Why the US national anthem is terrible - and perfect
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- Опубліковано 3 лип 2018
- Vox's Estelle Caswell and Joss Fong debate "The Star Spangled Banner"
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When Francis Scott Key attached his poem about the War of 1812 to a popular British song called "To Anacreon in Heaven," he kicked off over 200 years of painfully bad singing by patriotic Americans. The Star Spangled Banner became the official national anthem of the United States in 1931, but it had been used by the Army and Navy for decades before that and was popular from the start. One big problem? The melody wasn't exactly written for the masses, but for trained soloists.
Commentators pointed out early on that it was exceedingly difficult for most people to sing, suggesting that "America the Beautiful" might be a better alternative. Critics have noted that the music requires a uniquely wide vocal range, it's full of tricky intervals, and the lyrics are confusing and uninspiring.
But if you look at the national anthem as a sport, where we get to watch performers at the top of their game tackle the gauntlet that is the Star Spangled Banner, you may come to appreciate it. In this video, we debate whether the difficulty of the Star Spangled Banner is a feature or a bug for a national anthem.
Further reading:
Star-Spangled Banner: The Unlikely Story of America's National Anthem www.amazon.com/Star-Spangled-...
Star Spangled Music: starspangledmusic.org/
Slate: Proudly Hailed www.slate.com/articles/arts/mu...
Emily Cope: / music-to-what-extent-d...
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If you want to learn more about the anthem, check out this site: starspangledmusic.org/blog/ They're obsessed with the Star Spangled Banner and have tons of interesting facts and videos. This book by Marc Ferris is also really interesting www.amazon.com/Star-Spangled-Banner-Unlikely-Americas-National/dp/1421415186/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Vox please do a video on the USSR national anthem
Not to mention that it's not a land of the free when it is legal to own people.
Very shitty national anthem
Vox land of the expensive, and home of the gay's
Why didn't you didn't mentioned that the US national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner is one of the most racist, pro-slavery, anti-black songs in the American lexicon?
Few people know this because they only ever sing the first verse. But read the end of the third verse and you’ll see why “The Star-Spangled Banner” is almost a celebration of slavery:
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
"America loves watching people publicly failed".
Wow.
thejiddy it’s true
Thats fuking elitist! We other nations love people publicly failing too!
It’s true
Ouch that was deep
thejiddy it’s true ;))
Vox: Why the US national anthem is terrible..
FBI: * clears throat *
Vox: *AND PERFECT*
LOL 😂
Lol why is this so underrated
*Ahem*
Xd
Reason is the words are from a poem and the music was composed for an English song called To Anacreon in heaven and it was also used in a presidential campaign song called Adams and liberty
Basically...
Joss's argument: "No normal person can sing it."
Estelle's argument: "But the memes!"
Effectively the whole video
Fergie...
The DNA of the soul
@@malvinolimit 😂
@@dy7296
And it will come, like a flood of pain. Pouring down on me! And it will not let up until the end is near.
I actually really like José Feliciano’s performance of that anthem
2nd best only to whitney Houston
i think its just by that time people were lot more racist, its back in the 60th. Sang today it would blow out
Honestly sounds amazing
Now Lady Gaga's version in Biden's inauguration 2021 becomes a strong competitor.
Same
Fun fact: The National Anthem ends with a question mark.
And people wonder why the title of _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_ doesn’t end with a question mark.
Oh, no. Everyone knows that the two words of the national anthem are PLAY BALL!
Untrue. That is the first section of the National Anthem. There are two more sections and neither of those end with a question mark.
Mistaria Spellsinger nah it’s
“let’s get ready to rumble”
@@andrewcooper7256
r/woooosh
Fact: Whitney Houston's performance of the "Star Spangled Banner" can make anyone feel American.
Totally true! The most amazing rendition till today.
Fact: Long live Catalonia
Yeah. Until you realize it's pre-recorded
Dav-P \ Ðɐvv She sang it live multiple times, and it is still better than all of the other versions.
@@lordvoldemort5725 still, the best performance is the one with prerecorded tracks.
I’m asian and one time my American english teacher made us sing star spangled banner for 5% of our grade. I’m still not sure why he did that but it was hilarious watching everyone (including me) tried to succeed in singing this song
Did you have to do it alone or in a group?
