soundoff (2,138 Responses)

1. luke
   

   It is a bad anthem and a hard song for anybody to sing –
   It should be done away with as the national anthem
   and replaced by God Bless America or America The Beautiful.

   February 7, 2011 at 2:34 pm | Report abuse |
2. SpinnyLiberal
   

   I swear to God, the way people are talking, it's like she set kittens on fire or something equally heinous.

   February 7, 2011 at 2:47 pm | Report abuse |
3. skeetz
   

   What she did with the National Anthem is roughly equivalent of a trumpet play blowing the wrong notes when taps are ployed at a military funeral. She dishonoured this country and every American by not taking the time to memorize the words, but then what foreigners actually respect America these days?

   February 7, 2011 at 2:59 pm | Report abuse |
4. US Vet
   

   Don't worry in a few years it'll be sung in Spanish. Then Americans won't be able to tell the difference anyway!

   February 7, 2011 at 3:03 pm | Report abuse |
5. Mike
   

   Hey! It's Enrico Palazzo!

   February 7, 2011 at 3:11 pm | Report abuse |
6. Rankorp
   

   The worst part, she was not singing the song as it was written. The "Star Spangled Banner" is almost sacred and should not be sung by an individual in his/her own taste. It's not about them, it's about Our Country!

   February 7, 2011 at 3:18 pm | Report abuse |
7. Ms Most
   

   Should they drug test these people that pay money to, after all some one had to pay for those tickets to the Super Bowl

   February 7, 2011 at 3:24 pm | Report abuse |
8. Ruth from Ohio
   

   PROVING ONCE AGAIN THIS GENERATION DO NOT EVEN KNOW THE WORDS TO THE NATIONAL ANTHEM,TRUST ME SHE IS NOT ALONE....NO ONE TEACHES THESE SONGS TO OUR CHILDREN ANYMORE......AND BY THE WAY CAN ANYONE JUST SING THE SONG INSTEAD OF THINKING THEY ARE TRYING OUT FOR A CONTEST....THIS IS NOT HOW THIS SONG IS TO BE SUNG.....IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE IT WAS SUNG THE RIGHT WAY!!!!

   February 7, 2011 at 3:25 pm | Report abuse |
9. OnTiptoe
   

   I think we had unrealistically, high expectations of this performer. Someone forgot that these performers routinely sing songs with inane, meaningless lyrics, and many times no one know exactly what they are singing anyway. How can they now be expected to sing a LIVE performance of a song of substance and meaning and remember the lyrics, let alone sing them clearly? They are simply not qualified to meet the demands of songs like this that have actual content and purpose.
   As for musicianship: we as a society now have the habit of awarding poor musicianship and have lost, through the last two generations, the ability to recognize real talent: vocal or instrumental. This also accounts for the number of sad comments here that CA is a "good" singer. She sings, and for many who can't, they are under the impression that she is "good", having never been exposed to vocalists of true talent and ability. It is sad that many of our young adults have no idea what "good" singing means or sounds like. So, those that complain about her bad vocalizations and inability to sing the song "straight" and on key must be from an older generation or have developed some appreciation for finer music and real artists.

   Unfortunately, the producers of this particular event were more concerned with appealing to the masses of "young" who are now the highest targeted advertising market. Even though we have a much higher population of "baby boomers" who still remember what good musicianship looks and sounds like! And we set ourselves up to be served this junk through our buying habits and rewarding these non-talents and lifting them up for our youngest generation as fine performers. So sad!

   Now, as for fine artists who ought to be invited to sing our National Anthem next time: how about Sandy Patti? Her recording of the full song is very moving and gave the song the excellence in vocal talent it deserves. If you want someone to sing a song that will be remembered well, and convey the message fully to your audience, look to Christian artists, many of whom have incredible vocal abilities and are accustomed to singing songs which have meaning and purpose! Call Bill Gaither next time! Just ask for Guy Penrod or David Phelps!

   Better yet, schedule the entire Glee ensemble cast to sing it SPOT ON, and without accompaniment, in eight part harmony!

   Let the trivial, over-produced, sad examples of singers stay in their "material" world of creating annoying noise.

   February 7, 2011 at 3:30 pm | Report abuse |
10. Sue
    

    Why does every singer who tackles this song in a large public venue feel the need to screech and caterwaul their way through it? Plus, it's the SUPER BOWL – probably one of the most watched telecasts all year - so the least they could do is get someone who KNOWS THE WORDS. She was a dreadful disgrace. Period.

    February 7, 2011 at 3:31 pm | Report abuse |
11. Margareth C. K. Murphy
    

    I have to say that I am not in favor of a celebrity embellishing, almost beyond recognition, our National Anthem. It is a song to be sung with respect and reverence, not some pop song being "covered" for all to enjoy! I wish more citizens of the U.S. would sing it as it is supposed to be sung. Ms. Aguilera focused more on her ridiculous vocal gymnastics and not nearly enough on the words and actual melody of our National Anthem. It shows a basic lack of respect for what is a symbol of our country's unity, resolve, bravery and commitment to freedom and democracy.

    February 7, 2011 at 3:55 pm | Report abuse |
12. bjdanno
    

    Yes, she made a mistake, something we’ve all done, things happen. Her response was as gracious and humble as it possibly could have been , what else can she do? If you think about it, she made a great recovery, it took a lot of composure to keep going.

    February 7, 2011 at 3:58 pm | Report abuse |
13. Chicago John
    

    There's no excuse.
    1. Every American should know the words to the National Anthem without having to think about it, since we sing it before every sporting event. Rehearsal should not have even been necessary.
    2. She's a highly-paid, professional American entertainer, who has performed in front of enormous crowds for years now.
    3. And she was only the sideshow; the crowd was there to see the game, so there was no pressure!

    Next time, try giving our National Anthem the respect it deserves, and sing it as it was written, without worrying about style, flair or embellishments. Ya might just get it right!

    February 7, 2011 at 4:13 pm | Report abuse |
14. Deb
    

    Anyone who knows the history of the lyrics to our national anthem, knows how important it is that "o'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming" expresses the awesome wonder that during and after an overnight battle, our beautiful flag was still waving proud and free.

    Cut short? We only ever sing one verse of this song. It has 4.

    February 7, 2011 at 4:14 pm | Report abuse |
15. Chicago John
    

    There's no excuse.
    1. Every American should know the words to the National Anthem without having to think about it, since we sing it before every sporting event. Rehearsal should not have even been necessary.
    2. She's a highly-paid, professional American entertainer, who has performed in front of enormous crowds for years now.
    3. She was only the sideshow; the crowd was there to see the game, so there was no pressure!

    Next time, try giving our National Anthem the respect it deserves, and sing it as it was written, without worrying about style, flair or embellishments. Ya might just get it right!

    February 7, 2011 at 4:18 pm | Report abuse |