Even Tom Brady seemed impressed! 12: Demi Lovato (MLB Playoffs, 2015) As the Georgia native geared up to cheer on his home team – the Atlanta Falcons, who were up against the New England Patriots – the American Idol judge and acclaimed songwriter sounded as smooth as can be, singing a cappella and making the song his own with a bit of country twang. 13: Luke Bryan (Super Bowl LI, 2017)Ĭountry star Luke Bryan gave the national anthem a Nashville twist at the 2017 Super Bowl. Ellington, who was awarded a posthumous Pulitzer Prize for his contributions to art and culture, was incredibly innovative, and his take on the national anthem – which feels classic, yet refreshing – doesn’t disappoint. Naturally, the song climaxes with classic KISS pyrotechnics (which make every show look like the 4th of July celebrations).Ĭlick to load video 14: Duke Ellington (The Duke Ellington Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1943, 1943)Ĭharismatic composer, pianist, and bandleader Duke Ellington would occasionally open his live shows with “The Star-Spangled Banner.” With its driving brass section and cheery percussion, his jazz orchestra’s uptempo version harkens back to the home-front patriotism of the 40s. Playing to thousands of die-hard fans in Cleveland during the band’s “unmasked” era, lead guitarist Bruce Kulick shows off his chops in this impressive encore. This epic, instrumental rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” was captured during KISS’ 1992 Revenge Tour and closes out their Alive III album. Here’s a look back at 15 of the best “Star-Spangled Banner” performances – from soulful balladry to all-out guitar shreds – proving that “traditional” doesn’t always need to be dull. Over the decades, many of the country’s biggest stars have tackled the song (some better than others), making their mark on the hallowed tune. Performed regularly at sports games and ceremonial events, a handful of singers and musicians have the chance to perform the song live each year, as audiences listen with bated breath. Military bands marched to it in 4/4 time, the time signature used by Whitney Houston in her famous 1991 version.With its wide range of notes, “The Star-Spangled Banner” is considered to be one of the most challenging songs to sing. Though written in 6/8 time, The Star-Spangled Banner is unusually adaptable and has been transformed into 3/4 time. Yet the first verse sung today differs from the words written by Key and the original melody used one note to execute the words “O! say can you see,” not the three note descent all Americans are familiar with.ħ. The source of the commonly accepted version of the words is the manuscript written by Key in 1814 and now in the possession of the Maryland Historical Society. No official music or lyrics of The Star-Spangled Banner exist, thus no two performances of the song are exactly alike. The song is only understandable in its complete form, which ultimately resolves the query and unlike many other national anthems, ends with an optimistic view of the future.Ħ. There are four verses to The Star-Spangled Banner, which helps explain why the first verse ends with a question mark. A laissez faire attitude toward national symbols, a focus on commerce, the desire to allow for the people’s choice to emerge, the reluctance of Congress to act on a non-pressing but controversial issue and the emergence of popular alternatives led to the lag.ĥ.
It took 117 years from the time Francis Scott Key wrote the words now known as The Star-Spangled Banner until Congress designated the song as the official national anthem in 1931. Though understated, the line “I’ll instruct you, like me to entwine The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus’s vine” is unambiguous.Ĥ. The words of To Anacreon in Heaven, the song that Francis Scott Key borrowed for the melody of The Star-Spangled Banner, is a sly 1700’s paean to drinking and sex. Anyone with United States currency in his or her pocket or purse is carrying around a paraphrase of a line in the fourth verse of The Star-Spangled Banner, “In God is Our Trust,” changed it to In God We Trust and printed on coins since the Civil War and paper bills beginning in 1957.ĬHECK OUT 5 MYTHS ABOUT THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNERģ. Shakespeare wrote the phrase “by spangled star-light sheen” (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and “what Stars do Spangle heaven with such beauty?” (The Taming of the Shrew).Ģ. 7 Fun Facts About The Star-Spangled Bannerġ.
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