Aretha Franklin National Anthem
 

Watch: Aretha Franklin's 5-Minute Thanksgiving National Anthem

While I am more of a traditionalist when it comes to the National Anthem, I must admit she freaking knocked it out of the park. Best non-traditional performance of the Anthem I have ever seen.

I literally had tears in my eyes. It is why she is still the reigning Queen of Soul.

Dayum!!!

Re: Aretha Franklin National Anthem
 

Couldn't figure out whether I was watching a slow butchering of a live animal, or a hijacking.

Now every hubris-filled entertainer who gets an audience will make sn effort to outdo this with a slower, more painful rendition.

Re: Aretha Franklin National Anthem
 

So you liked it too?

Re: Aretha Franklin National Anthem
 

Victory Belles was the best I ever heard. I love Aretha Franklin but honestly thought her version of the National Anthem was just a bit too much and didn't care for it at all.

Re: Aretha Franklin National Anthem
 

Matt,I started off that way too. Oh no another butchering...

But about 1/3 the way thru I put my own traditionalist feelings aside and listened for what it was, a soul version for lack of a better term.

She put a lot into it and I respected it from that point of view. Perhaps I was caught up in the moment but when I get teary eyed and it feels like my heart is gonna burst thru my chest, I have to give it its due credit.

And good gawd that woman still has some amazing pipes!


I'll have to check out Victory Bells version.

Other great renditions...

Randy Owen (from Alabama the band)
Whitney Houston
Faith Hill
The US Marine Corp dude a few years ago (dude didn't even need a mic, short thick black guy)
Lady Ga-Ga (I can't believe I even typed that ******'s name, but credit where due)

Re: Aretha Franklin National Anthem
 

I am always saying The Nat.Anthem is to be sung traditionaly and therefore with respect. One does need to add his/her flavor to it.
Aretha Franklin is Aretha Franklin. I'll give her a pass. She played the piano with it. It took a while. I was like, "This is taking a long time. This is as long as a quarter of football."
Ok. Aretha and her piano and her mink and missing tooth, LOL, I liked it. It was in her style, soulfull. She stressed the points of the National Anthem.
It was her. It was good. No one else though could get away with that rendition.

Re: Aretha Franklin National Anthem
 

I thought it was another shameless "look at me" rendition. This one was particularly painful to listen to. The national anthem is not a platform to show everyone how skilled you are in the art of butchering a song so bad that it almost isn't even the same song.

Just my opinion.

Re: Aretha Franklin National Anthem
 

Re: Aretha Franklin National Anthem
 

I didn't see it, but hey black performers just sing the ****ing national anthem. Ever notice all the other nations that do this to their anthem, me neither.

Re: Aretha Franklin National Anthem
 

I'm a traditionalist myself. There is only 1 way a National Anthem should be played/sung. Don't "soul" it, don't "twang" it, don't "pop" it, don't "barbershop" it...