It’s as much a part of summer as the smell of hot dogs on the grill or a refreshing dip in a cool pool on a hot day: the singing of the American national anthem. “The Star-Spangled Banner” (not “America the Beautiful” or “My Country, ̕Tis of Thee,” both of which are often mistaken as the anthem) was written by Francis Scott Key, originally as a poem entitled “Defence of Fort McHenry,” in 1814. Set to the tune of a popular British drinking ditty, the song made its way into military ceremonies and sporting events, but it wasn’t officially adopted as the national anthem until president Herbert Hoover signed a bill in 1931.
Spanning a vocal chord–stretching one and one-fifth octaves, the anthem is a challenging song to sing (as anyone who has sat beside me at a baseball game can attest). Though there are four stanzas, we traditionally sing only the first. Still, a 2004 study showed that almost two out of three Americans don’t know all of the words. For the record:
O say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?
Since the 1960s, many crooners have attempted to put their singular stamp on the old standby—some with more success than others. Below, some of the most memorable renditions of our national anthem:
The First to Mix It Up: José Feliciano
Puerto Rican singer and guitar virtuoso José Feliciano (best known for his 1970 hit, “Feliz Navidad”) caused a stir at a game of the 1968 World Series in Detroit when he performed an acoustic version of the national anthem infused with rhythms of the blues and Latin jazz. While today the rendition seems tame, in the midst of protests over the Vietnam War, the unconventional performance had traditionalists up in arms. Feliciano experienced a professional backlash, though today he is credited as one of the first singers to personalize the anthem.
