Joe Willie On The Shrimpbox: "The National Anthem"

The "Star Spangled Banner" was made the official National Anthem of the United States by President Herbert Hoover on March 3, 1931. Since then there has been a lot of discussion on how the song should be sung and presented. Longtime listener Linda Heimberger wrote,

"See I am not the only one that feels that the Star Spangle Banner should be sung as it was written! I'd love to know what listeners think? Someone said it better than I could.

'So, with all the kindness I can muster, I give this one piece of advice to the next pop star who is asked to sing the national anthem at a sporting event: Save the vocal gymnastics and the physical gyrations for your concerts. Just sing this song the way you were taught to sing it in kindergarten — straight up, no styling. Sing it with the constant awareness that there are soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines watching you from bases and outposts all over the world. Don’t make them cringe with your self-centered ego gratification. Sing it as if you are standing before a row of 86-year-old WWII vets wearing their Purple Hearts, Silver Stars and flag pins on their cardigans and you want them to be proud of you for honoring them and the country they love — not because you want them to think you are a superstar musician. They could see that from the costumes, the makeup and the entourages. Sing “The Star Spangled Banner” with the courtesy and humility that tells the audience that it is about America, not you.'"

With all that being said, I still think that a little variety is OK. What separates a singer from an artist is that an artist makes the music his or her own without ruining the song. Here is a great version of the Star Spangled Banner from Martina McBride: