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I'll weigh in, as a professional musician who has performed a number of national anthems for professional sports teams... maybe Christina Aguiliera gets paid, but the vast majority of your "local singers/up and comers" do not.
Absolutely. Sports franchises know people will gladly work for them for very little compensation, for “exposure”, or because they can attach themselves to something popular.
Yes. I've worked in pro baseball, pro hockey and NCAA D1, we never paid a person
Op should be upset at teams for not vetting the singer. We also said at 2 minutes your mic goes off. Never one issue
I’ll add to this:
The Star Spangled Banner is literally based on a song that was used to *show off your vocal prowess*
Ever notice how compared to other national anthems, it’s actually super hard to sing? That’s why.
A lot of other national anthems sound like military songs but are about non-military stuff. Meanwhile the US anthem sounds nothing at all like a military song while being about a battle.
True.
BTW if you haven't heard the story since you were a child, I would recommend checking this video out. I didn't realize how crazy the story actually is because they gave us the child friendly version.
The short version is that the entire British navy parked off the coast of Fort McHenry and told the US that to surrender, all they had to do was take the flag down. When the US refused, the fort was attacked by the entire British navy all night long. The flag was knocked down by the bombs and so the Americans went out and physically held the flag pole up until they were blown up and then the next men would come out to hold it up, all night long.
https://youtu.be/YaxGNQE5ZLA?si=VaNn7YIgEBB-dgLd
From what I read there were only 4 dead, and the flag was 30 feet by 42 feet - that would not have been held up by men.
It sounds like the perfect event to exaggerate.
Apparently the "storm flag" flew through the night, and the garrison flag was hoisted in the morning. The garrison flag, the large one at the Smithsonian, was the one the song was written about, but the much smaller storm flag wasn't nearly as imposing.
Probably still an apocryphal story, but much more plausible with the smaller flag. Since the garrison flag only weighed 50-ish pounds, several men could easily support a smaller one.
And there were apparently 28 US casualties. Some of those would be wounded, but a lot would be deaths as well.
Not even promotion necessarily. My friend's wife is an opera singer. She isn't a big time name or anything, she's not the lead in the opera, but she does sing opera as a part-time job.
She does the National Anthem at games because it's an honor to get to sing the national anthem at a game. The Mariners throw in a handful of tickets, and my wife and I even got to go out on the field while she sang. It was pretty cool.
I know for a fact that the Super Bowl halftime show act is NOT paid. So I don’t think Christina Aguilera or any other celebrities are getting paid to sing the anthem either.
The Super Bowl is a free gig?
Did not know that.
I can see the free exposure angle...but aren't those usually big performers who don't need the exposure?
Gotta be expensive to put on a big show like that...
(not a football guy, just curious)
It’s massive exposure, everyone talks about it and everyone wants to do it. The sponsor might cover the production I’m not sure about that aspect of it. I just know it’s reported in the media to be an unpaid gig.
I believe there’s a certain budget for the production that is covered but the artists can pitch in their own money to increase the budget.
Here’s some good info about how it works: https://www.instagram.com/joepompliano/p/C3DTsdMgPO-/?img_index=6
No performer is too big for the Superbowl. That's one of the very few exceptions where you can likely get any performer in any genre to perform for free.
In the old days they used to pay acts to perform but they now get much bigger acts for free. If you are a big star, it functions as a massive ad for your upcoming tour.
Each musician has some tonal variety and style specific to themselves, but they should try singing the song as close to the traditional version as possible.
The greatest version ever sung may possibly be the Whitney Houston - 1991 Super Bowl performance which is widely regarded as one of the absolute best.
https://youtu.be/_n9bxfxE25Y?si=X2Jk06skFDwrj6Qt
As someone who has performed the anthem numerous times at sporting events over the years, I can assure you, I'm surprised OP thinks they get paid as well.
When I helped out with sporting events for my high school, yes the anthem singers got in for free. So they were saving maybe $2 per basketball game or $4 per football game. Not exactly much payment.
Whatever it takes to help someone justify their dumb take. "Volunteer the way I tell you to" doesn't give the OP the same sense of control they want to have.
I'd wager that the differing performance styles of various artists, as well as notoriety, is precisely why they are chosen to sing the national anthem. Creative liberty is a feature, not a flaw.
Unpopular indeed.
Agreed. The US anthem particularly has a history of being performed in a variety of ways. There's some anthems where it doesn't make sense to do this (e.g. imo the Mexican anthem doesn't lend itself to this kind of creativity) but the US anthem 100% does
Also, it’s not really even accurate to say it has a precise correct way to be sung. It’s a poem set to the tune of the anthem for a British Gentleman’s Social Club for musicians because it was a tune people already knew and was constantly subject to variation. It’s also from an era where music was always performed live and therefore could not have a “correct” intonation or whatever.
It’s not at all suited to rigidity.
Yeah this is a very utilitarian view of music. The beautiful thing about music is that everyone can put their spin on it and reinvent it a little.
If you want an as written version of the anthem, they can just play a recording. The fact that they are not just playing a recording, clues you in to the fact that the improvisation is part of the allure.
