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National Anthem

D

DerekLee1

Veteran
You know, I get tired of our National Anthem getting butchered at sporting events by people trying to show off their "vocal ability". Kimberly Caldwell's version at the Broncos/Texans game was painful to listen to. Just sing the song the way it was written. Anything else is a travesty and a disgrace to the Anthem.

Dr. Z wrote about it in response to a reader as well:

From Tony B. of San Antonio: "Haven't heard a word about national anthems this year. What's the longest you've timed so far, and how'd you like it?" The longest, in fact the longest I've timed in the last 20 years, was the most recent one, in Houston, at the Broncos-Texans game. I was watching the pregame, and during one of Adam Schefter's on the field reports, you could hear this lady practicing the anthem in the background. "Uh oh," I said to myself, "It's a blockbuster and I missed the start." Not to worry. They presented it in its entirety, for real, later on. "Houston's own" Kimberly Caldwell, an American Idol finalist, mooing and hooing and groaning through 2:19.09. For those of you who keep splits, she hit the turn ("Rockets red glare") in 58.4, reached Heartbreak Hill ("O say does tha-at star spangled ba-a-ner-er ye-et wa-ave") in 1.28.2, which is sub-two minute pace, but slowed to a crawl on the hill. The time was 19 seconds and change short of my all time record. How was it? As dismal as it gets, man. Even worse.
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I like how they do national anthems at soccer games in the UK where the whole stadium sings the song.
 
Okay dude, I think you're being a little harsh. "Travesty?" Dang. Some artist who impart their own "touches" to the anthem doesn't really bother me. Marvin Gaye's version of the anthem at that Laker game was beautiful.
Consider something. We didn't actually HAVE a national anthem until Ripley's Believe it or Not (in the early 1900s) posted the fact that we were the only nation that DIDN'T have one. We took a long poem written by an Englishman and set it to an old Irish drinking song and presto we had a national anthem.
My only problem with Ms. Underwoods redition of the anthem was she seemed to milk it. Slowed it down to a crawl. People are going to have to come to terms that the rendition of the anthem that Whitney Houston did at the Superbowl was a once in a lifetime thing.
 
tulexan said:
I like how they do national anthems at soccer games in the UK where the whole stadium sings the song.
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International games only right?

Personally I think it's a little bit over the edge to fire off the national anthem at every sports event. Personally :)
 
In my meaningless opinion, I thought Marvin's version was horrible. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRvVzaQ6i8A&NR=1 I'm probably in the minority there, though, even though I'm a big Marvin fan.

Whitney's version was tremendous because it was virtually "as written", at a reasonable tempo, WITH THE CORRECT LYRICS (it's not "or the ramparts" and "or the land of the free"), and with a 64-piece orchestra backing her.

Singing a capella is an especially wrong time to add your own "touches". I guess it just irks me because I'm a musician, traditionalist, and a veteran, but still - I hate it being changed. Maybe I'll submit a demo to the entertainment director and just do it right myself.
 
Wow. I'm embarrassed by this thread. I'm sure others in the military past or present might be as well. If 2 1/2 minutes are too long for you to take out of your day to ...... oh screw it.
 
I'm all for free speech but I think it should be both ways. If you want to say something to me that offends me, then I should have the right to beat the crap out of you. If you decide not to stand during the National Anthem as a right to free speech, then I should have the right to whap you upside your head. Alas, I'm in the minority on this opinion.

Also, I just wanted to say, I enjoyed the National Anthem this time. I'm one of those weird people who like to sing along during the National Anthem and if the singer gets to personal with "Their" rendition, it screws it up for me.

The guys did a good job Sunday. The range wasn't too broad and they didn't hold the notes too long.
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This was my post on standing for the National Anthem. Figured I'd just quote myself, no need to write a bunch of the same stuff again.
 
I served my country for six years, war time and peace time, and it still gives me chills everytime as I hear the last words of the anthem conclude. A travesty, it will never be...now Roseanne Barr's version was travesty.
 
euro-Texan said:
Wow. I'm embarrassed by this thread. I'm sure others in the military past or present might be as well. If 2 1/2 minutes are too long for you to take out of your day to ...... oh screw it.
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It was not the length of time it took her to sing the song, not entirely anyway, but she was AWFUL!! I LOVE hearing the Nat anthum sang, by someone who knows HOW to sing it, this chick did not!! No wonder she didn't get any further on Amer Idol than she did. This is JUST MY OPINION only!!!!
 
I tend to like the differing versions of the anthem as long as the words aren't butchered. To me it shows the greatness and individuality of America......it represents America to me as far as I'm concerned.
 
Malloy said:
International games only right?

Personally I think it's a little bit over the edge to fire off the national anthem at every sports event. Personally :)
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I agree.

I don't want to turn this political but I think a lot of the rah-rah, nationalist symbolism is really vain and futile.
 
I heard her at the game and wasn't too impressed. I saw her again when I got home on the DVR and she did fine.

She sang it her way, she's one of ours and it's really all about the lyrics, y'all.
 
tulexan said:
I like how they do national anthems at soccer games in the UK where the whole stadium sings the song.
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Well, with the way everybody has to do their own version of the Anthem, it's impossible to sing along.


euro-Texan said:
Wow. I'm embarrassed by this thread. I'm sure others in the military past or present might be as well. If 2 1/2 minutes are too long for you to take out of your day to ...... oh screw it.
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It's not about taking 2 minutes out of your day, it's about some singer thinking they're the one who's going to knock it out of the park, or is trying to sell CD's showing off their voice or whatever. And like I said, impossible to sing along in a lot of cases.

