Celebrities Who Butchered The National Anthem (Videos)
One of the top stories coming out of last night’s Super Bowl wasn’t the Green Bay Packers win [I'm still trying to plot to cut Matthews' nasty hair], it wasn’t the lackluster commercials [though I totally want a VW thanks to the little Darth Vader kiddo] and it wasn’t the horrendous excuse of a half time show with the Black Eyed Peas. Seriously…why are they still relevant?!
Most likely, you’re going to hear about Christina Aguilera‘s debacle as she fumbled her way through the Star Spangled Banner [see video].
Sadly, Christina isn’t the first celebrity to turn our nation’s proud anthem into a train wreck. And she certainly won’t be the last.
Here’s a look at some of the company that Christina now keeps, as a result of this memorable flub.
1. Roseanne
It was July 26, 1990 at the Padres game. Not only did she sound like a dying cat trying to escape the bowels of a grand piano, she grabbed her crotch and spit after being boo’ed by thousands of baseball fans. Way to keep it classy.
2. Michael Bolton
After singing the line “O’er the ramparts we watched” Michael Bolton completely blanks out and freezes. After a quick glance to the cheat sheet in his hand and an awkward silence, he gets the anthem back on track with a slight grin from the Coast Guard standing behind him. Perhaps Mr. Bolton should stick to Time, Love and Tenderness?
3. Keri Hilson
The R&B artist was invited to sing the anthem at an Atlanta Hawks game where she proceeded to chop off part of a verse here and there to create her own version of the Star Spangled Banner. Way to take your creative license a little too far, darlin’.
4. R. Kelly
Yet another artist who felt that the anthem was open to creative interpretation. Now, I’m all for adding your own personal flair to our nation’s anthem, but his R&B remix trying to get the audience to clap along was taking it a bit too far.
5. Hillary Clinton
When Hillary’s campaign trail led her to Iowa she failed to realize her mic was on during the Star Spangled Banner. What was recorded was a lazy, off-key, half-hearted performance that left the public mocking her for weeks.
6. Anita Baker
Last year, legendary jazz singer Anita Baker hit a bad note with the national anthem during game 4 of the NBA Finals. If you listen closely, you can hear Randy Jackson in the background saying “Aww dawg, that’s so pitchy.” The Twitterverse had a field day with Ms. Baker throughout the rest of the series.
7. Jesse McCartney
When the teen pop singer performed our anthem at a NASCAR race in 2009, he goofed by singing “…by the dawn’s early light, whose brought stripes and white stars…” skipping an entire line. The announcer actually said “If he wasn’t so cute, I’d be angry.” REALLY?!
8. Mike Eli
In December 2010, Mike Eli of the Eli Young Band completely blanked on the lyrics while singing the anthem at a Kansas City Chiefs game. He quickly went on the record profusely apologizing for the brain fart, citing it as an embarrassment and hopes that the next time he can blow everyone away. Yeah. Something tells me there will be no next time, kiddo.
9. Tyrese Gibson
In 2009, the singer/actor/model/rapper/Mtv VJ/anthem butcherer reworded the anthem’s lyrics to sing “that our Lakers were still there” instead of “that our flag was still there.” Sadly, the crowd at the Staples Center went on to cheer the rendition. Disrespectful all around. Why do people find this necessary?!
10. Carl Lewis
Oh the performance we all want to forget…but can’t. Not only did Carl Lewis forget the lyrics and sing horrendously off-key…he actually had the audacity to stop mid-anthem and talk for a moment stating “Uh oh, I’ll make up for it now!” before delivering the final line. Stick to the track, Carl.
There Christina… feel better?