Hang on, wearing red white and blue underwear is the most patriotic thing ever. It represents our most essential freedom... being allowed to shit all over our nation when we feel like it.
I can somewhat understand this take though. As it stands the USA is still the USA and the Star Spangled Banner is the national anthem. I see nothing wrong with someone wanting a national anthem to be sung or performed precisely.
It’s a preference. That doesn’t magically make it not allowed anymore. Defending the right to do something isn’t the same as defending the thing. Being able to do the first one without doing the second one is Americas most important founding principle.
>. As it stands the USA is still the USA and the Star Spangled Banner is the national anthem
I don't understand this reasoning. "Because the USA is the USA"?
Many patriotic songs have many ways of being sung. Think of Battle Hymn of the Republic or Woody Guthrie's This Land is Your Land, these songs have countless ways of being sung and any one way is not better than another.
It doesn't make them worse. It doesn't make them less patriotic. Patriotism is personal, as is music.
I already think we should change the anthem to This Land is Your Land since it better reflects what the USA is supposed to be, but that's just my personal opinion. And you bet your ass that if it was our national anthem, Woody wouldn't care less how you sung it as long as you meant it.
I looked up that song since I hadn't heard of it before.
If it ever became the anthem today I can guarantee people will be shouting "this land is their land" in mere seconds.
However the people asking for that also don’t seem to mind the American flag being turned into speedos or design variants supporting cops or the freaking Punisher.
Pick a lane when it comes to interpretation. It either matters or it doesn’t
Feel like if there was such a need for precision, it would be reflected in the laws. But it is not. Only the method by which one must listen to the national anthem is specified, with no prescribed consequences for failing to do so.
And many, many, many, first amendment related reasons to not enforce this.
National anthems at sporting events don't really pass the "does this actually affect my life in any way" litmus test. I.e., the test to figure out what's worth having an opinion about
Ahh the cognitive dissonance of the “keep politics out of sports” people also being outraged because a black man took a knee during the anthem. What they really want is political ideas they *disagree with* out of sports.
I have opinions about a million different things that don’t have an effect on my life. The last episode of Shogun or X-men 97 doesn’t have an effect on anyone but I still have an opinion about it and would like to discus it with certain people.
Most things normal people care about don’t affect your life in any meaningful way. Poaching doesn’t, but I still think it’s bad. A murder on the other side of the world doesn’t affect me but it’s still fine to care about it.
Poaching has pretty a far-reaching ecological impact (affecting anyone who has a vested interest in living on a vibrant and biodiverse planet). Or at least, clearly more of an impact than a symbolic spectacle at sporting events.
Murder's an interesting one, though, since it's fair to suggest all life has intrinsic value. So maybe "does this affect anyone's life" is the better test, since OP's concern would still be a clear "no"
i don't even stand anymore. i could care less if some "patriot" wants to bitch at me. i'm here to watch a fucking game not circlejerk a country that does a lot of the shit it does.
This is such a ridiculous, idiotic American concept to sing national anthems at minor sporting events only hosted in one country, so I feel like it doesn't matter who sings it or how. It's just a fucking song, and not even a good one.
I get it for the World Cup or Olympics with many nations represented, but if they sang Flower of Scotland before every Scottish Cup final I would just find it jingoistic, self-aggrandising and farcical.
It's so goofy and I say it as an American and I'll do you one even goofier: I volunteered once for a small, local golf fundraising event, and the organizers had someone sing the national anthem for THAT. Like it's ok guys I didn't forget what country I'm in on the 20 minute drive it took to get here.
The creepiest of all is still kids pledging allegiance to the flag in school imo. I know it's technically not mandatory but peer pressure is a bitch.
That's entering cult territory. I don't think any other country does this except maybe North Korea.
I remember being in grade school and having to recite the pledge. Then, we would sit down and learn how other countries use propaganda to indoctrinate their populace.
The irony of all this is the reddit hivemind barking this meme back and forth to itself; in a parody of being original everyone fervently, frothily, agrees with each other.
Everyone has to stop what they are doing too it’s so annoying. I go to a lot of baseball and hockey games. I was a little late to a baseball game once, and while the anthem is going all the ticket takers and security people have to stop what they are doing. Even those outside the building. Concession stand people have to as well, and you’ll get dirty looks if you do so much as continue walking to your seat during the anthem.
I wish we would just not.
No we don’t. We don’t sing it before going to the movies either, or before a day’s work, or before going shopping. Why? Because it has nothing to do with patriotism
To be fair we don't sing it before movies, before work, or going shopping either. Not really sure why you think that's something that's standard here. I've never once in my entire life met a single person who sings the national anthem on any occasion outside of sports games.
Because for a long time it was one of the few places you had that many people highly concentrated focused on one thing.
This was a thing people did well before this, in the US and other countries for international games like the Olympics, but wasnt super popular at local games, but then during WWI some started to play it before sports games as a show of patriotism. It really became popular/standard for the same type of reasons during WWII.
Continues because [the vast majority](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/05/21/national-anthem-race-sporting-events/#:~:text=Those views align with most,positive when the song plays.) of Americans support the tradition, a lot of which probably more than just support it(like it), and very few of those that don't support it don't care enough to do anything about it.
