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Butchered National Anthem


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I think even people who are used to being on stage can get nervous and forget a line or two. People make mistakes.

 

I have been on stage before, and I think she did better then many others in the past.

 

Just my two cents.

 

Danielle

 

:iagree: I could never do what she did. I think singing the National Anthem comes with a lot of stress and I think many better than her have messed it up.

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it was all a wreck. all of it. Nightmare. :glare: CA wrecked it, the BEPs did the best they could with whatever sound problems they were having. But it was still horrid.

 

Please, bring back The Who.

 

And yes, I understand being nervous and getting stuff wrong, but this isn't her first turn out on the dance floor.

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It's ONE song. A song you have heard your whole life. At least take the time to refresh your memory before you go on National TV to sing it.

 

Oh, and just sing the WORDS, they're great. It doesn't need to be heavily embellished.

 

I was really disappointed in her performance. I love the National Anthem and I didn't feel like she did it justice at all. :(

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From this link:

Aguilera’s representatives sent Speakeasy this statement from the singer: “I got so caught up in the moment of the song that I lost my place. I can only hope that everyone could feel my love for this country and that the true spirit of its anthem still came through.â€

 

I can see how a person (even an experienced person) could mess up under a lot of pressure. Bad time to make a mistake though.

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I can see how a person (even an experienced person) could mess up under a lot of pressure. Bad time to make a mistake though.

 

:iagree: I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. The song is very moving. I've heard it my whole life and I still get choked up every time. Christina Aguilera, although yes a profession artist, is an American after all. It's quite possible she got moved by the song too. :)

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Well, at least it wasn't as bad as when Roseanne Barr did it. That was a disgrace.

 

Wasn't she the one who grabbed her crotch at the end or something like that?? Or am I thinking of Madonna?? I can't remember. And yeah, I agree with you. A total disgrace. :angry:

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On the bright-side, there were no wardrobe malfunctions.

 

Bill

:lol::lol::lol:

True that. I have a feeling we're going to see mediocre performances or moldy oldies at Super Bowl. They don't want another Janet malfunction. LOL But as a result, no one who is a major headliner gets the slot. Complaints from the 18-35 bracket of males were forcing Super Bowl officials to get newer acts -- but the BEP didn't get that target demographic group according to reviews? Oh well.

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That was truly horrid. I only managed to listen to the first two lines before I couldn't stand any more. I agree with BackLitLeo, it's such a wonderful tune that doesn't need to be embellished or mucked around with. Wrt the lyrics, well I must admit to only knowing the first verse (and only finding out that there were more verses a few years ago) but I have the excuse of not being a professional singer and not being American either. I was surprised they don't have an auto cue thingy though.

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it was all a wreck. all of it. Nightmare. :glare: CA wrecked it, the BEPs did the best they could with whatever sound problems they were having. But it was still horrid.

 

And yes, I understand being nervous and getting stuff wrong, but this isn't her first turn out on the dance floor.

 

:iagree:

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For me the worst part of the anthem was that she didn't bother singing the high notes, she just did that throaty screaming thing instead.

 

The sound problems with the halftime show were annoying. What was more annoying was that they provided so few distance shots of all the cool dancers in the light costumes. I bet it looked awesome from anywhere in that stadium. It wasn't a show meant for close-ups.

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Not only should you know the words, you should at least try to use the actual tune. I had hoped that she would respect the National Anthem rather than use it as an opportunity to show off her off key singing. I felt like she couldn't stay on key so she just sang around the tune.

 

Yep, I don't care if she misses a line, as people make mistakes. But why must everyone make it about *them* instead of about the nation it represents.

 

I can't even imagine having the thought: "I'm going to take the National Anthem and make it my own." :001_huh: :glare: Is this an American thing, or does that happen in other countries, too?

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I missed that she botched the line, because I had already grown tired of seeing her pained face twisting into all sorts of ugly contortions just to get the beginning of the anthem out. I had left the room, which I don't do!

