O say, can Christina have a do-over?
Christina Aguilera helped kick off Sunday's Super Bowl with a singer's nightmare, flubbing the words of "The Star-Spangled Banner" about 40 seconds into the song as tens of millions prepared to watch the game between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Standing at midfield at Texas' Cowboys Stadium, the singer-actress mixed a previously sung clause with the one she was supposed to be on.
Here's what she sang, with the error in bold:
"O 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 through the perilous fight
What so proudly we watched at the twilight’s last [unintelligible].â€
That fourth line was supposed to be: "O'er the ramparts we watch'd were so gallantly streaming."
In a statement released by her publicist, Aguilera explained what happened:
"I got so lost in the moment of the song that I lost my place," the singer said. "I can only hope that everyone could feel my love for this country and that the true spirit of its anthem still came through."
Aguilera isn't the first person to have trouble with the song, as Time magazine's "Top 10 Worst National-Anthem Renditions" will remind us.
The list includes Michael Bolton's effort at a 2003 playoff baseball game in Boston's Fenway Park, where he had to pause midsong and check some notes before correctly getting through the same line that troubled Aguilera.
Aguilera sang the national anthem twice during last year's NBA finals. She delivered both performances without incident.
- CNN's Denise Quan contributed to this report.
She should be banned from superbowl appearances and sporting events. Maybe next year they could get someone from a military choir, or perhaps even an elementary schooler who would actually know the words. Pains me to say this, but even bring back Rosanne- at least she got the words right.
You are desperate!!!
Let's hear you get out there in front of the world and try to do it without making any mistakes.... You'd probably pee your wittle pants!
off to Guantanamo with her and take away her citizenship....
seriously people... mistakes do happen.....
So she's super hot and has a phenomenal voice and messed up a little bit. Haters!
You Americans are just jealous of us in England.
Lame.
Jealous of you in England? Right we are jealous because you all don't have toothpaste or take baths regularly.
We would be, if you spoke proper English. 😉
1.) What does this story have anything to do with Americans being jealous of the English?
2.) I've been to England innumerable times and it's a nice place to visit, but believe me, from my experience, there's certainly nothing to be jealous of.
3.) And in reality, it's the English who are secretly jealous of Americans, but God forbid they'd ever admit it!
Well considering we have a president who doesn't know how many states there are in the United States, "So far I have been to 57 states, tomorrow will be my 58th" (Obummer talking), I think Aguilera fits right in. Very appra-po to what's going on in the U.S. today.
Well said Jimbo...
enough already !!!!! so what that Christina Aguilera messed up the lyrics of the National Anthem! I read somewhere this morning that she let America down... WHAT??? There are plenty of ways that people can disappoint America and flubbing up a song isn't one of them... how about some grace towards Christina!
Schwing!
160 foot wide screen in the stadium, huh. here's an ides: make it the world's largest karaoke screen so that she will get the words right.
John – The words were scrolling on the screen that goes around the stadium during the song....
Well then being caught up in the moment !!!
Should mean because you are singing the REAL lyrics and thinking about what they mean to this country......
reallly SAD that she does not know, the lyrics that are taught to us in preschool....
Last night was the Packers against the Steelers and Christina Aguilera against the National Anthem. The latter two lost.
I was kind of let down to come to this website to find the top news story of the morning and the headline to read "O, say can you flub national anthem?" Kind of takes away from the credibility / integrity of this website. Wasn't there just a super bowl? Didn't some team just win last night? And THIS is the top news story of the day? Get over it CNN. Now how about some real news.
If someone asks you to perform the National Anthem at a game, then wouldn't you study up and make sure you know the words? Christina Aguilera is a joke, an untalented, overhyped skeezo who does not deserve all the grammys and attention she receives/received. My friend said Christina looks like Jigsaw from the SAW movies. All she needed was the two red circles on her face.
I don't believe we will ever have anyone sing the National Anthem the way that Whitney Houston did. That's a very tall order to fill!!!
Very true indeed.
I don't have a problem with her making a mistake on the lines. That can happen. What I do object to is changing the song so much that you can't tell if the National Anthem is being sung or some other song completely. Have some respect and sing it the way it's fupposed to be and not re-written to highlight the singers style!
I put her worse than Rosie O'Donnell when she sang the national anthem. Christina was god awful!!! Can't they get anyone to sing the anthem the way it is suppose to be sung?????
Here's the thing that really grates on my nerves the most when people sing the National Anthem: They want to "jazz it up" with all their trills and runs all over the scale. This isn't some diva's new pop hit. Respect the song, and stop putting your own personality in it. I cringe whenever I hear singer's do that. Sing it straight out the way it was meant to be sung.