After the feedback from the Top 10 military movies blog; I thought what other fun things could we rank…the National Anthem! Words that we hear at almost every sporting event, but how close do you listen? The words are inspirational and have amazing staying power to past the test of time. I have been told it is one of the most difficult songs to sing, but I think these people did it the best.
1. Marvin Gaye – How do you take an iconic song, respect it yet place your own touch on it? You let Marvin Gaye sing it! The soft beat and smooth voice are perfection in my opinion. 1983 NBA All-Star game, do you remember anything else about this game – no.
2. Jimi Hendrix – He does not sing the Star Spangled Banner, but this is probably the most well known rendition in American today. Understanding some of the underlining symbolism may turn some off, but from an artistic standpoint – wow.
3. Whitney Houston – During the 1991 Superbowl, one of the high points for patriotism during the Gulf War, aside from a chilling version of the National Anthem by Houston, notice the number of American Flags and patriotic signs in the crowd.
4. Brian McKnight – MLB All-Star game. Classic Brian McKnight – light and flawless.
5. Christina Aguilera – Does anyone have stronger vocals than her? Simple and crisp. She has performed the National Anthem several times, but I think this is her best performance at the 2005 NHL Penguins/Bruins game.
6. Beyonce – Pretty good, not what I expectd from her, but still top 10 material.
7. Jennifer Hudson – 2009 Superbowl. After a personal tragedy, Hudson with a heart full of emotion lets out a strong performance.
8. Josh Groban – One of the best pure voices alive. Strong, fluent World Series take.
9. Carrie Underwood – Nice, clean performance. Does not give me the goose bumps like others do. I really like her voice I would venture to guess she will climb the charts with future showings.
10. 7 year old boy – I could not identify the name of the child. I have a 9 year old who does not have all the words down. This is a 7 year old hitting it – cute to watch his nervous movements, but he still hits it.
I am sure I missed some great performances and you will not totally agree with my Top 10. Please let me know your top 10…
November 2, 2009 at 8:25 pm |
What amazing collection of videos. They were really wonderful especially Josh Groban and the 7 year old. Thank you so much for putting this together.
Kathy