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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Near Cameron & Wallace Wade Stadium

    Flubbing the Star Spangled Banner

    Before one is asked to sing the Star Spangled Banner... shouldnt they know the blooming words???? I would think grade school students know the words to the Banner.

    That should be mandatory if you are an American!!!! I remember learning the song, in kindergarden. And we said the Pledge of Allegiance every morning.

    Isnt part of getting US Citizenship, knowing the Banner and the Pledge? If its not, it should be. I heard that, years ago. Does anyone know if that is true?

    Christina A has a big voice. She botched up the Banner, and made up a line. But she got through it. Perhaps, at the Super Bowl, there needs to be a screen with the words on it, or big signs.

    Perhaps, just let the fans do the pledge and then sing the Banner all together. Why have a big name, botch up the National Anthem. Even the football players were looking at each other, when she forgot the words to the Banner. Just embarrassing. If your career, is a professional singer, and you record... then LEARN the WORDS to the SONG!!!!!

    **Christina's camp did issue an apology. Obviously!

    I think the singers and groups that sing at Football and Basketball games for Duke do a great job!!!!

    In the world's conflicts, I am happy to have Freedom in the United States of America, and to say the Pledge and to sing the Banner. Freedom isnt Free. It comes at a high price. All of service people that serve in the military, thank you!!

    Praying for the US people to get out of Egypt. Anderson Cooper... get outta there!!!!

  2. #2
    I think we're all discussing these things on three different threads.

    I've read somewhere that Christina has sung the anthem many times during her rise to fame. I'm sure she knows the words. I think the real problem is that on the biggest stages, performers get so caught up in trying to embellish it (trying to copy Whitney Houston's performance from many years ago) that they get a little lost in the lines. She never stopped and she recovered well. I really don't think she forgot the words. I think she got lost in her embellishments. I've NEVER been a fan of overdoing the anthem. I think it deserves more respect than that. It's our national anthem, not a pop song or a jazz number.


  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Near Cameron & Wallace Wade Stadium
    Christina has been singing the Banner since age 7. I read online, that she would sing it also for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

    However, as a pop/rock a professional singer... The singer should get the words correct to our National Anthem on Super Bowl Sunday. She was trying to sing it in her embellished Christina way. I prefer the original arrangement, but with the correct words.

    Christina was great in the movie "Burlesque" and can belt out those tunes.

    For Super Bowl Sunday.... national television, millions watching... Please please sing the song (our National Anthem) correctly... No matter who you are!!!

    The Duke Pitchforks should have sang the song. They are wonderful!!! Go Duke!!

  4. #4
    My High School Music director always encouraged us to print out the words to the banner when singing them in public. His rationale was that when you're standing in front of a large crowd (of over 100K people in Christina's case) with no background music and no notes, it's easy to flub things unintentionally. So while unfortunate, I don't fault her there. I know if I were singing the national anthem, I'd be a nervous wreck and screw up more than one or two lines.

    However, his second piece of advice was don't embellish it, just sing the tune. Anytime you embellish it, some people will not like it and even find it disrespectful. So she should have known better in that respect.
    "There can BE only one."

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Near Cameron & Wallace Wade Stadium
    Quote Originally Posted by Highlander View Post
    My High School Music director always encouraged us to print out the words to the banner when singing them in public. His rationale was that when you're standing in front of a large crowd (of over 100K people in Christina's case) with no background music and no notes, it's easy to flub things unintentionally. So while unfortunate, I don't fault her there. I know if I were singing the national anthem, I'd be a nervous wreck and screw up more than one or two lines.

    However, his second piece of advice was don't embellish it, just sing the tune. Anytime you embellish it, some people will not like it and even find it disrespectful. So she should have known better in that respect.
    Well Said Highlander!!! I totally agree with you. I know I am not a professional singer. I would have the words printed out... in Big bold print.
    The Football players were singing the Anthem, and just looked at each other, when the TV camera did a scan to the players. And I loved the Camera showing the troops in Afghanistan.

