I know what STMTCG stands for. Irony noted, and on with the show.
"In 1991, in the midst of the Persian Gulf War, Whitney Houston was called upon by the NFL to sing the national anthem at Super Bowl XXV. Emotions were extremely high that evening as she took to the field to sing. Her rendition of the song brought the crowd to it's feet with many in attendance and at home to tears. In what may be the classic rendition song Whitney shows how the Star Spangled Banner can and should be sung." —dl257, Philadelphia PA
(emphasis mine)
I was 11 during the initial Gulf conflict, and luckily have fuzzy memories surrounding my entire childhood. I can't say I watched Superbowl XXV, but I can say that both my parents watched it.
Legend has it that tensions were incredibly high preceding the events of the game, and several artists that were asked to perform the National Anthem declined. The Superbowl was feared to be too high of a risk as a target for the enemy. And whosoever chose to sing the Star-Spangled Banner would be standing, dead center, in the bullseye. At the last minute, Whitney Houston was asked to perform by NFL officials. She accepted, and joined the Florida Orchestra in delivering the best performance of the song ever.
Hm. Really?
For those who need the words:
Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
The track begins with the expected drum flourishes of any capable orchestra, and Houston joins in with her own pipes when the trumpets chime in. She strides powerfully strong alongside the percussion for the first verse, but then seems to drag the band into a land entirely her own for the second set. As delicately as can be imagined for a Superbowl performance, Houston sings accompanied by woodwinds, eliciting images of Disney animation ...and sounding utterly too feminine for a battlecry.
By the time Houston makes it to the third verse, she's taken complete control of the orchestra, and honors them by taking the song back up to its voluminous stature. But it's hardly theirs any longer. Houston commands the rest of the song, singing, acting, embodying the defiance of the lyrics.
Houston continues to raise and amplify the anthem throuigh the fourth verses, using characteristically Houstonesque tones to heighten "wa-a-ave" and "freeeeee", but then does the song justice by allowing "brave" to be strengthened by the orchestra she left behind, as well as the audience -who by now are whistling, clapping, cheering and gushing in awe.
YouSendIt song here.
Released in 1991, Houston's version of the Star Spangled Banner released as a single and quickly becomes Arista's highest selling single. I would assume that many people felt the same way as my father: He believes even today that they should play Houston's Superbowl XXV track instead of having talented kids sing at high school games.
I'm no singer, and know precious little about music, but I'd been told that the National Anthem is difficult to properly sing. Judging from Houston's performance, one can easily hear the "octave and a half" range necessary to do so.
That bring up another thing about what makes this version so exemplary: Houston's restraint. The range that the song requires is a challenge to many artists, and too often those with the ability to sing it go overboard. While I acknowledge that the strength of the anthem is that it is open to individual interpretation, several younger vocalists add what seems to be too much of their personal flavor. Be it a country twang, too-cool crooning, or gospel leanings, it seems to be another tradition that the singing is the worst fitting part of the song. And then there are the controversial iterations.
Is Houston's the best ever? That's relative, to be sure. Is there a better version out there? Is it just around the bend?
During my assembling of this thread, I read that Houston performed a pre-recorded version of the song. Does that mean she lip-synched? Was it all a televised hoax? Was she even at Superbowl XXV? What's the true account of events in '91?
And finally, do other states have a similar "epitome" of their national anthems? |
