The American National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, used to be a sacred, revered acknowldgement of the flag of our country, and that nation of free peoples that it represents. It was customarily sung as a precursor to any formal event or large gathering of citizens by the masses, in unison, and with gusto. It was tantamount to reciting the "God is great, God is good" prayer before the Thanksgiving dinner with all of the family assembled. There was a noble nature to the sound of dozens, or hundreds, or even thousands of voices, unskilled though they may have been, united in one accord to pay homage to our heritage and pledge faithfulness to our future.


Then, change occured. It became en vogue to have an individual with some vocal prowess "lead" in the singing of the song, and then eventually professional artists were invited to sing the song as a solo. I can accept the idea of a song leader - someone who either through the physical actions of guiding the singers demonstratively, or by singing the song in such a manner that others are able to join in in unison. It is the artistic - make that sadistic - renditions of the song by some of these solo performers that is way out of line.

Yes, there have been way too many times that an individual has forgotten the words, or the tune, and absolutely butchered the song in that manner - and I appologize to to the butchers I have offended with the comparison - but I can excuse them because I will freely admit that the song is not easy. We really do need a new anthem, but that is a topic for another day.

My complaint rests squarely on the prima dons and prima donas that feel compelled to "make the song theirs" through descants, cadenzas, and other showy vocal displays. I also hold accountable the event coordinators and planners who allow this once sacred group experience to become a vehicle of promotion for the "artist du jour". If you wonder why there has been a noticible loss of patriotism and love of country by our youth and the leaders of the next generation, I think you can start by examining the examples set by their modelers. We have allowed the "me generation" to rob us of a vital and necessary rallying cry.

The genesis of this rant dates long before the event that brought it a boiling point in my fingertips. The breaking point came a few weeks ago when I was in a sports themed restaurant on a Sunday for lunch. It was the Sunday that the NFL San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints played against each other in Wimbley Stadium in London, England. The corporate dieties with the National Football League deemed it a significant enough event that all broadcasts of all football games scheduled to begin at the 1:00 ET hour carried the pre-game ceremonies of the Wimbley event. Sadly, this included the singing of The Star Spangled Banner, and the English National Anthem, God Save the Queen.

After listening to some diva sing The Star Spangled Banner in a way that would make her a poster child for my point, she preceeded to do the same thing to God Save the Queen. Even though she was using a microphone, she was almost drowned out by the huge crowd of assembled subjects of the crown singing in unison and with a fervor that appeared to be indicative of a sincere conviction. It almost made me wish I were English.

My point is two-fold: let's return our nation's anthem to the position where it belongs - as a mass affirmation of solidarity with the ideals and principles that makes our country the envy (and target) of the rest of the world. and if The Star Spangled Banner is not the best choice as our national anthem, then let's change it.