Star Spangled banner

[bikinchris]

I am watching the NHL finals and as the program begins, I can't help but marvel at how different the two national anthems are.

The first antherm sung was the Star Spangled banner. The singer did a decent job, but it has so many difficult notes and awkward phrases that it just didn't sond right.
What can you expect? That words to the original tune were nothing like what we sing to the Star Spangled Banner.

On the other hand. The singer who was chosen to sing O Canada was having fun with the song just streaming out. He also stopped during his singing to listen to the whole crowd singing at the top of their lungs.

What a difference. Why can't we call the National Anthem (which has been with us only about 85 years of our 200) an optional song and let people sing something that sounds good and means something?

[Ben]

Every few years, there's a move to replace the Star-Spangled Banner with America the Beautiful as the national anthem. Can't say that I disagree with it, but stare decisis and history are powerful things.

For what it's worth, this is the greatest rendition of the national anthem ever, IMO:

[ElvisMerckx]

Thanks for posting this. Good stuff.

[Blue Jays]

These five girls sing a FINE rendition of the National Anthem:

[jonnycomelately]

No doubt - "The Star Spangled Banner" is hard to sing well, mainly because of the wider range. That said, I wouldn't support changing it, even though the Ray Charles version of "America the Beautiful" always makes me tear up. The reason is the stare decisis point raised above - I've heard it in too many circumstances that have made too much of an impression on me. Somehow having to explain to my kids that "the national anthem was different back then" would make it less meaningful to them, which would make it less meaningful overall.

Maybe they should have ballgame audiences do some vocal warmups before starting it...

[dbrk]

Whatever else might be said about Feliciano's version at the World Series ---and I am happy to say that I heard this live, remembering it vividly--- it was revolutionary and the people it angered are, well, still angry. I love it and I love that it ticks people off.