlier lampooned by George Eliot,[52] and “the lady from the provinces who dresses like a guy”, where guy refers to the dummy that is part of Guy Fawkes Night celebrations, hence a tasteless woman who dresses like a scarecrow.[53] > > To avoid distracting the audience with references that have become offensive over time, the lyrics are almost invariably modified in modern productions; universally, the word “nigger” is changed. Other changes are made to the opera to take advantage of opportunities for topical jokes; the “Little List” song is often significantly rewritten.[54] The precedent for such updating was set by Gilbert himself in the 1908 Savoy revival, with his additions to the Lord High Executioner’s list of “The lovely suffragist” and “The red-hot Socialist”.[55] Richard Suart, a singer well-known in the role of Ko-Ko, published a book containing a history of rewrites of the song, including many of his own.[56] Another frequent alteration is to Pooh-Bah’s list of titles, which must be kept largely the same due to later plot references, but may be added to with modern, topical positions. The Mikado’s list of punishments and crimes in “A more humane Mikado”, is also sometimes rewritten to include modern infractions.[57] > [edit] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-our-national-anthem-the-right-way/570471.md?page=5)