Christina Aguilera

[Indy!]

Dang Connie! That video really teared me up! Never heard that verse before. Thanks!

[ec121connie]

Thanks for the kind words about the old marine and his ability to sing a great old song.

There are many talented people out there. I often wonder why idiots get hired and skilled artists don't. Just my 2 cents.

Thanks Again,

[randy]

Too many singers try to make it about themselves, they try to make themselves bigger than the song and what it stands for. Christina wasn't the first, and won't be the last.

That's the problem, and that is what I find disgusting. Not actually knowing the words is just a symptom of that arrogance when humility is actually called for.

[M-Taliesin]

Howdy Folks!
I have learned since commencing this thread that Christina Aguilera has performed the Anthem many times in the past and managed to get it right in the past. She has performed in many a venue and done it well. But at the Superbowl, she superblew it.

The national anthem should be performed with a certain reverence or at least solemnity, is my opinion. It represents a great country with an amazing people. It ought not be corrupted any more than the words of the Constitution of the United States or the Declaration of Independence. It is the anthem of a nation, of a people, and belongs to us all. It ain't about the ego of the performer but the sacrifce of those who fought to ensure our liberty.
The words of our anthem were forged in the fires of war. It was created in the flames of revolution, and the fight for freedom. Those words speak of the 25 hour bombardment of Fort McHenry, an American fortification defending Baltimore Harbor, through a night of seige of unimaginable pounding. Yet, when morning broke, that was still flying. By Dawn's Early Light, that banner still waved in triumphant defiance of tyranny. And patriots have shed their blood to keep that standard flying in defence of liberty ever since.

It ain't about what unique style of a particular vocalist. It ain't about how many superfluous florishes or vocal embellishments a singer can throw into it. It is about us. All of us. When it is performed, we all sing it together. It is our song. The anthem of the American people. And as such, deserves more than respect.
It deserves incredible awe!

Them's the berries, in my humble opinion.

Blessings,
M-Taliesin