Star-Spangled Banner Time!

Another year has gone by, and all across the land, many Americans, including 7-year-olds, will be celebrating by trying to sing the national anthem once again. Emphasis on trying. Our national anthem, as Jimmy Kimmel demonstrates, is a good deal harder than "God Save the Queen."

To start off on a good note, here's Marvin Gaye, who slows it way down and adds in a nice beat. He also removes the sharp 4 at "dawn's early light," which can easily sound false (the anthem was originally a drinking song after all - "To Anacreon in Heaven" - and so many people sound drunk on that note). Aretha Franklin is also pretty awesome - aside from that voice, she's got horns in her band...

Even though I don't like country that much, I thought it was only fair to include country singers too. And guess what? Faith Hill ain't half bad at the anthem. Although Carrie Underwood actually smiles while the singing the anthem. Not so sure about Carrie's final high note, but looking happy while you sing a patriotic song is a plus.

Then there's always Jimi Hendrix: why sing when your guitar can talk for you?

Variety is the spice of life, right? So how about theremin? Yeah, that one leaves me feeling really patriotic...

For all you World Cup fans, it appears our anthem has even reached the vuvuzela, although this might be miming.

As an opera guy, I can't leave out Puccini, even though here he's using the anthem to symbolize greed and imperialism (a point also made in the WP article below). The words translate to "All over the world, the itinerant Yankee enjoys life and transacts business...Life has no meaning for him unless he can possess every flower in the world."

When Puccini came to the United States in 1910, he was widely acclaimed, despite his use of our anthem. Igor Stravinsky, on the other hand, got much rougher treatment. The Washington Post summarizes the event:
" Stravinsky's modernist retouchings ran afoul of Massachusetts law, and after the first performance, which left the audience "stunned into bewildered silence," Boston cops showed up at a later concert to make sure he didn't repeat the offense.
"Let him change it just once and we'll grab him," a Capt. Thomas Harvey told a Boston newspaper. According to musicologist Michael Steinberg, at some point Boston cops seized the music. "

Today's column has mainly focused on the funny side of our national anthem. To conclude, though, I'd like to remember this moment, when the anthem served its true function, which is to bring together Americans and friends of America throughout the world.