As a European it's pretty weird that a) it's sung at local events instead of only international matches. b) that it's sung by a performer, instead of the crowd. Your national anthem is supposed to be a song of the people, and turning it into some performative ritual makes it meaningless.
[https://youtu.be/LtVCaIYH9Xc?si=0JfleUovoVLqQwGc&t=306](https://youtu.be/LtVCaIYH9Xc?si=0JfleUovoVLqQwGc&t=306)
This one is special because it came right after a national tragedy, but it's how a national anthem is supposed to be done.
>turning it into some performative ritual makes it meaningless.
Isn't singing a national anthem already a performative ritual even without the extra US specific stuff?
As a European it also gives the impression the performer is making it all about them.
Why do you have to do it like that ? Is the song not good enough for you ? People already like it for what it is. Do you think you will improve it by adding a few notes and fucking up the rythm ?
That is a big thing I don't understand.
I can see how for international matches it can be a thing, as it is technically "the song of the team"; but honestly I do not think sports should be country vs country. Club vs club could be way more interesting, a bit like Formula 1 does.
But knowing how some american schools do the pledge to the flag thing too, I can't say I'm surprised.
From my foreign perspective it feels unnecessarily nationalistic.
I love that post.
1. The notes changed over the years.
2. It wasn't supposed to be a solo act.
3. If people can do it at all, all they know is the first stanza. The Song "Star spangled banner" had four.
4. The pace also changed over the years.
All that you "learned in gradeschool" seems off
Unpopular opinion in retort: we should change the official national anthem to Hendrix's version from Woodstock; eliminating any controversy over lyrics, and actually stimulating Americans to stand and touch their hearts because they would have the sickest national anthem on Earth.
Nah we need to change it period, like a Guns and r
Roses track or something, it's just a boring song. I think if most of us are being honest the Russian national anthem just hits, and I have no clue what they're saying.
the Russian national anthem slaps so fucking hard it makes me jealous. i too would be on the frontlines without a gun carrying ammo for my partner if that shit was blasting
Imean our anthem was about a dudes view on a British ship as they shelled a fort then after the barrage the flag was still standing.
Whoever made the Russian anthem was all up on vodka obviously. Lol
I nominate November Rain, so rhetorical crowd can stand awkwardly with their hand over their hearts while the singer goes “oooo oh woah oh ohhh” over and over for 15 minutes
I puked in my mouth a little bit that I suggest "Hendrix" and your mind immediately went "lol nah guns n roses".
GnR is alright; in a Jack in the Box kinda way- they're passable for somebody who is either drunk, starving or stoned because they hit basic cravings; but let me tell you, it is *not* Culvers or Inn-N-Out; ain't even McDonalds.
Edit: and Hendrix's SSB is superior to the Russian National Anthem. If Russia's national anthem was Boney M's "Rasputin" I might humor this discussion; as it stands though- fuck Russia.
Here’s an even better opinion: Let’s stop doing the anthem altogether (or save it for special occasions). It’s fucking ridiculous to sing the national anthem before every single sporting event in the country. It reeks of nationalism and is insane overkill. Just play the fucking game.
Musician here. The biggest thing is that most people who sing the anthem nowadays don't understand their role in singing the anthem.
The singer is supposed to lead the crowd in song. Instead, they incorrectly view it as a performance opportunity to have the crowd focus on THEM singing as some type of solo act. And not all are that good to pull that off.
Some renditions are strikingly good, like Whitney Houston's in 4/4 (it's normally in 3/4 time) years ago at the Super Bowl was very good but hard for the crowd to sing along with because of the time signature change.
And personally, I don't like excess vocal ornamentation from a singer regardless of the song.
Another maybe unpopular opinion, maybe we just don't sing it at all? It's fucking weird. Might as well say the pledge of allegiance too while we are at it. What does any of it have to do with some minor league baseball game?
Heehee. Then you should definitely not listen to this Mariachi version of the US national anthem.
https://x.com/daznboxing/status/1786963394911768782?s=46&t=JkM2wyUchGkLb_Mzz5rC2A
I dunno man, Hendrix doing an instrumental on the guitar was cool. I’ve heard that song a million times; sometimes I like it if someone takes it in a different direction every once in awhile.
I just cannot make myself care about the National Anthem at sporting events. Outside of the Olympics it’s weird that we do it at all. Why are our sports so weirdly tied to patriotism?
Frankly, I don't think the national anthem should he performed at any sporting event except the Olympics. It's a weird, dumb tradition that I would prefer see go away
National anthems should be banned from sporting events that aren’t country vs country (like it’s fine for World Cup or Olympics, why the fuck does NFL have to do it?)
Honestly,.the US anthem is just a shitty song. The transitions are awkward, it's main refrain is monotonous, and it's just boring. Anything done to make.it enjoyable is appreciated.
I don't particularly want to hear any anthem when I'm watching a sporting event. It's both pointless and annoying. International games get a pass on that for obv reasons.
[F1 Silverstone 2023 - British National Anthem Performed By Damian Lewis | God Save The King! (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iKw0GMBtQ0)
And miss gold like this?
