The most flawless performance of The Star Spangled Banner

OP, I’m not even going to click on that link because it’s gotta be Whitney Houston.

Thread over.

And they truly should have just never done another halftime show after this. Flaw. Less.

Ooooh, shay can you she...

Whitney didn't sing live. Sorry, hon. Rebia nailed it.

Reba sang it too slowly and with no emotion—pointing off to the distance doesn’t do it.

I liked Kelly Clarkson's version

Love Whitney's of course, but Chris Stapleton made a believer out of me.

Whitney sang her f***** heart put that day! RIP Whitney.

At the 2:15 mark I got choked up , the smile on Whitney 's face , says it all, she just knew she was singing the shit out of the song.

2nd only to Whitney

I'm not even a Whitney fan, but live or not, she SAAAAAANG it perfectly.

What’s great about Whitney’s version is that it’s done in 4/4 instead of the usual 3:4. Sounds more powerful that way.

Shang the Shtar Shpangled Banner.

Reba did amazing, especially for a 68 year old. Imagine if she did it in the 90s.

My three most memorable National Anthems were Whitney Houston at #1. Marvin Gaye at #2, and Jose' Feliciano at #3.

Watching Whitney sing this makes me want to stand and salute

Whitney will forever hold the title for the best national anthem.

Cher was fabulous...

r9 and r17:

It's CHEE!

Clean and sober since Feb. 11 2012!

Blossom Dearie

Amateur.

it will always be Rosanne's for me.

Reba 2024

i thought he did a good job.

Gaga at the Inauguration. Not football I know but after the brutality of Trump and the horror of Jan 6, it was very emotional.

and now it's a Trump thread.

Kathie Lee Gifford is still my favorite.

Marvin Gaye...NBA All Star Game...not football, but it is a sporting event. He slays!

I've always been partial to Patrick Wilson's rendition.

Plus, his was live and a cappella.

R29, even though the video is bad quality, Patrick Wilson's interpretation gave me chills.

Here's another:

I prefer Ashley Simpson’s version

Patrick Wilson sings "land of the fray" instead of "free" just like my choral director instructed me.

I prefer singing not screaming.

R32 I doubt your teacher told you to say "fray."

I don't care if they are from the North.

I remember Whitney's very well. It was in Tampa in 1991. I was in band at a high school very close to the stadium. We were suppose to march Sports Illustrated or some journalist group over into the stadium. But because of security issues surrounding the impending Persian Gulf War, it was cancelled. I think that is another thing people forget. We were on the verge or an actual declared war for the first time since Vietnam. That was another element that made her perfect rendition all that more meaningful.

Still the greatest:

Whitney had the most technically perfect voice that also had character. No lie was told OP. She is nearly in a league her own.

Agree OP. Nothing compares.

Spectacular and a reminder of what could have been if she had not gone down her rabbit hole of addiction. She was already deep into it when she performed at the Super Bowl.

Her vocal control was amazing. Singular.

See, the key to whether or not they succeed IMO is when they get to "And the rockets red glaaaare!" because usually their voice doesn't make it. But Whitney does it effortlessly.

^r36 please. I suffer from greatly from Second Hand Embarrassment. Please provide a trigger warning on future posts.

Both my grandparents passed recently and my mom and I cleaned out their home. I found their VHS tape of Whitney's National Anthem Performance. That is how good it was. They could actually market a VHS tape recording of it. It was an event. It was one of those times that I deeply miss - when for a moment, regardless of politics and belief, the nation felt as one. I know that might be a MARY! moment. But think about it, when was the last time the country felt like that?

R43 Ask the Democrats, who have become unpatriotic iconoclasts, causing strife the farther left they go.

I just blocked R44. No MAGAs are gonna ruin my day.

Even though it was lip synched, Whitney's was my favorite. It was during the Gulf War and one of my close relatives was deployed. She was absolutely adorable in the track suit. Then, she followed up with the Welcome Home Heroes concert. All the Man That I Need, from that concert, is one of my favorite performances from any singer.

Baekhyun of EXO singing two anthems at the recent Dodgers-Padres games in Seoul.

Why are men told to remove their hats for the National Anthem, but women can keep theirs on?

You realize Whitney was lip synching during that performance, right, OP?

Not that it isn't an incredible rendition, but she sure as hell wasn't doing that shit live.

Is this the one where Whitney remembered her dentures? I’m afraid to look.

If Whitney was lip syncing she did an amazing job, because IMO that performance looked live, for real.

Not a Whitney fan, but this has never been equaled.

Whitney SSB is the gold-standard.

Not just no but hell no. Get the bitch a metronome and set it to double the speed she sang it at. Sure she hits all the notes, but dragged it out waaaaaaay to long and sparked the trend of every subsequent performer singing it at the tempo of a funeral dirge. As far as I’m concerned nothing will top Lou Rawls’ rendition at game 2 of the 2005 World Series. Singing for his hometown crowd, knowing he was dying of cancer, he was unequaled.

Lip syncing? I do not understand.

Yes her rendition is sublime. It is a reminder of what she was capable of and could have been if healthy. Much of her concertizing was severely affected by her addictions both technically and artistically. For my taste she would often caterwaul unnecessarily and break up lyrical phrases in manic deliveries- even when the voice was strong. The effect was uneven both to a song and an extended concert.

R51 Sorry to burst your bubble.

I'd rather have a fantastic lip-synched performance than a live one that goes horribly, horribly wrong. Flat as a pancake.