We often talk about the greatest National Anthem performances we've ever heard, like Whitney Houston's rendition, which is still the best of all time. But there are some really awful versions that we have truly felt sorry for the fans in the crowds watching them without the bonus of a mute button.
Sure, singing in front of a stadium full of people is no easy task, but, at the same time, we expect the singers delegated to belt out this iconic song to be up for the job. Celebrities are often asked to do the honors, but heed my advice: just say NO if your voice can’t reach the high notes or you can’t handle performing for huge crowds. And, for crying out loud, know the words! James Taylor, Christina Aguilera, and other offenders, study up:
Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
Francis Scott Key is surely haunting these 10 singers from his grave.
Listen closely for the worst Star Spangled blunders of all time.