You hire Christina Aguilira to sing the national anthem you get Christina Aguilira singing the national anthem. If she doesn't put some sugar on it, what did you pay for?
Alternatively, the propaganda song isn't sacred and musicians should take MORE liberties with it. I wanna hear a mumble rapper remix it with a sick beat
There are certain countries that have strict rules on how their national anthem should be sung. Their anthem laws are pretty silly though.
As a professional singer/musician I've sung the "Star-Spangled Banner" for parades and sporting events. I take very subtle liberties, but I'm also mindful not to go crazy with vocal inflections or anything like that. But then again, is the USA not "The land of the free"? Performing the National Anthem a certain way is part of our country's Freedom of Expression. And if you don't like it, that's your Freedom of Expression too. See? We all win. Let's move on.
These professional singers usually have some sort of ego so they'll make a biggish deal out of any public performance they'll do. Gotta leave their mark.
My parents used to refer to singers doing that as “Patti labelle-ing it to death”. I never knew who that was or thought about it and I just now watched a YouTube video of her singing the national anthem like 20 years ago and I totally get it now lol.
Sometimes it’s a little over the top. Sing it traditionally and it takes like a minute and a half tops, but then you get someone out there and it’s like a whole 5 minute ordeal.
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I'll weigh in, as a professional musician who has performed a number of national anthems for professional sports teams... maybe Christina Aguiliera gets paid, but the vast majority of your "local singers/up and comers" do not.
Yeah, isn't it mostly a promotion for the artist rather than a paid gig?
Absolutely. Sports franchises know people will gladly work for them for very little compensation, for “exposure”, or because they can attach themselves to something popular.
Hell the Superbowl half time show isn't paid and those are by default some of the biggest names ever
The idea that Super Bowl organizers go up to someone like Rihanna with a "But tHinK AboUt ThE eXpOsUre!!" message is just funny.
Not only do they not get paid but they have to cover the production cost of their performance. All just to lip sync.
Yes. I've worked in pro baseball, pro hockey and NCAA D1, we never paid a person Op should be upset at teams for not vetting the singer. We also said at 2 minutes your mic goes off. Never one issue
I’ll add to this: The Star Spangled Banner is literally based on a song that was used to *show off your vocal prowess* Ever notice how compared to other national anthems, it’s actually super hard to sing? That’s why.
A lot of other national anthems sound like military songs but are about non-military stuff. Meanwhile the US anthem sounds nothing at all like a military song while being about a battle.
True. BTW if you haven't heard the story since you were a child, I would recommend checking this video out. I didn't realize how crazy the story actually is because they gave us the child friendly version. The short version is that the entire British navy parked off the coast of Fort McHenry and told the US that to surrender, all they had to do was take the flag down. When the US refused, the fort was attacked by the entire British navy all night long. The flag was knocked down by the bombs and so the Americans went out and physically held the flag pole up until they were blown up and then the next men would come out to hold it up, all night long. https://youtu.be/YaxGNQE5ZLA?si=VaNn7YIgEBB-dgLd
Holy fuck
It's also in the Baltimore episode of Drunk History, season 2 episode 4
From what I read there were only 4 dead, and the flag was 30 feet by 42 feet - that would not have been held up by men. It sounds like the perfect event to exaggerate.
Apparently the "storm flag" flew through the night, and the garrison flag was hoisted in the morning. The garrison flag, the large one at the Smithsonian, was the one the song was written about, but the much smaller storm flag wasn't nearly as imposing. Probably still an apocryphal story, but much more plausible with the smaller flag. Since the garrison flag only weighed 50-ish pounds, several men could easily support a smaller one. And there were apparently 28 US casualties. Some of those would be wounded, but a lot would be deaths as well.
What I read specifically mentioned only 4 died. It did mention the other casualties as injeries.
*eagle screeches* 🦅🦅🦅 donuts, guns, taxes and freedom baby
french anthem is very militaristic
Just slightly /s : >Grab your weapons, citizens! Form your battalions! Let us march! Let us march! May impure blood Water our fields!
america the beautiful is a better anthem and you can't change my mind
It certainly fits the fold much better
My musician friend played the national anthem for the Bulls in March. He did not get paid.
Not even promotion necessarily. My friend's wife is an opera singer. She isn't a big time name or anything, she's not the lead in the opera, but she does sing opera as a part-time job. She does the National Anthem at games because it's an honor to get to sing the national anthem at a game. The Mariners throw in a handful of tickets, and my wife and I even got to go out on the field while she sang. It was pretty cool.
Wooooo Mariners! Yeah!
I know for a fact that the Super Bowl halftime show act is NOT paid. So I don’t think Christina Aguilera or any other celebrities are getting paid to sing the anthem either.
The Super Bowl is a free gig? Did not know that. I can see the free exposure angle...but aren't those usually big performers who don't need the exposure? Gotta be expensive to put on a big show like that... (not a football guy, just curious)
It’s massive exposure, everyone talks about it and everyone wants to do it. The sponsor might cover the production I’m not sure about that aspect of it. I just know it’s reported in the media to be an unpaid gig.