I remember my British teacher in America made us sing God Save the Queen.
@@andrewauto6082 should have been rule britannia or Jerusalem but god save the Queen is still amazing
@@adamhastie8439 It's hard NOT to get into Rule Britannia. It's great earworm. (and it's back)
One of these years I will go to a Last Night of the Proms.
Probely because your teacher is racist
In elementary we would sing the anthem **every day**
Imagine 500 kids ranging from kindergarten to 6th graders singing this at the same time **every day**
haha elementary days
I can imagine that because I've been through that. Nearly 1000 students from 1st grade to 12th grade sing our national anthem every day.
Every day? That seems a little dramatic
I remember singing it in class every morning--that and the Pledge of Allegiance. Then I remember we did a chorus concert for parents one year and we did a ton of anthems and patriotic songs--so amazingly still remember all the words to O Canada, God Save the Queen (now king) and a few others. Then we ended with America the Beautiful and the Star Spangled Banner.
Oh, American schools have a national anthem too.
*Pumped up kicks*
Hey it’s easier than the regular one
*ALL THE OTHER KIDS*
you have a messed up head
*BETTER RUN BETTER RUN*
@@LeShrimpDuMer outrun my gun
“All Star” by Smashmouth is the unofficial anthem
This is what America is now
*This is america*
*Some Bodyyyyyyyyy*
No, OFFICIAL
"Hey now youre an allstar"
It's just like America to pick The Star Spangled Banner because it is stylish. It's meant to be performed, not sung. And when it is, it sounds amazing. It's just hard to connect a nation to something half of us can't remember and no one can sing. The thing about every other choice they highlighted is you can sing them without training
@🌲Läcveg rd🌲 can you though? Lol
@🌲Lacveg rd🌲 what country?
Im Asian and i really love the lyric
Personally I think "America The Beautiful" should be the National Anthem. Plus its Harmonically structured to be sung as a group (SATB)
The problem is not that people can't sing it. It's that they won't. And the reason you are claiming that people don't know it is because they dismissed the Pledge and National Anthem from being recited and sung in school every day from a young age all the way through high school when I was a student myself. The Pledge and National Anthem should be restored in every school at every level. If students are not learning about the significance of their many freedoms, they will not appreciate them and will take them for granted.
It's kinda sad its own people can't actually sing it. We see it in sports events the crowds like Brazilians, for exemple, proudly singing their entire anthem and it gives you goosebumps, but its silent when the anthem is too difficult to sing.
Brazilian crowds are on another level
As a Brazilian, I can just agree.
Ps. Eu sou br ta meu povo 🤪
This video is kind of an exaggeration imo. I can sing the national anthem, most people aren't belting this thing. Honestly i have no idea why so many events choose to have one singer sing it. At fourth of July events I always sing it with a crowd
@@frameturtle but does it sound good? I would love to hear a crowd singing it, cause it's indeed a pretty athem, I just think is sad that the crowds doesn't seem to sing it along. If you have a video of the crowds singing it I would love to see 🤗
the spanish anthem is the easiest to sing in the entire world... it's got no words.
we don't! we just hum a little if we want
gominuke wow that is interesting...i find that so odd to hear that it has no words...wonder if other countries are like this
emmanuel rosel ben je een spanjool ofzo
Greg Caesar technically there were words but they were introduced by a dictator who was close to hitler, so the government afterwords started to phase it out of use. But in many places where the anthem plays, almost a quarter of people will sing with the words.
gominuke Really?! I just researched it and it has lyrics… 🤨 are you sure you’ve heard it before? 🤔
I'm gonna sing the Spanish anthem for you
...
...
...
Did you like it?
Good one :) (In case anyone doesn't get it, the Spanish anthem "Marcha Real" is wordless and is purely music)
Nice Referencing!! LMFAO!!!
Démian García Viva España Alzad Los Brazos hijos de Pueblo Español.
Nonono that was the indian national anthem
Actually since there are no words you have to follow the instruments creating the exact same noise as they do making it really hard to sing
Fun fact: Even though Whitney Houston's SSB was prerecorded (which is extremely common for sporting events, especially ones that include fly-overs, as hers did), she recorded it a few months before in ONE TAKE. So, though she didn't sing it on the field, that's still all her!
Phillipines singing national anthem on
-every screening in cinema
-every theatrical performance
-every seminars/webinars
-every monday morning and (supposed to be) every friday afternoon
-almost all public ceremonies
But the good thing is the rhyme of the lyrics is matching
I don't know why the national anthem is played by the orchestra before a classical music concert anyway... and everyone (including me a foreigner in the PH) is obliged to stand up in the meantime just like others. I mean it is a classical music concert!
@@pascallaw5909 respect the country you’re in
@@primerouno3739 That's why despite not being able to or willing to sing Philippines' national anthem I also stand up like others instead of staying in my seat. Not trying to be disrespectful, I mean I just can't comprend the meaning of displaying patriotism during a classical music concert.
I can confirm as a Filipino
In the Republic of Ireland until the 1990’s Amhrán na Bhfiann was played in concerts, closing of pubs and night clubs, broadcast sign off on RTÉ.
The title should be more like.
Why the US anthem is hard to sing.
All this time, I thought it was easy.....
A Person On UA-cam same, tbh i'd rather sing god save the queen, yet im american and it sounds wrongful of me. To sing a different anthem rather than my own.
I like how the video chose people who probably aren’t even American to sing the national anthem in the beginning
@@Aluxix what's JO'S FONGS Instagram?
But it's not tho
Blind folk singer: “oh say can you see...”
@Sean Wilkinson Whoosh
David Halper dude the singers name was josé feliciano
“Jose cannot see”
R/whoosh yourself
@@lora1002 Do you know what whoosh means? It's the sound of a joke going over someone's head. Whoosh is a term used by people to show that the other person missed a joke.
@@davidhalper5525 no it's r/woooosh
egg everyone above you is just r/woooosh on sean’s joke, which is awesome
A good anthem is one that either:
1. Sounds good all the time
2. Can only sound *real* good, or *real* bad.
”how many times do you even hear the national anthem”
**my school forcing us to sing it at 6am and will not let us go until we sound like a singing group**
Also, in the Philippines, the National Anthem is played in almost every public event:
- Every morning at schools and government offices and agencies before the classes and work starts
- It is played in the signing-on and signing-off of all TV channels in the morning (usually at 4 AM or 5 AM) and midnight (usually at 12 MN until the latest 2 AM)
- at the cinema, before the movie starts
- at competitions whether school competition, street competition, community competition. Even in constests in any form
- at almost any event conceivable from small seminars, talks, conferences up to sports championships, graduations, concerts.
- the Anthem is played at the President's Inauguration (duh) BUT, it is also played at the start of the State of the Nation Address (SONA/PH's counterpart of State of the Union)
- it is also played at the beginning of EVERY session of the Senate and House of Representatives
In summary, it became an unwritten rule that the Philippine National Anthem is played (or should be played) before the day begins and/or before any work is done. In the Philippines, the day is not complete when you do not hear the Anthem playing.
I am GENUINELY AND DISAPPOINTLY shocked that Americans do not play and sing their NATIONAL ANTHEM that many often...
6:54 He's blind and sings "Oh, say can you see?"
ironic
Lmaooo savage
Why is that iroinic? If he follows up with "And could you please describe it to me" it would make perfect sense
ok im rolling lol
😂😂
@@thewaywelive2775 he can't see but he says oh say can you *see*
Karen in the 60s was like, "I'm going to complain to my senator"
In the 60s maybe senators were good for something.
Where's your SENATOR
But her name was ARLENE.
@Woodcuck My senator is me obviously
Pls dont give them ideas
There are 2 singers that sang it beautifully, masterfully.
Whitney Houston
Beyoncé
Agreed. I liked Gaga's version as well
Yes.
Don't forget Enrico Palazzo's. That one was on point
After the "too many notes ti hit" I expected that counterargument would be that you must sing it together with someone to make your overall range wider.
And I hoped we would hear some group singing.
Yes. It's actually an amazing song when sung in an ensemble or played on instruments. It wasn't really meant to be sung alone. In fact, the tune itself was a song sung in a bar among a crowd of people.
i feel like every asian country sings their national anthem like,, every morning or once a week for the school assembly :')
stop exposing us
Every morning for me ;-; and if it plays you literally have to stop once you hear it and stand straight, doesn’t matter if you’re on the road :’) just move a bit until you’re not on the road then stand and wait
@uminacis lol
yep...in india
In malaysia even if you flinch while the national anthem was sang the teacher will get like super mad ;-;
There is no song that will replace the nati-
**All Star starts playing**
Lol
Somebody once told me
The world is gonna roll me.
