No one will deny that it’s a difficult song to sing. As teary-eyed and emotional as some of us may get regarding our National Anthem, we must admit that not all of us sing it particularly well. Some butcher the lyrics, while others reach for notes they are never fated to find, but it’s a lot better than having to sing it solo.
My opinion has always been that if you are chosen to sing The National Anthem as a soloist at the start of a special event, then you ought to be vocally capable of doing the task and know all of the words.
I have heard, in my lifetime, some of the best public renditions of this patriotic standard and some of the most atrocious. Sports organizations feel compelled to employ the use of celebrities to demonstrate their vocal abilities, or lack thereof, to sing our National Anthem, but I would personally rather hear John or Jane Doe from Nowhereville give a sincere, artistically sound performance than suffer through the horror of listening to someone very famous doing it very badly.
Some of the most egregious performances are as follows:
Roseanne Barr
I don’t think any celebrity has lowered the bar more than Ms. Barr in her ghastly and purposeful destruction of our National Anthem. When the San Diego Padres decided to request that she open up their game on July 25, 1990, they bit off more than they could chew. Not only did Roseanne sound like a frightened wilderbeast in the midst of being slaughtered, but she added an additional insult by grabbing her crotch and spitting at the conclusion of her sorrowful rendition. She was roundly criticized from everybody from President George Bush to Vietnam vets, and deservedly so.
Although I was also horrified by her performance, my opinion is that the San Diego Padres had to know that she is a comedienne, not a singer, and that she was probably going to go for laughs. Knowing that this is the case and that Ms. Barr is hardly one geared towards social conformity, they should have asked someone who actually knows how to sing and who is mentally stable to do the job, so they are as much to blame for this fiasco as she is.
Olympian Carl Lewis was one of the greatest runners in the world, becoming a gold-medalist. He is a man who prides himself on excellence, so just what made him accept an invitation to sing The National Anthem at a 1993 Chicago Bulls game I will never understand. He was so bad that he even apologized in the midst of the song, but was not so sorry that he stopped. Needless to say, Lewis has never been asked by anybody else to offer his “song stylings”.
Robert Goulet
Hardly anyone in the newer generation has ever heard of Robert Goulet, but back in the 50’s and 60’s, he was a popular singer who appeared on Broadway , in musicals like Camelot, and in films and television. Though American-born, he was raised in Canada, meaning that, while he may have been able to sing Oh Canada forwards and backwards, he was not quite so familiar with the national song of his birth country.
Obviously, the intention of the fight promoters for the Ali-Liston rematch was to add a touch of class by having Goulet sing The National Anthem. The well-respected musical artist, looking dutifully serious, began with the lyrics, “Oh say can you see, by the dawn’s early night”, proving that he was still a Canadian at heart.
Macy Gray
For some, singer Macy Gray’s music is an acquired taste. She did not endear herself when she flubbed the lines to our cherished National Anthem while singing it at the 2001 Pro Football Hall of Fame game. She probably studied harder for her 3rd grade spelling test than she did to make sure she got the lyrics right to The National Anthem.
One can only wonder why someone whose reputation is based upon her musical ability would ever agree to do something she didn’t intend on doing well. Sometimes Macy seems to be in her own private universe, so I suppose this was one of those occasions.
Thankfully, this performance was a one shot deal.
Lucy Lawless
There was another less famous “wardrobe malfunction” that occurred during Lucy Lawless’s performance of The National Anthem during a Detroit Red Wings game. The well-endowed Xena: Warrior Princess actress inadvertently popped out of her bustier during the last few notes, giving male fans an extra reason to act like Neanderthals.
Nuestro Himno
This Spanish version of The Star Spangled Banner has caused a lot of debate either for or against. It’s a loose translation of the English lyrics. This rendition was recorded by Latino music artists Wyclef Jean, Carlos Ponce, Olga Tanon and Pittbull. Any criticism it has received has been mostly based on politics with claims that Nuestro Himno is being used to promote the “illegal immigration agenda”. Some purists believe that The National Anthem ought to be sung only in English, while the Spanish version’s supporters see it as being merely a different way of expressing the same patriotic sentiments in a manner they can identify with.
Is this much ado over nothing or a legitimate cause to gripe?
The answer seems to be based on what side of the political spectrum you happen to be standing on. I personally think we have far deeper issues to resolve than this.