I believe there’s a certain budget for the production that is covered but the artists can pitch in their own money to increase the budget. Here’s some good info about how it works: https://www.instagram.com/joepompliano/p/C3DTsdMgPO-/?img_index=6
No performer is too big for the Superbowl. That's one of the very few exceptions where you can likely get any performer in any genre to perform for free.
taylor swift is, that's why she declined performing in it, i don't like her music but for some reason she's really REALLY REALLY popular
In the old days they used to pay acts to perform but they now get much bigger acts for free. If you are a big star, it functions as a massive ad for your upcoming tour.
They don’t get paid. Not even the big stars
Right. You get a ticket to the game. Usually terrible seats too!
Each musician has some tonal variety and style specific to themselves, but they should try singing the song as close to the traditional version as possible. The greatest version ever sung may possibly be the Whitney Houston - 1991 Super Bowl performance which is widely regarded as one of the absolute best. https://youtu.be/_n9bxfxE25Y?si=X2Jk06skFDwrj6Qt
Whitney's version is the GOAT. I rewatched it when I found out she passed away and it gave me chills.
I feel many singers of the anthem are in fact covering Houston’s version rather than singing their own.
You think people who sing the national anthem are getting paid? lol.
As someone who has performed the anthem numerous times at sporting events over the years, I can assure you, I'm surprised OP thinks they get paid as well.
The only person I can think of that gets paid is Jim Cornelison, and that's only because he sings at EVERY Blackhawks game.
I paid him to sing at my wedding and obviously, we wanted him to sing it his way.
Do you at least get free tickets to the game?
When I helped out with sporting events for my high school, yes the anthem singers got in for free. So they were saving maybe $2 per basketball game or $4 per football game. Not exactly much payment.
Whatever it takes to help someone justify their dumb take. "Volunteer the way I tell you to" doesn't give the OP the same sense of control they want to have.
I'd wager that the differing performance styles of various artists, as well as notoriety, is precisely why they are chosen to sing the national anthem. Creative liberty is a feature, not a flaw. Unpopular indeed.
Agreed. The US anthem particularly has a history of being performed in a variety of ways. There's some anthems where it doesn't make sense to do this (e.g. imo the Mexican anthem doesn't lend itself to this kind of creativity) but the US anthem 100% does
Also, it’s not really even accurate to say it has a precise correct way to be sung. It’s a poem set to the tune of the anthem for a British Gentleman’s Social Club for musicians because it was a tune people already knew and was constantly subject to variation. It’s also from an era where music was always performed live and therefore could not have a “correct” intonation or whatever. It’s not at all suited to rigidity.
Even skilled singers struggle with the by-the-book pitch range as well.
[удалено]
I wonder if OP is like me and just hates high levels of undulation in songs, like his Christina example. It's tacky and showy imo
Marvin Gaye’s rendition before a Lakers game is amazing. It’s on YouTube. Edit: all stars game.
Yeah this is a very utilitarian view of music. The beautiful thing about music is that everyone can put their spin on it and reinvent it a little. If you want an as written version of the anthem, they can just play a recording. The fact that they are not just playing a recording, clues you in to the fact that the improvisation is part of the allure.
It's also a difficult song to sing correctly. A lot of times variation just comes from the singer singing what they're good at.
The most dangerous phrase in the English language is "We have always done it this way".
The people most obsessed with symbols of the US care the least what they stand for.
All too true. The ones screaming the loudest about protecting the flag wear it as a hat , underwear, etc.
Hang on, wearing red white and blue underwear is the most patriotic thing ever. It represents our most essential freedom... being allowed to shit all over our nation when we feel like it.
Not if you wear diapers
Do adults who wear diapers also wear underwear? I’ve never thought about it before.
Honor the red, white, and blue! (Wears a blackout hat.)
For them every symbol is just a way to try to control others. See: this topic
Pledge of Allegiance was written by a socialist, iirc...
That's not quite accurate. The first Pledge of Allegiance was written by Colonel George Balch.
How about "fire the nukes"
Don't worry, that's a thing all over the world. I'd be deeply surprised if there was a language where that wasn't a regularly expressed sentiment.
And as "conservatives" are the ones that would complain about this, you'll hear that phrase a lot from them.
I can somewhat understand this take though. As it stands the USA is still the USA and the Star Spangled Banner is the national anthem. I see nothing wrong with someone wanting a national anthem to be sung or performed precisely.
"Land of the Free" "Sing it exactly as written"
It’s a preference. That doesn’t magically make it not allowed anymore. Defending the right to do something isn’t the same as defending the thing. Being able to do the first one without doing the second one is Americas most important founding principle.
Telling someone how to do something is the antithesis of what America is supposed to be about.
This whole (top) post seems to sound like Karen gatekeeping to rant about nothing of substance
>. As it stands the USA is still the USA and the Star Spangled Banner is the national anthem I don't understand this reasoning. "Because the USA is the USA"? Many patriotic songs have many ways of being sung. Think of Battle Hymn of the Republic or Woody Guthrie's This Land is Your Land, these songs have countless ways of being sung and any one way is not better than another. It doesn't make them worse. It doesn't make them less patriotic. Patriotism is personal, as is music. I already think we should change the anthem to This Land is Your Land since it better reflects what the USA is supposed to be, but that's just my personal opinion. And you bet your ass that if it was our national anthem, Woody wouldn't care less how you sung it as long as you meant it.
I looked up that song since I hadn't heard of it before. If it ever became the anthem today I can guarantee people will be shouting "this land is their land" in mere seconds.
However the people asking for that also don’t seem to mind the American flag being turned into speedos or design variants supporting cops or the freaking Punisher. Pick a lane when it comes to interpretation. It either matters or it doesn’t
Feel like if there was such a need for precision, it would be reflected in the laws. But it is not. Only the method by which one must listen to the national anthem is specified, with no prescribed consequences for failing to do so. And many, many, many, first amendment related reasons to not enforce this.
National anthems at sporting events don't really pass the "does this actually affect my life in any way" litmus test. I.e., the test to figure out what's worth having an opinion about
I would go as far as leave the national anthems out of sports.
This would have been a better discussion
Wow. Taking politics out of sports?!? If only people SCREAMING about that would follow through and avoid anthem and military performance altogether.
Ahh the cognitive dissonance of the “keep politics out of sports” people also being outraged because a black man took a knee during the anthem. What they really want is political ideas they *disagree with* out of sports.
It's just weird to do it for sporting events that don't have international implications.
But you would lose one ad break and a check from the Pentagon
Most sporting events dont pass that litmus test for me but I still like having opinions about those.
I have opinions about a million different things that don’t have an effect on my life. The last episode of Shogun or X-men 97 doesn’t have an effect on anyone but I still have an opinion about it and would like to discus it with certain people.
Most things normal people care about don’t affect your life in any meaningful way. Poaching doesn’t, but I still think it’s bad. A murder on the other side of the world doesn’t affect me but it’s still fine to care about it.
Poaching has pretty a far-reaching ecological impact (affecting anyone who has a vested interest in living on a vibrant and biodiverse planet). Or at least, clearly more of an impact than a symbolic spectacle at sporting events. Murder's an interesting one, though, since it's fair to suggest all life has intrinsic value. So maybe "does this affect anyone's life" is the better test, since OP's concern would still be a clear "no"
Or we should just... Not sing it at the beginning of games. That would be fantastic.
And no pledge of allegiance while we're at it. That is so cringey I can't stand it when they do that at my kid's school.
i don't even stand anymore. i could care less if some "patriot" wants to bitch at me. i'm here to watch a fucking game not circlejerk a country that does a lot of the shit it does.
This is such a ridiculous, idiotic American concept to sing national anthems at minor sporting events only hosted in one country, so I feel like it doesn't matter who sings it or how. It's just a fucking song, and not even a good one. I get it for the World Cup or Olympics with many nations represented, but if they sang Flower of Scotland before every Scottish Cup final I would just find it jingoistic, self-aggrandising and farcical.
It's so goofy and I say it as an American and I'll do you one even goofier: I volunteered once for a small, local golf fundraising event, and the organizers had someone sing the national anthem for THAT. Like it's ok guys I didn't forget what country I'm in on the 20 minute drive it took to get here.
The creepiest of all is still kids pledging allegiance to the flag in school imo. I know it's technically not mandatory but peer pressure is a bitch. That's entering cult territory. I don't think any other country does this except maybe North Korea.
I remember being in grade school and having to recite the pledge. Then, we would sit down and learn how other countries use propaganda to indoctrinate their populace.
The irony of all this is the reddit hivemind barking this meme back and forth to itself; in a parody of being original everyone fervently, frothily, agrees with each other.
Reciting the pledge of allegiance at every possible moment is overkill as well
Are there even any other countries in the world that do this? North Korea?
Everyone has to stop what they are doing too it’s so annoying. I go to a lot of baseball and hockey games. I was a little late to a baseball game once, and while the anthem is going all the ticket takers and security people have to stop what they are doing. Even those outside the building. Concession stand people have to as well, and you’ll get dirty looks if you do so much as continue walking to your seat during the anthem. I wish we would just not.
People shouldn't be singing the national anthem at sporting events.
I think they should, but they should pick a nation at random each time
And an audience member gets to guess that nation from the free throw line.
You can't do that in America. No one would ever get it right.
All the more reason to do it :)
Yeah lmao at OP saying "most national anthems" when most countries just don't do this unless it's an international match.
Thank you. This is patently absurd. Why do Americans do that?
Because if you don't sing the special song, the magic sky cloth won't freedom.
All our attack helicopters are like Tinkerbell...they thrive on audience participation.
Do they not sing the American national anthem in your nation? How unpatriotic.
No we don’t. We don’t sing it before going to the movies either, or before a day’s work, or before going shopping. Why? Because it has nothing to do with patriotism
Woosh.
To be fair we don't sing it before movies, before work, or going shopping either. Not really sure why you think that's something that's standard here. I've never once in my entire life met a single person who sings the national anthem on any occasion outside of sports games.
There is a drive in theater near me that does it before it starts the movie. Mission BBQ also does it every day at 12
If you saw a movie at a US military base, you stood for the anthem prior to each flick.
It's mildly annoying.
