Going Simon Cowell on Singers of The National Anthem

John Mayer writes a bit about singing The National Anthem:

I feel badly that Anita Baker is taking flak for her performance of the Star Spangled Banner at game 4 of the NBA Finals. That song is technically one of the most difficult songs to do justice to, and it's almost always performed in high-anxiety situations. I know Francis Scott Key is known as the song's composer but I have reason to believe it was actually written by an evil Texas Instruments graphing calculator.

Musically speaking, it's wide-spanning note intervals and narrow window for embellishment makes it a daunting task, one that I will probably never attempt myself. It's like "Happy Birthday" but with more to lose. There are only two possible outcomes of singing the National Anthem; either do it enough justice so that it can be quickly forgotten about or fall short of the well known chalk line of hit vs. miss and be remembered as someone who "botched" it.

I used to be put off at watching singers lip sync the song at the Superbowl, but seeing how easy it is to be called out for a less than pitch-perfect rendition, I completely understand why someone would want to take out an insurance policy.

I wish that the word "pitchy" had stayed within the small circle of music producers and industry insiders. That's not to say that nobody would notice when someone was off key, but at least people wouldn't be bracing for it. I'm convinced that thanks to watching hundreds of hours of American Idol, we now have Auto-Tune installed in our brains. We perceive notes as graphical lines and charts. We visualize a constantly fluctuating needle that dances between "FLAT" "ON" and "SHARP."

In the case of "The Star Spangled Banner," those three variables are separated by a razor-thin tolerance. Add in the spectacle of a sports championship and a national television audience, and it makes a successful performance just by virtue of showing up.

Sing on, Ms. Baker.

I saw Anita's version and I didn't think it was all the bad.  But...  It did bring to mind the best rendition ever.  I know I have posted this before but it is certainly worth enjoying again.



Oh yeah... Here is one of the best renditions ever as well.