Sing the song , let everyone who chooses to, honor their country for a minute or so, and get off the damn field.

Kimberly who? I couldn't give a flying pink rat's ass.



Malloy said:
International games only right?

Personally I think it's a little bit over the edge to fire off the national anthem at every sports event. Personally :)
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I don't have a problem at all doing it at EVERY sporting event, because if you didn't hear the song there, where would you ever hear it? Nowhere, then nobody knows the song. As it is, I assume they still play it at high school sporting events and little league and such, and if so, the kids hear it and learn it and then most Americans end up knowing our nation's Anthem. No problem at all for me.
 
My definition of butchering the national anthem . . . is singing it in such a way that it makes it difficult for the audience to sing along if they choose.

There are some who view singing the national anthem in the same vein as pledging allegiance to the flag. To make it difficult for them is disrepectful.
 
Marcus said:
My definition of butchering the national anthem . . . is singing it in such a way that it makes it difficult for the audience to sing along if they choose.

There are some who view singing the national anthem in the same vein as pledging allegiance to the flag. To make it difficult for them is disrepectful.
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Exactly.
 
Is it alright if I'm indifferent about all of this? I'm cool with it being sung by whoever and however, and if the powers-that-be decide to stop having it, then so be it.

I wouldn't mind hearing "America The Beautiful" at some of these events. I've always thought it had much deeper meaning than the national athem, and has a nicer melody, IMO.

:patriot
 
I started a thread about the anthem not being sung at the Redskin game and in that thread the pro-anthem posts were few and far between. Glad to see some supporters of it on this one. That thread gave me an uncomfortable feeling. If we can't be bothered to sing our anthem at events any longer that is a hell bad of a message to send, not only to our troops, but to everyone in this country. Sorry to go political. I'm done.
twocents.gif
 
I give props to anyone who seems sincere about the song they are singing. Since I can't sing, even in the shower, the National Anthem seems to be one of the most difficult of all songs to sing. Given the level of difficulty, and being center stage surrounded by over 70,000 (well at that time perhaps 45,000 on Thursday) has to be one of the most intimidating experiences one could face.

I feel that when the singers are contracted to perform that someone in the organization has already heard their material, and at least several more have additional chances to hear them during practices. If it is that important that tradition is maintained, wouldn't it be better to register any complaints to the organization that hires them?

Roseann Barr's version was the worst that I heard, yet there was an organization that heard her and hired her. I don't mind change and know that you can't please all the people all the time. Being a former Baptist, I am glad some the songs from the Baptist old one hundred hymn book have more than one rendition.
 
euro-Texan said:
Wow. I'm embarrassed by this thread. I'm sure others in the military past or present might be as well. If 2 1/2 minutes are too long for you to take out of your day to ...... oh screw it.
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I'm not embarrassed by this thread at all. Out here in the sandbox we have been getting some stuff on AFN, actually we are getting quite a bit. We all saw the Mayweather-Hatten fight last week and were all pretty impressed when ot seemed like the ENTIRE freaking arena sang the Brit National Anthem. Then it's time for ours and you don't hear a peep out of anyone cause no one can figure our where the guy is going next.

THEN, I was lucky enough to see the Texan game, sure it was after I already new who won but who cares. Game kicks off, Anthem time and once again someone is using it as their vehicle to show the hell off.

Individuality is great but damn, give us a break. Sing so that we can all sing along and show our pride too.

:texflag:
 
Best singing of the anthem at Reliant has got to be Clay Walker. How do we get him to do it every time?
 
Txn_in_NC said:
Sing so that we can all sing along and show our pride too.

:texflag:
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That's right. Sing it so that we can all sing along with pride.

How can you NOT sing along with pride listening to the way she sings it?

I know it could be the most intimidating thing in the world to sing that song in front of 70,000 people and millions of people around the world, but it just seemed like on that cold windy day, she knew how to sing it right.
 
I can't think of a particularly awful one at Reliant (I couldn't make the Thursday game so I can't comment on that one), but when I was in Washington this summer I went to a Nationals game and a woman named Teriyaki (yes, like the chicken) sang the absolutely worst national anthem I have ever heard. There was only like 8,000 people in the stands but some boos could be clearly heard even then. It was BAD
 
Dread-Head-001 said:
My only problem with Ms. Underwoods redition of the anthem was she seemed to milk it.
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Just to clarify, Carrie Underwood, did not sing the anthem at the Broncos/Texans games, it was Kimberly Caldwell.

Whitney's version at the Super Bowl was absolutely the best I have ever heard. Next to her rendition, Carrie sings a perfect national anthem for my tastes. It is open to interpretation, but that is the way I like it.
 
Dread-Head-001 said:
Consider something. We didn't actually HAVE a national anthem until Ripley's Believe it or Not (in the early 1900s) posted the fact that we were the only nation that DIDN'T have one. We took a long poem written by an Englishman and set it to an old Irish drinking song and presto we had a national anthem.
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Very interesting info. Thanks. It was in 1929 that Ripley published this. It was already used as the official song for flag raising by the navy in 1889.
 
Jimi Hendrix's version at Woodstock is pretty classic. In fact I almost always prefer an intrumental version over a sung version.
 
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