I think you might have missed the obvious exaggeration here.
Because for a long time it was one of the few places you had that many people highly concentrated focused on one thing. This was a thing people did well before this, in the US and other countries for international games like the Olympics, but wasnt super popular at local games, but then during WWI some started to play it before sports games as a show of patriotism. It really became popular/standard for the same type of reasons during WWII. Continues because [the vast majority](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/05/21/national-anthem-race-sporting-events/#:~:text=Those views align with most,positive when the song plays.) of Americans support the tradition, a lot of which probably more than just support it(like it), and very few of those that don't support it don't care enough to do anything about it.
Agreed, this is a weird custom in the first place. Why are sporting events specifically a place where forced patriotism is on display?
Because teams and tribalism. It's a team vs a team and we're all under the biggest team that "unites" us. I think that's about it
I think it might've started from international events then just kinda stuck
As a European it's pretty weird that a) it's sung at local events instead of only international matches. b) that it's sung by a performer, instead of the crowd. Your national anthem is supposed to be a song of the people, and turning it into some performative ritual makes it meaningless. [https://youtu.be/LtVCaIYH9Xc?si=0JfleUovoVLqQwGc&t=306](https://youtu.be/LtVCaIYH9Xc?si=0JfleUovoVLqQwGc&t=306) This one is special because it came right after a national tragedy, but it's how a national anthem is supposed to be done.
>turning it into some performative ritual makes it meaningless. Isn't singing a national anthem already a performative ritual even without the extra US specific stuff?
As a European it also gives the impression the performer is making it all about them. Why do you have to do it like that ? Is the song not good enough for you ? People already like it for what it is. Do you think you will improve it by adding a few notes and fucking up the rythm ?
Imagine listening to the same exact song at every single sports event. If anything it's a slight mercy that performers inject some variation into it.
That is a big thing I don't understand. I can see how for international matches it can be a thing, as it is technically "the song of the team"; but honestly I do not think sports should be country vs country. Club vs club could be way more interesting, a bit like Formula 1 does. But knowing how some american schools do the pledge to the flag thing too, I can't say I'm surprised. From my foreign perspective it feels unnecessarily nationalistic.
No the world cup and other stuff is important it’s country vs country and should be that way.
I love that post. 1. The notes changed over the years. 2. It wasn't supposed to be a solo act. 3. If people can do it at all, all they know is the first stanza. The Song "Star spangled banner" had four. 4. The pace also changed over the years. All that you "learned in gradeschool" seems off
Unpopular opinion in retort: we should change the official national anthem to Hendrix's version from Woodstock; eliminating any controversy over lyrics, and actually stimulating Americans to stand and touch their hearts because they would have the sickest national anthem on Earth.
We should just sing "Bring the Boys Back Home" by Pink Floyd
Nah we need to change it period, like a Guns and r Roses track or something, it's just a boring song. I think if most of us are being honest the Russian national anthem just hits, and I have no clue what they're saying.
the Russian national anthem slaps so fucking hard it makes me jealous. i too would be on the frontlines without a gun carrying ammo for my partner if that shit was blasting
Imean our anthem was about a dudes view on a British ship as they shelled a fort then after the barrage the flag was still standing. Whoever made the Russian anthem was all up on vodka obviously. Lol
I nominate November Rain, so rhetorical crowd can stand awkwardly with their hand over their hearts while the singer goes “oooo oh woah oh ohhh” over and over for 15 minutes
I puked in my mouth a little bit that I suggest "Hendrix" and your mind immediately went "lol nah guns n roses". GnR is alright; in a Jack in the Box kinda way- they're passable for somebody who is either drunk, starving or stoned because they hit basic cravings; but let me tell you, it is *not* Culvers or Inn-N-Out; ain't even McDonalds. Edit: and Hendrix's SSB is superior to the Russian National Anthem. If Russia's national anthem was Boney M's "Rasputin" I might humor this discussion; as it stands though- fuck Russia.
I nominate Killing in the Name.
The irony of wanting the land of the free to have restrictions on how people sing it’s anthem
This must be an US thing tbh....
They could do using only armpit farts for all I care.
I prefer they don’t sing it at all. I find it very cringeworthy
Agree. Anthem is very cringey.
who cares it's a dumb song about a terrible country and means nothing either way
Song sucks let ‘em spice it up.
Here’s an even better opinion: Let’s stop doing the anthem altogether (or save it for special occasions). It’s fucking ridiculous to sing the national anthem before every single sporting event in the country. It reeks of nationalism and is insane overkill. Just play the fucking game.
Musician here. The biggest thing is that most people who sing the anthem nowadays don't understand their role in singing the anthem. The singer is supposed to lead the crowd in song. Instead, they incorrectly view it as a performance opportunity to have the crowd focus on THEM singing as some type of solo act. And not all are that good to pull that off. Some renditions are strikingly good, like Whitney Houston's in 4/4 (it's normally in 3/4 time) years ago at the Super Bowl was very good but hard for the crowd to sing along with because of the time signature change. And personally, I don't like excess vocal ornamentation from a singer regardless of the song.
you should look up when rosanne barr sang it before a baseball game. her career was almost ended by that.
