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Christina Aguilara Totally Botches National Anthem


ClayJay
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When my son went to Wasilla High, in Wasilla, Alaska, his band teacher who was also the overall music director, told the class that when a person sings the National Anthem, they are allowed only two "embellishments" which is when a vocalist puts in a "warble" here and a "warble" there. "But only two if you are going to sing it for a Wasilla High game! "And", he would go on, "If you actually have the privilege to sing our National Anthem, it is not "about you" when you do it! It's about respect for your country. It's about those people in the stands, and the Freedoms that we enjoy! So keep it respectful!" Yeah, that was Mr. Pennington of Wasilla High, and I personally thanked him for telling that to his class which, of course, included my son. I was delighted that he took the time to tell them that...

Well, I think that Christina Aguilera's blowing it with the singing of The Star Spangled Banner was disgraceful. Not only did she add about 300 embellishments, making it not even sound like the original, she blew it on the lyrics too. Oh, she is a hot looking woman, and she has the "pipes" (great voice), but, it was all about HER, man, and not about our Country, in my not so humble opinion. I mean, the chick is already a superstar, she's already made her millions and has hundreds of thousands of adoring fans, and that is just fine with me. More power to her on that count fore shore! But when it comes to having that privilege, I think far more respect is warranted, and that she should have focused on being honored to do it and not try to display her "greatness". Shoot, her vocal abilities and good looks are already duly noted. That's why she's famous!

I remember that Jewel once sang the Anthem at a Super Bowl, and it was clear and clean and beautiful. I think she did her country proud. And once, at a little old swim meet in Haines, Alaska, my wife, son, and I sang the Anthem in three part harmony and we sang it straight and true, and man, it gave me goose bumps as we heard our voices echo off the walls in that indoor swimming pool complex. We felt honored to do it even if for so small a crowd. Also at that swim meet, since a Canadian team came down from the Yukon Territory, a young Canadian gal sang "Oh Canada" (their anthem) in honor of her country, and it was clear, sweet and beautiful. We were all very moved out of honor and respect for Canada. Made us all very proud. So, there it is. I just felt like spouting off on that one. A "rant" maybe. Hopefully next year, whoever runs that damned Game will try to get someone who will simply be thankful to do it, and will do it nicely. And not Roseanne Barr! Next time, how about a straight rendition of it by some high school kid who happens to have a very nice voice? Or, how about the "Cactus Cuties"? Here, check out the Cactus Cuties:

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Yea I thought it was pretty bad too--even before she screwed up the lyrics it was way over the top about her...Ive seen some good ones, some bad ones, most are like a good ritual of remembrance, some are really heartfelt but it is pretty atrocious when it becomes about the performer.... even the Hendrix version at Woodstock had a real heartfelt artistic expression of america of the time embedded in its rhythms to me that I still appreciate.

I was at a Red Sox game a few years back that was Disability Awareness Day and they had a boy with Downs Syndrome sing. He was NOT a professional singer by any stretch of the imagination, was offkey, nervous and faltered but he was genuine. It eventually turned into one of the better and more memorable versions that I have heard due to the spontaneous gesture of support that it evoked.

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NhcZRFcjbhw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

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LOVED those cactus cuties! There was more embellishment there than that band director might would have liked but I don't think many would mind. But Christina's rendition just wasn't that good and wasn't enjoyable... despite that she flubbed some words. I was hoping she would just make it through without really massacring the song.

sudo

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Sad.

Bad.

Can anyone say "teleprompter"?

Call me Old Skool - the Anthem should be sung straight, end to end, as is, with no adjustment to the original melody. All the singers who fool with it only make fools of themselves. Maybe the people who plan these Sports events will wake up and smell the expresso - they need to get an agreement up front, sing it straight and sing it right. I mean - come on - a player got penalized for what was it - over celebrating - after making a touchdown....?....and they stand for yet another Anthem mauling when she can't even keep it together enough to get the words out correctly? It deserved an "F" for fa-fa-fa-failed regardless of the ya-ya's she threw in to successfully generate enough hot air to float a boat. That deserves at least a couple laps around the track after practice..

We'll all live to swaller some more Pepsi but...that was nasty.

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Shoot, MStar, that brought tears to my eyes when I realized the audience started singing with him to help him with the words! And how cool was that that he just laughed when he forgot the words? Before tens of thousands, he didn't seem to have any sense of fear or shame, just "happy smiles"! Maybe we all need a dose of what he's got. Yeah, that was truly beautiful man, beautiful. And you were there for that huh? Very nice... :) :eusa_clap:

Oh, and Geisha and Sudo. After the Game on Sunday, I googled "three part harmony National Anthem" and came up with those Cactus Cuties and I too have become totally enamored with them. They really are quite something, aren't they? I am a huge fan of harmony vocals, and they really do it for me fore shore...

Edited by ClayJay
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In case anyone wonders why the Star Spangled Banner gets sung before every sporting event...HERE is a little synopsis

On the night of September 13, 1814, Francis Scott Key, an American lawyer and amateur poet, accompanied American Prisoner Exchange Agent Colonel John Stuart Skinner to negotiate a prisoner release with several officers of the British Navy. During the negotiations, Key and Skinner learned of the British intention to attack the city of Baltimore, as well as strength and positions of British forces. They were held captive for the duration of the battle and witnessed the bombardment of Baltimore’s Fort McHenry. Inspired by the American victory and the sight of the American flag flying high in the morning, Key wrote a poem titled “The Defence of Fort McHenry.”

Upon his return to Baltimore, Key gave the poem to his brother-in-law, who noted that the words fit melody to the popular drinking song, “The Anacreontic Song.” Key’s brother-in-law took the poem to a printer, who made broadside copies of it. A few days later, the Baltimore Patriot and The American printed the poem with the note “Tune: Anacreon in Heaven.” Later, the Carr Music Store in Baltimore published the words and music together as “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

The song gained popularity over the course of the nineteenth century and was often played at public events like parades and Independence Day celebrations (and, on occasion, sporting events). In 1889, the Secretary of the Navy ordered it the official tune to be played during the raising of the flag. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson ordered that it be played at all military ceremonies and other appropriate occasions, making it something of an unofficial national anthem.

After America’s entrance into World War I, Major League Baseball games often featured patriotic rituals, such as players marching in formation during pregame military drills and bands playing patriotic songs. During the seventh-inning stretch of game one of the 1918 World Series, the band erupted into “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The Cubs and Red Sox players faced the centerfield flag pole and stood at attention. The crowd, already on their feet, began to sing along and applauded at the end of the song.

Given the positive reaction, the band played the song during the next two games, and when the Series moved to Boston, the Red Sox owner brought in a band and had the song played before the start of each remaining contest. After the war (and after the song was made the national anthem by a congressional resolution in 1931), the song continued to be played, but only on special occasions like opening day, national holidays and World Series games.

During World War II, baseball games again became venues for large-scale displays of patriotism, and technological advances in public address systems allowed songs to be played without a band. “The Star-Spangled Banner” was played before games throughout the course of the war, and by the time the war was over, the pregame singing of the national anthem had become cemented as a baseball ritual, after which it spread to other sports.

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Funny how these children can remember the words to our national anthem yet a professional can't? Notice crowd reaction.. I think most folks would prefer to hear the kids, you think? Here's another one of the Cactus Cuties with better acoustics.

<P>

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sudo

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am 61 years old and I have never watched a football, baseball or basketball game on TV. Never have, never will.

The national anthem?

Falls into three categories with people:

1. Those who say, "How's it go?"

2. Those who think the last two words are: "Play ball!"

3. And those who revere it and wouldn't even think of replacing it with America the Beautiful

When I was going to the university, I had a telecomm class taught by one of the people from the local tv stations. I was telling him I noticed now tv stations go straight to snow--there's no national anthem at the end of the broadcast day.

He explained to me that its because most tv stations are 24 hours and when they go to snow they're still broadcasting, its just they're being maintained.

I told him about how I was a kid and I used to always stay up to watch the national anthem. That was my signal to go to bed. "Don't you think we lost something?" I asked.

Needless to say, I was up a few weeks later and just happened to catch that tv station going down for maintanance. Yes, the broadcast the national anthem

SoCrates

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I told him about how I was a kid and I used to always stay up to watch the national anthem. That was my signal to go to bed.

"Don't you think we lost something?" I asked.

You stayed up pretty late!

I remember a kids show on in Boston in the late 50's.

Everyday at 12 O'clock "Big Brother Bob" had all the kids in the audience toast a glass of milk to the President while they played Hail to the Chief.

I remember that just about every day when I was 3 and 4, I'd say

Here's to you President Eisenhower!,and drink my milk standing at attention in front of the TV,

:biglaugh:

It was a good and very wholesome show for kids.

What a horrorshow it would be if anyone tried to do that today, they'd be a civil war :biglaugh:

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You stayed up pretty late!

My mother held down a job, went to night school, then nursing school, and raised four children--yours truly being the eldest. The only time she could get her housework done was late at night. My father had to go to work the next morning. So, I was usually the one that stayed up with her and kept her company.

Back then stations used to sign-off in Cleveland at 1 am. Then it went to 3 am. Now they run 24 hours.

SoCrates

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