8 of the most unforgettable renditions of the national anthem

When Congress considered a resolution to make “The Star-Spangled Banner” the United States’ official national anthem in 1929, resistance soon followed.

One argument was that the melody came from an old English drinking song. Some felt that connection was too low-brow and should disqualify the song from becoming America’s anthem. Other concerns, according to the American Battlefield Trust, included claims that “The Star-Spangled Banner” was difficult to perform and wasn’t good for marching. Naysayers also asserted it was overly militaristic. (No kidding. After all, Francis Scott Key wrote the words after watching the American’s impassioned defense of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.)

Also Read: 7 celebrities who went above and beyond to lift our troops’ spirits

In any event, President Herbert Hoover signed the bill that made “The Star-Spangled Banner” the national anthem in 1931. Since then, countless musicians have sung it to mixed reviews. Here are eight of the most memorable renditions (in a favorable way) of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” This list is arranged alphabetically.

Beyoncé (2013 Presidential Inauguration)

Beyonce National Anthem at Presidential Inauguration Ceremony 2013 | ABC News thumbnail

In the aftermath of Queen Bey’s stirring performance at President Barack Obama’s second inauguration, the media hit on a common theme. Did she lip-sync her performance?

Questions still swirled as she arrived in New Orleans for Super Bowl XLVII two weeks later. When Beyoncé attended a news conference to preview her halftime performance, she entered the room and immediately sang the anthem. When she finished, she asked: “Any questions?”

Beyoncé then addressed the contrived controversy.

“I am a perfectionist and one thing about me: I practice until my feet bleed,” she told the crowd of journalists. “I did not have time to rehearse with the orchestra. Due to no proper sound check, I did not feel comfortable taking a risk…. I wanted to make [the president] and my country proud, so I decided to sing along with my pre-recorded track.”

It was another memorable performance for Beyoncé.

José Feliciano (1968 World Series)

1968 WS Gm5: Jose Feliciano performs natonal anthem thumbnail

Perhaps no anthem performance has aged better than Feliciano’s interpretation before Game 5 in Detroit. As the Tigers waited to face the St. Louis Cardinals, Feliciano sang with his guide dog, Trudy, nearby. The negative reaction was fierce and immediate. Boos far outnumbered the cheers at Tiger Stadium, whose switchboard lit up with a deluge of complaints. Some even called for the singer’s deportation, even though as a Puerto Rican, Feliciano is an American citizen.

Feliciano told Smithsonian magazine in 2018 that the reaction surprised him.

“When I did the anthem, I did it with the understanding in my heart and mind that I did it because I’m a patriot,” Feliciano said. “I was trying to be a grateful patriot. I was expressing my feelings for America when I did the anthem my way instead of just just singing it with an orchestra.”

Now? Feliciano’s performance is appreciated for its trailblazing qualities.

Aretha Franklin (Super Bowl XL in 2006)

The Queen of Soul was not happy.

The Super Bowl, which pitted the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Seattle Seahawks, was in her hometown, Detroit. With the Rolling Stones headlining the halftime show, Franklin spoke out about her belief that Motown weren’t properly represented among the musical acts surrounding the big game.

“How dare you come to Detroit, a city of legends—musical legends plural—and not ask one or two of them to participate,” Franklin complained.

The NFL listened, adding Stevie Wonder to the pregame entertainment and asking Franklin to join Aaron Neville and sing the anthem. “The Star-Spangled Banner” that year became a homage to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall in Louisiana in late August 2005. Neville is from New Orleans, and so is Dr. John—who played the piano while Franklin and Neville sang. They formed an unforgettable combination.

Marvin Gaye (1983 NBA All-Star Game)

Marvin Gaye Sings the United States National Anthem at the 1983 NBA Allstar Game thumbnail

In charge of picking the anthem singer for the game in Inglewood, California, Lon Rosen wanted Lionel Richie. The NBA nixed that idea, so Rosen went to his second choice: Gaye. The “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” singer was enjoying a career resurgence, but rehearsals did not go well. That made Rosen nervous, and Gaye made him even more so when he arrived at the arena very late on the day of the All-Star Game.

How nervous?

“There was an usherette that worked [at the arena] that I actually went to high school with,” Rosen recalled to The Athletic in 2023. “That was my backup anthem singer during the regular season. She was ready to sing the anthem.”

Rosen never needed the backup singer. Gaye delivered a soulful rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” that was pure magic. It became one of the public’s most vivid memories of Gaye after he was killed in a domestic incident the following year.

Jimi Hendrix (Woodstock)

Jimi Hendrix - The Star Spangled Banner [ National Anthem ] ( Live at Woodstock 1969 ) thumbnail

Hendrix performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” on Monday, August 18, 1969, the last day of the music festival in upstate New York. It was 9 a.m. Fans were muddy, tired, and surrounded with trash. They likely just wanted to go home, but for those who stayed, Hendrix treated them to a virtuoso performance.

Hendrix, who briefly served as an Army paratrooper, almost never got the chance to play the anthem. According to a 2021 story from Wayne Pernu at JimiHendrix.com, organizers didn’t know whether Hendrix should play the anthem. But “The Star-Spangled Banner” had been a staple at Hendrix’s concerts, so the singer didn’t quite understand the big deal. Why wouldn’t he perform the anthem?

“I’m an American so I played it,” Hendrix later explained. “They used to make me sing it in school, so it was a flashback.”

Relying on his otherworldly talent on the electric guitar—a 1968 Olympic White Fender Stratocaster—Hendrix never said a word. He just played, to the delight of his audience. Hendrix was 27 years old when he died on September 18, 1970, in London.

Whitney Houston (Super Bowl XXV in 1991)

Whitney Houston - Star Spangled Banner (National Anthem) - Super Bowl 1991 - 4K REMASTERED thumbnail

The United States was in a patriotic mood when Houston stepped to a microphone in Tampa, Florida, before the New York Giants played the Buffalo Bills. Operation Desert Storm began 10 days earlier, on January 17, 1991, so this wasn’t going to be a typical anthem performance.

Houston knew it. She prerecorded her vocals in one take, but the NFL (a stickler for time, apparently) had an issue with her longer version. Jim Steeg, who headed Super Bowl operations that year, expressed the league’s concerns to Houston’s father, who was also her manager.

“The conversation was brief,” Steeg recalled to ESPN The Magazine in 2016. “There would be no rerecording.”

Thank goodness. As fans waved American flags in the stands, Houston’s powerhouse voice belted out the anthem. As soon as she finished, F-16 jets roared above the stadium in their flyover. Radio stations played Houston’s version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” regularly, helping it to reach the top 20 on music charts.

Lady Gaga (Super Bowl 50 in 2016)

Lady Gaga - Star-Spangled Banner (Live at Super Bowl 50) thumbnail

Houston’s rendition became the gold standard for other anthem singers. Lady Gaga even called it “the most beautiful thing I’d ever heard.” So imagine how the woman whose fans call “Mother Monster” felt as she did the honors before the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers met in Santa Clara, California.

“I have to live up to a song that stands the test of time,” Lady Gaga told the NFL Network. “The best way to do that is kind of forget about yourself and just focus on what it means.… I’m really singing it from the heart, and I’m also singing it really very true to the way that it was written, because that’s when it sounds its most majestic.”

Lady Gaga’s soaring interpretation of the anthem might not have surpassed Houston’s in the public consciousness. She did herself proud, though, leaving some to wonder whether her rendition qualified as the second-best among all Super Bowl anthem singers. (We’d vote yes.)

Demi Lovato (2015 World Series)

Demi Lovato sings the National Anthem before the World Series thumbnail

The daughter of a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, Lovato always dreamed of singing the anthem before a Super Bowl. Before Lovato achieved that goal in 2020, she had already sung “The Star-Spangled Banner” before three World Series games.

The one that particularly stands out is Lovato’s rendition before the New York Mets hosted the Kansas City Royals in Game 4 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. By that point, Lovato was experienced at singing the anthem before live events. She knew the likely vitriol that awaited a bad performance.

“If I mess up, everyone goes after you if you do,” Lovato said, before jokingly adding, “I’m not going to read the comments, so it won’t matter.”

Lovato could have read the comments without fear. They were mostly positive as she delivered the musical equivalent of a home run.

Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty

• What the Soviet Union thought as it watched Operation Desert Storm
• The ‘Jimmy’ soundtrack featured an active duty Air Force Band
• Country music legend George Jones’ legendary lawn mower booze run