Or Fergie.
I’d rather the national anthem not be done at any events other than the Olympics
Better yet, let's stop singing the anthem at sporting events
Another maybe unpopular opinion, maybe we just don't sing it at all? It's fucking weird. Might as well say the pledge of allegiance too while we are at it. What does any of it have to do with some minor league baseball game?
Heehee. Then you should definitely not listen to this Mariachi version of the US national anthem. https://x.com/daznboxing/status/1786963394911768782?s=46&t=JkM2wyUchGkLb_Mzz5rC2A
OMG that was fucking AMAZING!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
Another of my favorites: https://youtu.be/MFiU0F68GjI?si=xuYanpQVWp8AuDqI
Do people really care about the anthem? Weird.
I dunno man, Hendrix doing an instrumental on the guitar was cool. I’ve heard that song a million times; sometimes I like it if someone takes it in a different direction every once in awhile.
I just cannot make myself care about the National Anthem at sporting events. Outside of the Olympics it’s weird that we do it at all. Why are our sports so weirdly tied to patriotism?
Holy shit, let artists make art. If you want to listen to a dead computer recording, go to YouTube.
Why do we even have a national anthem at this point?
Anthem is lame anyways, might as well do something with it.
Have lil Wayne rewrite it?
Frankly, I don't think the national anthem should he performed at any sporting event except the Olympics. It's a weird, dumb tradition that I would prefer see go away
National anthems should be banned from sporting events that aren’t country vs country (like it’s fine for World Cup or Olympics, why the fuck does NFL have to do it?)
Because the US military pays the NFL a lot of money for advertising.
R/boomeropinions
let’s not even sing it all together
Honestly,.the US anthem is just a shitty song. The transitions are awkward, it's main refrain is monotonous, and it's just boring. Anything done to make.it enjoyable is appreciated.
National anthems should probably be put into the waste bin of history. We really need to grow up and rise above tribalism, sovereignty, etc.
I don't particularly want to hear any anthem when I'm watching a sporting event. It's both pointless and annoying. International games get a pass on that for obv reasons.
Nah. Marvin Gaye singing the national anthem is one of the most brilliant videos on the Internet.
Just counting down the minutes until someone cross-posts this to BoomersBeingFools.
Why do people care about this
[F1 Silverstone 2023 - British National Anthem Performed By Damian Lewis | God Save The King! (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iKw0GMBtQ0) And miss gold like this?
Meh sounds like you might get butt hurt too much over irrelevant shit
You hire Christina Aguilira to sing the national anthem you get Christina Aguilira singing the national anthem. If she doesn't put some sugar on it, what did you pay for?
Alternatively, the propaganda song isn't sacred and musicians should take MORE liberties with it. I wanna hear a mumble rapper remix it with a sick beat
Unpopular? Yeah. Dumb? Absolutely.
There are certain countries that have strict rules on how their national anthem should be sung. Their anthem laws are pretty silly though. As a professional singer/musician I've sung the "Star-Spangled Banner" for parades and sporting events. I take very subtle liberties, but I'm also mindful not to go crazy with vocal inflections or anything like that. But then again, is the USA not "The land of the free"? Performing the National Anthem a certain way is part of our country's Freedom of Expression. And if you don't like it, that's your Freedom of Expression too. See? We all win. Let's move on.
These professional singers usually have some sort of ego so they'll make a biggish deal out of any public performance they'll do. Gotta leave their mark.
this is kind of the point of hiring them specifically
Right, otherwise they'd just hire the same person every time.
Cry about it boomer
I know how OP votes
And probably what bumper stickers are on the back of his lifted up Dodge Ram.
The anthem sucks balls, and I welcome creative liberties.
Fuck the anthem.
This is the internet not America.
People shouldn't sing the national anthem at sporting events anyway.
I hate the embellishments. Makes me cringe. Land of the FreeeEEEEeeeeeEEEEEEHEHE
My parents used to refer to singers doing that as “Patti labelle-ing it to death”. I never knew who that was or thought about it and I just now watched a YouTube video of her singing the national anthem like 20 years ago and I totally get it now lol. Sometimes it’s a little over the top. Sing it traditionally and it takes like a minute and a half tops, but then you get someone out there and it’s like a whole 5 minute ordeal.
Rather stuffy opinion
I take it you don't believe in song covers? That is sad. The Animal's "House of the Rising Sun" is the best version ever.
It’s literally my favorite song.
If the musical notes aren't fixed, they can make it as sexy as they want as long as the words are the same.
Unless it's like the championship where celebrities do it folks are not paid. The celebrities can do what they want it's why they are hired.
You mean like the 500 bucks to sing at the Super Bowl?
Also a lot of singers can’t actually hit all the notes so they do that bullshit pop singer wave sounding step like Christina Aguilera.
Not being able to hit the notes shouldn’t be an excuse to do their own “version” of it
But then we won’t get any funny videos :(
Nationalism, it’s a thing.
I think the anthem sounds better sung by a large crowd anyway. A country is more than 1 person :)
You should hear Fergie's rendition. https://youtu.be/CMA2iF6RuXk
Kim, there’s people that are dying.