BoomDiamond I ain’t the sharpest tool in the shed
Rice Soap she was looking kinda dumb with her finger and her thumb
when whitney houston sang the anthem i literally got chills
I was born in India and lived there for five years
Then I moved to US and living here for eight years.
I can barely sing the US anthem while the Indian anthem is ingrained into my brain. Let’s be honest here, everyone knows the pledge of allegiance more that the national anthem
**T-Series uploads the star Spangled Banner**
Jana Gana Mana is just really easy, but that's why I love it and I'm proud of it. It feels so grand when played by orchestra but yet so simple when sung by school children every assembly.
Honestly Amhrán na bhFiann isn’t the best but far better than the Star Spangled Banner
What is the pledge of allegiance
The Soviet anthem is my favorite, aesthetically.
Murica f yeah is way better
French and German...
Soyus nerushimy
Oh that's me
Our favorit
Literally only whitney houston, was able to slay this national anthem.
And whitney Houston was one of the most powerful singers, who has not been topped till this day.
listen to tori kelly's
Furgie doe
Mariah carey killed it too
I beg to differ.
Charice
2:37 in the case of Indonesian national anthem, if you’re in school, we have to sing it every Monday for school assembly... sometimes if we sang it badly, we had to sing it again until it was satisfactorily good. Even in online classes, some schools still have Monday school assembly and a student randomly selected to sing the anthem
Yeah our daily routine
And it's also difficult to sing, like one and a half octaves.
Indonesia Raya was a title of National Anthem and which is my favorite anthem aside our anthem, Lupang Hinirang because Philippines and Indonesia are brothers so I hope to sing Indonesia Raya soon
same in Colombia
So we're agreed that only whitney can do it perfectly ✨
Through the whole history,,, yes
No
She did it the best, there are many other good ones who are close. Is it perfect we will never know cause of how you can change the anthem
Or just flip the script entirely, it worked for Jose Feliciano
@@amelsalkic2998 the best rendition is Jose Feliciano's no question
Wow, I find it surprising that Americans barely sing their anthem. I sing mine every Monday and Friday at school during our assembly's (here in South Africa) and our anthem has 5 languages in it.
You say the pledge of allegiance in the mornings and the national anthem + pledge of allegiance in assembly’s in the U.S
Canadian here. We sang it every day in school in one of 2 languages, sometimes mixing the 2 midway through
Us everyday
May I just say that I love the South African national anthem, even though I'm Filipino :)
wait wot, we sing it loads
Whitney Houston made it look easy
probably cause she lip synced it
Cause it was! 😃
@@guacamoli7 Shut up .
@@vids595 shut up .
Gaga NAILED it!
In 🇵🇭 PH the national anthem is a march. The song needs to run fast and finish quickly. Made for war. Saves time and vocal chords during peace time.
I thought I was only bad at it bc I was a foreigner, also I think it's poetic justice that African-American singers so far are responsible for the best versions of it.
in the Philippines, when you try to change the anthem tune. you get punished
it's not that hard to sing as long as you know the words
Wait really?
It's in the Philippine Constitution that's why artists are really careful not to do any changes in the song. They aren't even allowed to sing it according to their style :)
Dont forget the fact that people in vehicles and pedestrians that hear it are expected to slow down and/or stop and sing along till its over.
true and when the anthem plays you have to stand straight no matter what your doing
The National anthem is very American, when it works, it’s very amazing, but it is way more likely to crash and burn
Heey vsauce, michael here
BUT IS IT?
Just like the towers
Just like the country itself.
sounds like every government.
Idk if its just me, but the Star-Spangled Banner is the only national anthem ive sung more times in my life and I aint even American. It just feel patriotic and just.... so....
*American*
The power of freedom
Same here. I especially like the complex lyrics of the anthem. Not American either.
I'm not also an American, but I sing it more than 10 times a day.
I'm also not American, and I feel intrigued about this song and would like to try singing it.
I'm American.
As an American, I can sing the Star Spangled Banner with ease. . I thought everyone could? It's so drilled into our minds.
thats why we leave the national anthem to Whitney
But she's dead... is there someone still alive we can leave it too?
@@TimmyTickle Maybe Gaga? She sang the national anthem years ago at The Superbowl
@@TimmyTickle Fergie
@@TimmyTickle jack black actually did a good job
Or any red blooded patriotic American that is proud of their country.
People complaining about the American national anthem... at least the lyrics are good...
Meanwhile, in the UK:
God Save the Queen
God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen
The way to sing the american national anthem is with a choir
I mean at least people can sing it easily enough. It’s nice and simple
‘Send her victorious
Happy and glorious’ xD
The german one is pretty good and easy oh and the french is really beautifull and you can sing it alright
Brazil’s national anthem is the description of its independence and after in the second part of it how glorious the country is, basically. With a bunch of unused and complicated words so nobody really knows how to sing it
That is why we should all sing the Soviet Union Anthem. Cue music.
@Zodboeg good, lets sing
@Zodboeg How do you know that they are pro-soviet???!! This episode is about the musical theory of US national anthem in context of analysing why Americans fail to sing it perfectly.
@@shalinitiwariscorner5210 hes probably just joking
Lets just get down To it
SOYONZ NERUSHIMI
The Russian musics are also so good.
I’m not an American but I love the anthem! I like that it is so hard and that at football games or at other events, there is always someone who has their special moment and sings the national anthem.
I’m from Germany and except from the ending our national anthem is quite boring and not that hard to sing. We usually don’t have singers at soccer games but everyone sings it together or at political events there’s only a track in the background.
I like how emotional the American anthem is. And Lady Gaga’s performance at the Inauguration was amazing! ❤️
Yea i fell in love with the song, despite being a canadian, whitney sung it perfectly, but i also loved lady gaga's version, it was amazing as well!
The American anthem is certainly beautiful, but so is Germany’s anthem! Take pride in your country, my friend!
Whitney Houston's performance will always be the greatest rendition of the anthem. no questions asked.
I think i like the Journey's star spangled banner on the super bowl live
Nah, the best performance is Jimi Hendrix's.
Bruh Fergy 👌🏽👌🏽
Lady Gaga wasn't bad
Fenix03 The only person that comes close to Whitney’s was Beyoncé’s in 2004 her “brave” was probably one of the best “braves” ever
So, its purposefully hard, stacks odds against you and then people laugh at you when you fail? Perfect! Encompasses american life just right.
As underrated a comment as there ever was!
*Cough*
Vietnam
*Cough*
The melody is from a drinking song, which is intended to mess people up, in more ways than one.
But for real, like in America, if you succeed, you succeed big.
EliteXtasy it was not. That's a lie
The tune is that of "to Anacreon in heaven" written in the late 18th century by English composer John Stafford Smith. It was adopted as the anthem of the London-based anacreontic society, and was deliberately made difficult to sing.
Everyone just has to realize it’s a super hard song to sing, and cut even the best singers some slack if they mess it up. I think in a perfect world, if we did that, it would make our country closer together, and stronger by acknowledging the mistakes and difficulty of the song. :)
This is just proof that Whitney Houston is the best singer on the planet. She sung it *again* live and it sounded the same.
Jeff DeWitt *was* the best singer.... Rip
Good catch. Nobody will ever surpass her. Gaga came close though.
Yo Jeffrow Wait, love Gaga, but do you actually think that out of all the singers, Gaga’s the closest to Whitney?
What about all the other divas? Aretha, Patti, Mariah
I think in terms of PERFORMANCE wise, Gaga did it the best.
totally agree
The French anthem is honestly not bad, but never search the translation. It's, um,... It's peculiar.
Yeah but the historic context explains it
@@bramsou1311 True
Narnia Dici I love your profile picture
Our French anthem is just the best, it's a badass war song.
The anthem of my state in Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul) says "people without virtue end up being slaves" and we know who were the slaves both in America and Brazil... so I guess they aren't too happy about the anthem.
Why our USSR national anthem is perfect -- and perfect
The British anthem and patriotic songs are the best.
@@kamanashiskar9203 J'AIME L'OIGNON FRIT À L'HUILE J'AIME L'OIGNON QUAND IL EST BON
I really like the USSR, God save the queen, and the French one
Russian *
@@eliaslaurent479 *hehehe*
I'm Canadian and I sing the US anthem like... A lot lol IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL AND POWERFUL!!! And when I see audiences sing it, or someone singing it really well, it always gives me goosebumps 😆
Wait, schools in America don’t sing the national anthem? I sing it everyday in Canada ;-;
@musicalasian No, we recite the “Pledge of Allegiance” every day. They teach us the anthem in elementary school but we rarely sing it.
IcedMorning yeah
huh, which part of canada? most places in canada dont have that. Nobody I know has too, I dont for that matter.
Strawberries and Suffering well, I go to school in Ontario. Different classes force you to sing or not but my first period made us
we say the pledge of allegiance at school every day tho
That hippie version of the anthem literally sounded so good wow
Good thing the Hendrix version from Woodstock hadn't been born yet, though.
They could not have handled that much awesomeness.
There was a point when I was just beginning puberty that I could make really high notes and really low notes. But those days are over and I can't do the high notes anymore
I agree that the anthem is complicated and difficult to sing. But I definitely disagree that it's uninspiring
"the most unlovely tune that was ever wrung from the quivering bowels of a horn" damn lmao
nice bi icon :,)
pkm thx bb! ❤❤❤❤❤❤
The Washington Post being The Washington Post.
They had a way with words using and encompassing a larger vocabulary in daily life back then but nowadays, all we get is "oh damn skeet skeet".
except for my farts
In Mariah’s rendition, she sings from lowest to highest E3-B6.
More than three octaves.
Mariah is a goddess. Her range is amazing
but no one cares about that rendition
Slender Man only you💓
Dmitri Alcantara no :( a lot
a bland rendition
Vox: Most people don’t sing the Star Spangled Banner daily.
Private School Kids: *Laughing* *Sobbing*
Me, an Indonesian : Wait you guys dont sing ur anthem every morning on school?
America in a nutshell:
Terrible - And perfect
Cookie we got an America hater!
@@kirin1230 *AMERICA HATER*
@@kirin1230 *AMERICA HATER*
Cookie what’d you say I can’t hear you over my freedom
Perfectly terrible, terribly perfect
I'm agree with the girl that say national anthem is supposedly something that everyone can sing. it's not a job for one people. it's an anthem. everyone should have the right to sing it proudly and feel joy too without thinking too much on how you sounds. that's how you gonna feel the patriotism in your heart. through the anthem. I can sing my country song and have a goosebumps at the same time especially if you hear the voice of thousands sing it together.
srsdn journal that’s why you start in your middle or lower range where it is comfortable to sing. In the case of the US national anthem, the notes are just telling you whether to go higher or lower. There are times when people do follow the sheet music exactly, but I am sure it was not intended for people to strain their voice.
@DJMISTERCRINGE in a broken English too
Yes! It's not just me that thinks that Canada is doing it right!
I think that's why the anthem is so amazing. When people sing it alone they sound horrible but when everyone sings it together its awesome
I feel It doesn't matter whether its singable by the average Joe or not. The song was made to represent America, and I feel it shouldn't be changed. If it were changed it would take away the glory of the thousands of patriots that died holding up that flag because the British declared if the flag fell, the colonies would be back under British rule. In other words, changing the National Anthem would be the equivalent of taking the valor of war from veterans of the United States.
The National Anthem is something we should all be able to sing - not just talented singers
Nah... it gives power when it's sung
I was in the middle school band and we legit picked a high school choir student to sing it it's not that bad to sing.
When you have a bunch of privileged nostalgia-obsessed punks trying to replace it with something else, there's not gonna be much of it left to sing.
I think a little practice and people could get it down no problem. Sadly, most people don’t even want to try.
Only the Elite can sing it, just like those who control the country. Personally "America The Beautiful" I think is a perfect substitute.
a few years ago out of curiosity I listened to about 25 national anthems sung in different versions and my favorites are South Africa, Russia, Italy, Brazil, Canada and Philippines.
on the other hand, be happy we aren't forced to sit through the other verses
Drowsy_ Mouse that 4th stanza looks like such a piece of work
Oh this be it ever when when freemen shall stand / Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation/ Blest with vict'ry and peace may this heaven rescued land / praise the power that hath made and preserved us a nation
How the hell does that fit in the standard melody
I'd rather sing Take on Me than try that and I'm only a bass with regular range lol
Drowsy_ Mouse it talks about slaves
That’s because it was simply. A poem written by Francis Scott key and he decided that the popular song of the time went with his poem after writing it.