 

I don't find that impressive. Impressive would be to sing the anthem and make it look effortless, 'cause we all know it is not!

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I guess I think that if you're asking a celebrity to sing the National Anthem, you're expecting them to put their specialty on it. I was only listening and knew who it was by the way she sang. At least she can sing and it's not all pop performance with her. It is the Super Bowl, I don't expect the standard variety National Anthem when I'm watching the Super Bowl.

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Happily I missed it, though it's all over talk radio today. DH and I just like it when a great singer sings the song beautifully. I agree with others who get sick of them trying to mess with it.

 

OTOH - this was the first time I'd ever see the Declaration of Independence read. I thought that was cool!

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Okay, so though my main training was in piano and instrumental education, I've also given voice lessons extensively and I've accompanied vocalists that make nearly every single pop artist on stage these days sound like CHUMPS!

 

So, here is my professional opinion for what it is worth.

 

1. I don't know when screaming to hit notes became popular, but it's ridiculous. She's very undertrained vocally and so her range is quite limited. Our National anthem requires an octave and a fourth of range and if sung in the key of B-flat (a very common key), one must be able to hit a b-flat one whole step below middle C on a not so easy vowel to keep an open throat and an E-flat above treble c (an octave and a minor third above middle c) at the top. For a natural alto (which is what I suspect CA is) this means utilizing three registers of the voice and if you've turned your back on all good training habits such has decent breath support (which was absolutely missing from this performance), vocalizing everyday to limber up those registers and transitions, and learning to use head voice (which can be VERY powerful) properly, then one is going to be sharp at the bottom and flat on the top.

 

2. Accapella singing is absolutely a completely different ball of wax than singing with all the sound track stuff that pop artists are used to...she wasn't prepared for the difficulties that come when you get caught up in your own improvisation and suddenly can't find the pitch you should land on...hence unintended key changes which can make things not only sound ridiculously awful to the audience, but put yourself in a real bind if the new key is too high or too low. If one has not done much accapella work on easier numbers (our National Anthem is not easy to sing without accompaniment), then one should not attempt it somewhere like the SUPER BOWL or if you are gutsy enough to do it, sing it straight so you've got a good chance of hitting those difficult intervals with some accuracy.

 

3. She needs voice lessons and she needs them badly. She is really straining those vocal cords and she could end up with vocal nodules (little benign growths/swelling/cysts) that appear on the vocal cords due to inflammation prolonged improper use of the vocal cords. Have you ever noticed that a lot of pop artists who do this kind of singing suddenly aren't doing much in their careers, stop touring, rarely do a concert, etc. in their mid-30's no matter how popular they have been? This is it. Even the best trained vocalists can get these if they aren't careful. It is what happened to Julie Andrews when she trained too hard for Victor/Victoria. Her nodules were so bad that it required surgery and even if the sugery is successful, no matter how skilled the surgeon, one is going to lose some vocal range. Her surgeon botched the job and she lost nearly all of her singing ability.

 

4. Too many vocalists actually believe that singing the national anthem, is just another performance, just another "it's all about me". This is what is frustrating audiences everywhere....my dad is a huge Nascar Fan and we've taken to turning the T.V. off when the National Anthem is sung because it is generally always hideous and not well rehearsed. This song is about something far greater than the person singing it. 99 times out of 100, the whole approach of the artist, kills the song before it is even started.

 

5. She needed a h*ll of a lot more practice than she evidently had. She's been on stage FAR too long and she has FAR too much experience for this to be a case of nerves. This was a case of not practicing hard enough in advance and getting some feedback from knowledgeable voice teachers before performance so she could improve those low and high pitches.

 

6. She was so far off at the end that she did not cadence in the same key nor did she resolve the chord into an appropriate key change at the end. It was literally not in the ballpark of the right triad, the right key, or a closely related key. She embellished so much that she couldn't find the last note. This means she's done virtually no accapella singing and is a clear indication of lack of practice, lack of appropriate vocal technique, and attempting to sing beyond her abilities. She may be able to do that with accompaniment, she should have considered the possibility that she shouldn't oversing when she is clearly not an accapella trained artist.