    I love Christina. She is amazing. I hate she flubbed part of the Banner, and made up a line or 2. I liked her dress and shoes. I did not like all the embellishment, tho. Its over....

    and Green Bay won!!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Deeetroit City
    I was highly amused that EVERYTHING went wrong for Jerry Jones and his Superbowl. Not only did CA screw up the words to the NA, her rendition sucked and she sounded bad singing it (they should have had the Glee girl sing the NA, she sounded good). Black Eyed Peas / Slash / Usher halftime just sucked. The area was completely unable to clear the snow for days, and even the field itself was substandard.

    I hope the weather cooperates for Indy next year

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by BD80 View Post
    I was highly amused that EVERYTHING went wrong for Jerry Jones and his Superbowl. Not only did CA screw up the words to the NA, her rendition sucked and she sounded bad singing it (they should have had the Glee girl sing the NA, she sounded good). Black Eyed Peas / Slash / Usher halftime just sucked. The area was completely unable to clear the snow for days, and even the field itself was substandard.

    I hope the weather cooperates for Indy next year
    And the fire marshall wouldn't let 1200 people sit in their seats, which were temporary seats added for the SB. They found seats for 850 of them - and the rest were SOL. They got a refund of 3x their ticket price. I heard a GB fan interviewed that drove down through crummy weather to watch her team play and didn't get to see it.

    Not sure how many of the $200 outside the stadium tickets they sold.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Near Cameron & Wallace Wade Stadium
    Agree, CA Banner was substandard. I couldnt hear the Black Eyed Peas, the mikes didnt work, and Fergie didnt sound great (very raspy). They need not focus on SLASH at all. And Usher was in and out.

    For the fans, that didnt get in..... some interviewed are sueing the Super Bowl. People drove and flew and planned for months to go to the Super Bowl, and didnt even get in.

    I would feel livid. (like going to Indy last year, for the Final 4, and being told, my seats would not be available). And then having to find someplace to watch on a TV. I would more than livid! Those FANS can not be paid for The Experience that they missed. (my Final 4 experience in Indy seeing Duke Win the National Championship was simply PRICELESS)!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Charlotte, North Carolina
    Quote Originally Posted by bjornolf View Post
    I've read somewhere that Christina has sung the anthem many times during her rise to fame. I'm sure she knows the words. I think the real problem is that on the biggest stages, performers get so caught up in trying to embellish it (trying to copy Whitney Houston's performance from many years ago) that they get a little lost in the lines.
    I actually think the problem that Aquilera and, at a previous event, Mariah Carey, ran into was trying to outdo Whitney's performance. Whitney Houston's rendition was all the more stunning because she sang it relatively straight. It was just a simple, amazingly beautiful performance of our National Anthem. If these other artists would truly copy what Whitney did, rather than trying to embellish it and show us all their octaves and how long they can drag out the word "freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee", they'd be much better off.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by davekay1971 View Post
    I actually think the problem that Aquilera and, at a previous event, Mariah Carey, ran into was trying to outdo Whitney's performance. Whitney Houston's rendition was all the more stunning because she sang it relatively straight. It was just a simple, amazingly beautiful performance of our National Anthem. If these other artists would truly copy what Whitney did, rather than trying to embellish it and show us all their octaves and how long they can drag out the word "freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee", they'd be much better off.
    They all have one problem: they don't have a voice like Whitney!

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    York, PA

    the field

    Quote Originally Posted by BD80 View Post
    The area was completely unable to clear the snow for days, and even the field itself was substandard.

    I hope the weather cooperates for Indy next year

    Just wondering what you're referring to in regards to the field? I hadn't heard any commentary on it but while watching the game I noticed a lot of people slipping. Also, I wondered if some of the injuries players had were caused by the field conditions. It just seemed like when they showed replays of some of those injuries, the falls didn't look that bad. But if you're falling on a surface that's rock hard that's a different story.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Raleigh, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by DevilWearsPrada View Post
    Before one is asked to sing the Star Spangled Banner... shouldnt they know the blooming words???? I would think grade school students know the words to the Banner.

    That should be mandatory if you are an American!!!! I remember learning the song, in kindergarden. And we said the Pledge of Allegiance every morning.
    Would it be churlish of me to point out that the word is spelled "kindergarten?"