There is a UA-cam video where all 4 verses are sung. Listen.
I fap to electro swing
Just because you can't sing it doesn't means it's bad
This depends on the use case. If the majority of the population should be able to sing it, hard to sing songs are not good. If only professional singers are going to sing it then this is not that big issue. As a lot of national anthems have terrible phrases in them, maybe we should just get rid of them from time to time and replace them with something uplifting or nothing.
Its a national anthem though something that represents your country
@@reinerjung1613 I think that's just for national anthems where any citizen is going to attempt the song at some point, if it's just any song (not-anthem) hard to perform but sounds _really_ good, it's good, like are you saying "Freebird" is bad for guitarists in that case?
A national anthem should be able to be sung by all of its citizens. If an anthem is so technically challenging that most people can't sing it, it's not a good anthem, great song, but exactly something for the people.
@@MsZeldasaga You can't make an anthem everyone can sing or we would just end up with a song like the ones we all learned in kindergarten. Plus, I think half the battle is starting low enough. Everyone has songs they have trouble with. It doesn't mean that they are even necessarily hard songs. I have a small gap while transitioning from my chest voice I find challenging.
Does anyone know this version of the star spangled banner?
0:56
Star spangled banner trumbone or trumpet maybe
Seems only “Whitney Houston” knew how to sing it.
Yes! So does Gaga
“No one with a normal esophagus can sing that without screaming.”
“Most unlovely tune that was every wrung from the quivering bowels of a horn.”
yup.
Yuni Aniceto who are you?
Go home
Who sings from their esophagus?
We're America. If you're not screaming the anthem, why are you even here?
@@morganrobinson8042 USA. your country is just one country in CONTINENT OF AMERICA.
Seriously!?
6:57 was actually a good version of the anthem (in my opinion)
AT LEAST SOMEONE ELSE AGREES WITH ME!!!!
To me that sounds better than anyone else I've heard sing it even Whitney
7:06 but still
Yes.. I like it too!
@@xtianarce8996 it's all America's fault because they declared the war in Vietnam. So, Jose should not be jeered.
At this point I know more of US National Anthem than my own country national anthem
Indian national anthem has a range of 10 notes, and pretty singable.
Wait!!! Whitney’s version was pre-recorded! Why do you gotta ruin my memory like that?!
Welcome to Vox. :)
She sang it live a couple weeks later on HBO “ welcome home hero’s” look it up!
Just because it was pre-recorded doesn't mean she didn't sing it. She had to have sung it in order to record it lol
Yet its still the best! 😁
Mosdef Shel
Lol wasn’t pre recorded she sang over a prerecorded record. People tend to confuse the two. Which is why she sang it again accapella for the troops. On UA-cam as well
USA:our anthem is perfect!
USSR: *HOLD MY VODKA*
Germany: Hold My beer
India: Hold my chai
@@raghavgupta2399 Cambodia: Hold my.. Rice? (the cambodian anthem sounds like they are being forced to sing it)
@@Proxlynmeow yes сомгаdе
USSR anthem is for boys, Moldovian ssr is for men.
Whitney's rendition always gives me goosebumps
Me reading the title*
"You better pick your next words very carefully."
Whitney Houston is legend
seriously brought a tear to my eye. Her voice is so powerful
Did you know that Whitney Houston's debut LP, called simply Whitney Houston, had four No. 1 singles on it?
Yep and Mariah and Ariana and Christina
Jadryl Veloria true, ariana was literally a 7 year old.
lmfao, weak trolling.
I just think every event should just play Whitney Houston's version because it'll never be done better.
Awsamazing Eden Yes, or Ssndy Patty!
Awsamazing Eden So true.
Awsamazing Eden FOR REAL
Because it will get old and no one wants that beautiful song to get old
Awsamazing Eden, Why do you have to compare different singer's versions? Everyone is unique in their own way, I think it is important to give others the opportunity to share their own version of the national anthem, and to be able to hear it come from different Americans. What makes it more special is the fact that it was a one time thing that people experienced in the moment. Please.