 

So, flame if you must. Given that I've judged singing competitions at the regional, state, and inter-state levels and have had successfully trained several teenagers to sing the National Anthem quite beautifully accapella, I think my assessment is accurate.

 

Faith

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Okay, so though my main training was in piano and instrumental education, I've also given voice lessons extensively and I've accompanied vocalists that make nearly every single pop artist on stage these days sound like CHUMPS!

 

...

 

So, flame if you must. Given that I've judged singing competitions at the regional, state, and inter-state levels and have had successfully trained several teenagers to sing the National Anthem quite beautifully accapella, I think my assessment is accurate.

 

Faith

 

No flames from me, Faith, just applause.

 

I thought Lea Michele did a lovely job on America the Beautiful. Did you hear her performance?

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I missed that she botched the line, because I had already grown tired of seeing her pained face twisting into all sorts of ugly contortions just to get the beginning of the anthem out. I had left the room, which I don't do!

 

I don't find that impressive. Impressive would be to sing the anthem and make it look effortless, 'cause we all know it is not!

 

:iagree:I couldn't watch it, either! :tongue_smilie:

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Okay, so though my main training was in piano and instrumental education, I've also given voice lessons extensively and I've accompanied vocalists that make nearly every single pop artist on stage these days sound like CHUMPS!

 

So, here is my professional opinion for what it is worth.

 

1. I don't know when screaming to hit notes became popular, but it's ridiculous. She's very undertrained vocally and so her range is quite limited. Our National anthem requires an octave and a fourth of range and if sung in the key of B-flat (a very common key), one must be able to hit a b-flat one whole step below middle C on a not so easy vowel to keep an open throat and an E-flat above treble c (an octave and a minor third above middle c) at the top. For a natural alto (which is what I suspect CA is) this means utilizing three registers of the voice and if you've turned your back on all good training habits such has decent breath support (which was absolutely missing from this performance), vocalizing everyday to limber up those registers and transitions, and learning to use head voice (which can be VERY powerful) properly, then one is going to be sharp at the bottom and flat on the top.

 

2. Accapella singing is absolutely a completely different ball of wax than singing with all the sound track stuff that pop artists are used to...she wasn't prepared for the difficulties that come when you get caught up in your own improvisation and suddenly can't find the pitch you should land on...hence unintended key changes which can make things not only sound ridiculously awful to the audience, but put yourself in a real bind if the new key is too high or too low. If one has not done much accapella work on easier numbers (our National Anthem is not easy to sing without accompaniment), then one should not attempt it somewhere like the SUPER BOWL or if you are gutsy enough to do it, sing it straight so you've got a good chance of hitting those difficult intervals with some accuracy.

 

3. She needs voice lessons and she needs them badly. She is really straining those vocal cords and she could end up with vocal nodules (little benign growths/swelling/cysts) that appear on the vocal cords due to inflammation prolonged improper use of the vocal cords. Have you ever noticed that a lot of pop artists who do this kind of singing suddenly aren't doing much in their careers, stop touring, rarely do a concert, etc. in their mid-30's no matter how popular they have been? This is it. Even the best trained vocalists can get these if they aren't careful. It is what happened to Julie Andrews when she trained too hard for Victor/Victoria. Her nodules were so bad that it required surgery and even if the sugery is successful, no matter how skilled the surgeon, one is going to lose some vocal range. Her surgeon botched the job and she lost nearly all of her singing ability.

 

4. Too many vocalists actually believe that singing the national anthem, is just another performance, just another "it's all about me". This is what is frustrating audiences everywhere....my dad is a huge Nascar Fan and we've taken to turning the T.V. off when the National Anthem is sung because it is generally always hideous and not well rehearsed. This song is about something far greater than the person singing it. 99 times out of 100, the whole approach of the artist, kills the song before it is even started.