    I learned that the hard way, when I botched it on the school spelling bee back in elementary school. Fourth grade, perhaps?

    Robert Goulet was eviscerated for years for forgetting the words and he was Canadian. I'm not a big fan of today's over-sung, melisma-heavy, drama-drama-drama style. I call it the American Idolization of the National Anthem. And I'm not a big fan of Ms. Aguilera. And I'm not a big fan of Black-Eyed Peas, thousands of strangely dressed dancers on a football field or 30-minute halftimes.

    But I was able to prepare and eat my dinner without actually missing anything of consequence. So, maybe it's all good.
    Last edited by jimsumner; 02-09-2011 at 12:26 PM.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Arlington, VA
    I typically only like SSB versions sung by military choir or soloist because they sing it, and the accompanying military band plays it, as written and intended. The Marine Corps Band and their soloists are my favorite. They play at the Congressional Club's First Lady's Luncheon each year. By the way, I thought the MD student who sang it before the game last week was marvelous. The version by the guy who plays it at Nats games on his baseball bat violin is pretty cool too.

  14. #14
    One of the perks of Vanderbilt being located in Nashville is that we always had excellent singers come over from Music Row for the SSB before football or basketball games. Country singers do a great job with it.
    "Something in my vicinity is Carolina blue and this offends me." - HPR

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Near Cameron & Wallace Wade Stadium

    Duke Pitchforks SSB during Duke Unc game

    The mens group, The Duke Pitchforks, sang the Banner, before the Duke Unc Game!!!! BRAVO BRAVO!!!! They are wonderful! And know all the words, correctly!!!

    I just, cross my heart, and am Proud to be an American. And that night, In Cameron Indoor Stadium for the Battle of the blues. LETS GO DUKE!

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Back in the dirty Jerz
    Frankly, we should sing the national anthem as if it were a drunken bar song ... like the tune was originally intended. There's no official arrangement of the song cited in the US Code, so who's to say what the "right" arrangement is? I'm all for people arranging and interpreting it as they like. Freedom and all that.

    http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/lo...7/default.html

    I will say, though, that CA's version at the SB just plain sucked, even ignoring the wrong lyrics.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Deeetroit City
    Quote Originally Posted by DukeUsul View Post
    Frankly, we should sing the national anthem as if it were a drunken bar song ... like the tune was originally intended. There's no official arrangement of the song cited in the US Code, so who's to say what the "right" arrangement is? I'm all for people arranging and interpreting it as they like. Freedom and all that.

    http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/lo...7/default.html

    I will say, though, that CA's version at the SB just plain sucked, even ignoring the wrong lyrics.
    As long as there is a bit of Aretha ... R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

    Roseanne Barr and any others just out to gain fame at the cost of the NA should be outlawed.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Back in the dirty Jerz
    Quote Originally Posted by BD80 View Post
    As long as there is a bit of Aretha ... R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

    Roseanne Barr and any others just out to gain fame at the cost of the NA should be outlawed.
    Well I don't know about outlawed. They're free to make fools of themselves and I'll feel free to completely lose respect for them and those who hired them to perform.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    raleigh
    first, let me say...the NA is one of THE most difficult songs to sing in it's "most common" arrangement and key (which varies according to the singer.)

    being able to slam dunk the traditional arrangement takes talent. One of the reason a lot of singers take liberty with the delivery is because they either A: think the original is boring and they want to put their own stamp on it...or B: they don't have the vocal discipline to cut it...so they put wavy "curly-q" overdone lines and "adaptations" in the song.


    i cringe when i hear those new versions....only a few have pulled it off.. (live) although, some of the versions that were lip-scynched (jewel) were amazing...
    "One POSSIBLE future. From your point of view... I don't know tech stuff.".... Kyle Reese

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Near Cameron & Wallace Wade Stadium
    The girls group that sang last night during the Ga Tech game, were wonderful.

    I was glad the Students, finally got the memo, that Coach K doesnt like them to say OH and raise their arms.

    Ladies, your Banner was beautiful!

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