Great Super Bowl National Anthems

Posted on by Emily in General

Great Super Bowl National Anthems – With the sudden death of Whitney Houston falling so soon after the Super Bowl, many people are reminiscing of her great performance of the national anthem at the 1991 event as one of the best ever.

Says writer Chris Chase in his article about the singer’s ’91 Super Bowl performance:

“The pop star had recorded the vocal weeks before in a Los Angeles studio and lip-synched the song at the Super Bowl, but few in the crowd of 73,000 or the 110 million watching at home seemed to notice. Houston’s gospel-infused performance and her soaring vocals, all set to the patriotic backdrop of flags and flyovers, are the standard against which all anthems are compared. It’s as close to perfect as a human voice can get.”

There’s no denying that Whitney Houston was extremely gifted performer and her death was far too soon. I think Mr. Chase isn’t alone in his belief that her performance of the national anthem was one of the greatest.

Great Super Bowl National Anthems

Jennifer Hudson and Beyonce are also singers who have made the ‘greatest’ Super Bowl national anthem performers. As far as just a list of interesting people who have sang the national anthem at various events, the following list is somewhat of a motley crew: Christina Aguiliera, Mariah Carey, Hilary Clinton, Marvin Gaye, Faith Hill, Patti Labelle, Jessica Simpson, Bruce Springsteen, Jerry Stackhouse, and even Celine Dion (gasp! a Canadian).

Now for the more interesting list…

Yahoo Music has a great article on the worst performances of the national anthem. The following ten people have apparently butchered America’s most sentimental tune:

1 – Scott Stapp from Creed. Enough said.

2 – Roseanne Barr, the comedienne. Why was she asked in the first place?

3 – R. Kelly. According to the Yahoo article, Kelly’s performance was bizarre and included a moment where he encourage the audience to clap their hands.

4 – Carl Lewis. He’s a runner… not a singer.

5 – Kat DeLuna. Overplay on the gesticulating.

6 – Anita Baker. Her rendition of the anthem caused people to boo!

7 – Michael Bolton. He had to look at the words. On index cards.

8 – Jesse McCartney. Didn’t sing the full song.

9 – Keri Hilson. Forgot the words.

10 – Steven Tyler. Apparently his voice and the song are like oil and water.

What do you think? Anyone to add to the list?

Great Super Bowl National Anthems

I think it’s fair to say that Whitney Houston’s performance of the national anthem back at the ’91 Super Bowl is one of the greatest renditions I’ve seen. If you haven’t had a chance to see it, check it out on YouTube.

Related: Most Sports Illustrated Covers

Tags: Great Super Bowl National Anthems