 

5. She needed a h*ll of a lot more practice than she evidently had. She's been on stage FAR too long and she has FAR too much experience for this to be a case of nerves. This was a case of not practicing hard enough in advance and getting some feedback from knowledgeable voice teachers before performance so she could improve those low and high pitches.

 

6. She was so far off at the end that she did not cadence in the same key nor did she resolve the chord into an appropriate key change at the end. It was literally not in the ballpark of the right triad, the right key, or a closely related key. She embellished so much that she couldn't find the last note. This means she's done virtually no accapella singing and is a clear indication of lack of practice, lack of appropriate vocal technique, and attempting to sing beyond her abilities. She may be able to do that with accompaniment, she should have considered the possibility that she shouldn't oversing when she is clearly not an accapella trained artist.

 

So, flame if you must. Given that I've judged singing competitions at the regional, state, and inter-state levels and have had successfully trained several teenagers to sing the National Anthem quite beautifully accapella, I think my assessment is accurate.

 

Faith

 

:iagree:

 

These reasons are why on American Idol some of the auditions sound so painful. The people are probably used to singing with an accompaniment and don't realize the difficulties with singing acappella. I have done some musicals with solo parts and can hold my own with accompaniment but I know enough to never try to sing acappella. That is why it is so impressive when someone can really nail it.

 

BTW- Lea Michele slightly flubbed the lyrics to America the Beautiful as well. She sang Purple Mountain Majesties rather than Purple Mountains Majesty. Dh noticed it right away. I thought CA's performance was so painful that the missed lyrics were an afterthought for me. I thought she just mutilated the song. I think she got so caught up in putting her own spin on it with all of the modulations etc, that she just got lost.

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Anybody remember when Steve Tyler sang (and I use that word loosely) the National Anthem at a Nascar event? That was also horrid!! The National Anthem is very difficult to sing well. Not everyone can do it. IMHO most pop stars should not attempt it. I guess in the case of this anthem, you can have "hip and relevant" or you can have "done well" but not necessarily both together.

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I understand she may have been caught up in the moment, but I've witnessed 10 yo children sing the National Anthem at major sporting events (baseball, hockey, etc.) with no mistakes in the lyrics. They may not carry the tune perfectly, but they at least can remember the words to the song. All 3 of my girls looked at me and asked why she changed the words. But - she was clothed. (Yes, it is sad that that's the highest praise I can come up with.)

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I think it is sad that so many people are so hard on her. I would hope that we would have more grace than that.

 

I don't get the meanness either, that's America's perfection for you. But she did feel really badly about it and made a statement: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/06/super-bowl-2011-national-anthem-singer-christina-aguilera_n_819311.html She got choked up on the feelings. Even I got tears in my eyes as soon as I heard the music. It's an emotional song. Maybe we should have a non-American sing it next time so they won't feel emotion and not flub it up.

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You know - my DH is military, currently deployed for the 9th time.... Here is my perspective:

I thought she did a very good job. I thought she showed the proper respect by not trying to sing an "individualized" version, I thought her voice sounded much better than many who I have heard sing it, she was dressed appropriately.

I heard her response on the news this morning. She was mortified. I didn't get her exact words - but it was basically that she was so overwhelmed by the honor and the emotions she felt, that she got very nervous and lost track.

I could never have done what she did - I would have forgotten the whole song!

The only thing I saw that bothered me was the two people at the SuperBowl party I was at who did not stand up when it was sung.

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:iagree: I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. The song is very moving. I've heard it my whole life and I still get choked up every time. Christina Aguilera, although yes a profession artist, is an American after all. It's quite possible she got moved by the song too. :)

 

With all her improvisations on each note, it was hard to really hold onto the actual message of the song. I mean, she would embellish and then take a breath right in the middle of a phrase. Annoying.

 

(Not that I don't believe you, but for me as a singer watching/listening to her, it seemed like her performance was not intended to promote reflection on the actual words; they were just vehicles for her to show off.)

 

Wendi

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