Change The National Anthem?

[Two Thumbs]

No - The Star Spangled Banner should remain the national anthem. If you can't hit the high notes or get through some of the other parts - hum along - or sing in a lower key.

One thing is for sure - we should have someone who appreciates the song and deeply cares about it to be singing it. These various celebrities who sing some deranged performance of their rendition should be banned. They may put on one hell of a good tour performance in whatever genre they normally do, but the national anthem deserves a special respect for a great country and performed as such. The "show" should be left to the teams on the field.

Can anyone possibly forget how Roseanne Barr slaughtered the anthem?

She was paid to do so.

she was actually hired to intentionally poorly sing the anthem. I know she's a comedian, and it paid to poke fun at people and things, but certain things should give anyone pause.

I didn't realize she was paid to put on such a performance - doesn't say much for her or those who paid her. Then, again, I've always thought Barr's performances were a reflection of her private life - vulgar as hell - somewhere way beyond trailer trash.

That doesn't excuse her, not at all.

this is how the conversation should have gone;

MLB team; Rosy, we want you to sing that Anthem, but we really want you to screw it up.
Rosy; screw you, not only screw you, but I'm adding your dumb asses to my comedy routine to people know just how screwed up in the head you are.

 

[AquaAthena]

I have always been in favor of "America the Beautiful."


O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for halcyon skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the enameled plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till souls wax fair as earth and air
And music-hearted sea!

O beautiful for pilgrims feet,
Whose stem impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till paths be wrought through
wilds of thought
By pilgrim foot and knee!

O beautiful for glory-tale
Of liberating strife
When once and twice,
for man's avail
Men lavished precious life!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till selfish gain no longer stain
The banner of the free!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till nobler men keep once again
Thy whiter jubilee!

 

[boedicca]

Keep the Star Spangled Banner. Find better singers to sing it.

 

[syrenn]

The Star Spangled Banner is notoriously hard to sing. The lyrics are a bit of tongue twister and most of us cannot hit the high notes. Should we consider changing over to something easier, like "God Bless America" or "This Land Is Your Land"?

Your thoughts?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnQDW-NMaRs

LOL...yeah. Christina screwed it up at the Super Bowl yesterday!!!

Yes, and that is what prompted me to ask this. (Not that such a flub is excusable by a professional singer.)

You practically have to be an opera singer to carry off the Star Spangled Banner. Wouldn't something easier be more suitable?

How about they get people who just sing the anthum ...straight. Bring in someone from the opera, i bet they dont fuck it up.

None of this trying to put a personal spin, stamp or take on it.

So instead of changing the anthem to make it easier for celebrity to sing. How about we just get people how can sing it. They rest of us can just do our best as we always have.

 

[Nosmo King]

I just wish the NFL would choose people who really love this country to sing the National Anthem.

What? A loyalty oath just to sing the song? Shades of Tail Gunner Joe McCarthy.

 

[Nosmo King]

Musically, the Star Spangled Banner is a lousy song. Lyrically, I could live without all the war imagery to celebrate this nation, but then I have always thought our national greatness came from America itself, not the Department of Defense.

But, given a choice of National Anthems, I might suggest Inna Gadda Davida. What could be more fun than 50,000 baseball fans standing in the hot August sun for seventeen minutes humming "Da Da Dada Dada Da Da Da!"

 

[Montrovant]

A few people have mentioned America the Beautiful here....but I can't help but think of the George Carlin version of the song, sometimes to the point I mix the lyrics up

 

[Avatar4321]

I'm not an opera singer. Ive been able to sing the national anthem since I was a kid.

If anything, I think we should do more than just the first verse of the national anthem.

 

[Rozman]

She was more concerned about jazzing it up to make it more hip hop....that's why she screwed it up.
She just should have shown the respect that this flag and country deserve.Is it so hard to sing the song as it was intended? Geez a few minutes in front of the country and the world and she needs to make it all about her.

 

[Sheldon]

GET THIS GUY TO DO IT FOR XLVI!

Screw these Hollywood poptarts that try to get cutesy with it and just end up over-singing.






In no way shape or form should any other song be considered for our national anthem. It's ingrained in our culture.

 

[Madeline]

I do prefer a man's voice to sing it, Sheldon. And I agree with everyone who said "get someone who can sing it as written".

No one cares if you see yourself as another Jimi Hendrix. Save that for the next Woodstock, not a solemn occassion.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIzjYNPOhwM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIzjYNPOhwM[/ame]

 

[Sheldon]

I do prefer a man's voice to sing it, Sheldon. And I agree with everyone who said "get someone who can sing it as written".

No one cares if you see yourself as another Jimi Hendrix. Save that for the next Woodstock, not a solemn occassion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIzjYNPOhwM

I've heard some powerful female voices sing it too. But regardless of man or woman I think it should be sung at the standard tempo, because then at the last couple of lines the crowd can sing along and you don't have to guess which syllables get stretched.

An exception I can think of is when Whitney Houston did her rendition for the Super Bowl when our troops were in the Persian Gulf. Pretty cool.

 

[Madeline]

That woman did have a great voice.

What a waste.

 

[bigrebnc1775]

The Star Spangled Banner is notoriously hard to sing. The lyrics are a bit of tongue twister and most of us cannot hit the high notes. Should we consider changing over to something easier, like "God Bless America" or "This Land Is Your Land"?

Your thoughts?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnQDW-NMaRs

It's hard to sing because most people don't take the words to heart.

 

[Madeline]

The Star Spangled Banner is notoriously hard to sing. The lyrics are a bit of tongue twister and most of us cannot hit the high notes. Should we consider changing over to something easier, like "God Bless America" or "This Land Is Your Land"?

Your thoughts?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnQDW-NMaRs

It's hard to sing because most people don't take the words to heart.

Uh, no. It's really hard to sing, bigreb. Requires more range than many people have.

 

[The Infidel]

I love the Star Spangled Banner. I think the lyrics are awesome.

Yep.

Just because some no talent whore cant sing it does'nt mean it should be changed or dumbed down, but then again.... Im no stupid liberal

 

[The Infidel]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stSTMN1NTE4&feature=related

 

[The Infidel]

It's hard to sing because most people don't take the words to heart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stSTMN1NTE4&feature=related

Wont see that at a Code Pink rally

 

[bigrebnc1775]

It's hard to sing because most people don't take the words to heart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stSTMN1NTE4&feature=related

Wont see that at a Code Pink rally

You are correct sad isn't it?

 

[bigrebnc1775]

The Star Spangled Banner is notoriously hard to sing. The lyrics are a bit of tongue twister and most of us cannot hit the high notes. Should we consider changing over to something easier, like "God Bless America" or "This Land Is Your Land"?

Your thoughts?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnQDW-NMaRs

It's hard to sing because most people don't take the words to heart.

Uh, no. It's really hard to sing, bigreb. Requires more range than many people have.

I am sorry Madeline I must disagree, People who take the words to heart and understand what those words mean do not mess the song up.