I am not the biggest music snob, really. I like what I like and dislike what I dislike. For someone who majored in music, I admit to listening to a lot of pop/rock "fluff" that other musicians would dismiss.
But when it comes to the National Anthem, I am the biggest music snob you will ever meet. The Star-Spangled Banner is NOT open to interpretation, in my book. Sing it straight, and like an American, or don't sing it at all.
Though really, the BEST way to listen to it is performed by a band. Specifically, The President's Own Marine Band. Click here to listen to this stunning version.
If you're going to sing it, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir can show you how.
And I'm sorry, people, but Jimi Hendrix's version leaves me cold.
Whitney is WAY too ornamental and SLOW (as my former colleague, Larry, liked to say, "It's not the Star-Spangled BALLAD."):
Finally, I found this gem on YouTube. I have to agree with every single one of these choices. They're TERRIBLE. Mariah takes herself too seriously, Demi Lovato is forcing her young voice to do stuff it's not ready for (and that the song does NOT call for), and R. Kelly is turning it into Gospel-fest.
Michael Bolton's voice has always annoyed the crap out of me, and Roseanne's nasty, nasty rendition was so disrespectful I can't believe the boos weren't louder.
How NOT to perform the National Anthem. Gah.
1 comment:
The amount of entitlement surrounding our nation's anthem is INCREDIBLE. In Germany, whenever it IS performed, it is usually instrumental and it was a HUGE scandal when one popstar tried making her own rendition and messed up the words.
Seriously? It's an anthem. It was written one way, keep it that way. (That said, I love singing it myself, but I also don't even attempt to do fancy R&B style shit. Some of those renditions in the 10 Worst were horrid.)
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