The "and perfect" has such scared of the government vibes😂
4:25 Gawd! I got tears again! I'm not even American😢
How legendary Whitney is... until now it's very wonderful!😭
if someone outside indonesia asks, "how often do you sing your national anthem?"
"every single week"
edit: i mean my school sing it every day before class, on monday ceremony we sing 1/3 of it and 2 other song, then the rest of the week before class we sing the full song and one other song, oops
Umm we sing everyday before the school bell rings
@@rkhbr2154 so is mine. but the full version is every week
and i hope you guys survive singing it ;w;
But then again. It's an easy song. If you can't sing high you can always sing low and get away with it since the range is not too far
@@canned_can_chan4590 lmaooo you could even sing it while doing your homework in the morning and still nailed it
In Finland once a year
Every other country: Knows their anthem and sings ok
USA: 0:00
Very stereotypical
Honestly i live in Switzerland and most people don't even know the first words of our anthem (probably because we have three version of it, one in every langage swiss speak)
Anthems without lyrics: LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO
Spain: Sing?? What's that?
Verdad 😂😂
The ending was so incrredibly emotional, I've cried, even though I am not american and probably won't even ever visit US. Well done, Vox! Great work. Go vote!!!
does anyone know the link to the version of the star spangled banner at 0:56 ?
seems like the only people who nail it everytime, ironically, are the descendants of the people the original lyrics speak so badly of..
wowza
Not ironic anymore if you consider they are the ones today most fervently preaching the very book that was used to oppress their ancestors
It is properly sung by a choir
Well, for the awkward phrasing, you have to remember that it was originally a poem, not a song :)
Kimigayo as well, everyone can sing it comfortably.
Don't even dare talk about changing our national anthem don't even dare
Wonder how if feels for Americans knowing that “their” national anthem was a drinking song made by drunk Englishmen in a pub🏴
You wanna know why?
*It's a British drinking song.*
I'm not joking.
A 1771 drinking song called "To Anacreon in heaven" (sometimes just called "the Anacreon song")
I wish I was joking.
that describes us perfectly
@SMH wtf Yes, but the music, therefore most of the problems come from to Anacreon in heaven.
They didn't even wanted to mention it here because of the SHAME.
Absolutely true.
Anytime I am somewhere that the national anthem is played publically, I just start singing To Anacreon in Heaven instead.
No matter how much note the song have, I will always sing it in 1 note.
I like the Japanese anthem, it's so poetic. Aoi Teshima, think Ghibli, sang it one time, and it sounds like some ancient Japanese goddess.
did anyone else get goosebumps when witney sang?
Wow thanks for all the likes!😊
There's only one Whitney
8:15 pm Michael Jackson also performed the half time show that Super Bowl.
tears in my eyes
Zach Gonzales And he was amazing! And the game was amazing! And I lost 1 dollar to my uncle Artie betting on the Bills! What a time to be alive!
8:15 pm I don’t like the way she sings it
So sad they booed Jose Feliciano. Absolutely love his version
Best version so far
It makes me proud to be Puerto Rican.
Yeah his highkey slaps!
Jose Feliciano’s version was really good! I feel like he got booe’d just for being puertorican.
@@fania_mania no it got booed because it was too nice, and many people that it didnt represent america at the time. Many peopel hated it because of time he sang it. And how he was generally disliked by many before.
Maybe I just listen to too much Mariah Carey but 11 notes doesn't sound like anything at all.
The Star Spangled Banner uses the tune of a British drinking song named To Anacreon in Heaven. It's the anthem of the Anacreon song (a music society that dissolved in 1710s). That song was also written for soloists. That's why it's so hard
Who doesn’t know “What so proudly we hailed”?
Phinx
at the twilight's last gleaming
@@downbntout Whose broad stripes and bright stars
Thro' the perilous night
O'er the ramparts we watched.
Me cos I'm 🇦🇷🏴
I knew Fergie was gonna be somewhere in the video 😂
onionYAY same lol
Lol hahaha hahahaha you're too much lol hahahaha hahahaha stop please lol hahahaha
It wouldn't be a real anthem without her
You have layers.
I sang it in front of my entire community college with my choir. It's tough.
God bless the last guy's soul helping that young woman. I'm almost certain that thanks to him, that moment in her life went from trauma to a more positive experience.