My take on the Christina Aguilera/National Anthem Debacle

Well the SuperBowl is over and people my age and older are already asking "who played who in the SuperBowl?" But the world (sarcasm) is still abuzz about the "atrocity" wreaked by Xtina. So here's my buck-and-a-half on the topic.

First let's let's enumerate the criticisms:

1. She "forgot" the words
2. She butchered the melody

Okay...to point one I have a couple responses:

1. SO WHAT??? She's not the first to do so, and she most definitely will NOT be the LAST to do so! Don't believe me? Go Google "National Anthem Bloopers" Heck...even the venerable "Hi-De-Ho" man himself, Cab Calloway flubbed miserably in a performance of the Star Spangled Banner.
2. I would submit to you, as a musician, that she did not "forget the words"...what she actually did was lose her place in the song. Now, you could argue "what's the difference?" and I would tell you there is a huge difference, and any musician can tell you the same. The case can also be made that the reason she lost her place was because she was so damn busy butchering the song that she wasn't concentrating on where she was in the song. I would not necessarily argue with you on that point.

To point two, I have a single response:

1. Yep, you're right. She butchered it. But for anyone to say that she got up there and sang with the intent of being disrespectful in her performance is absolutely ludicrous. Unfortunately, her "career" has been made on her ability to perform "vocal gymnastics." So much so that she is well on her way to having ruined her singing voice doing so, and at the ripe old age of 30! Again, speaking as a musician, I truly feel sorry for her. She doesn't even really know how to "sing from her heart." All she knows is that the more embellishment she throws in, the more her records sell. At least up until now. So she got up there and gave what she thought her "fans" would want to hear: Senseless, meaningless, embellishment sung with absolutely no heart and no soul behind it. Truth be told, if you want to "blame" someone, blame the people who made her famous for her vocal style to begin with: her fans!

Now...to address the "backlash" from her performance. The vast majority of people, myself included, thought it was an absolutely abysmal performance. What bothers me, though, is the knee-jerk reaction of so many people screaming "just sing it STRAIGHT!" or "how disrespectful" or "what a disgrace for our country." I've already discussed the "disrespectful" aspect, so I'll discuss the other two here.

The only person "disgraced" by that performance was: Christina Aguilera. Well, and maybe the person who's idea it was to have her sing at the superbowl. And, well, maybe, her parents. Anyway, the nation is not disgraced by her performance. Get over it!

"Just sing it straight." Oh my goodness are you KIDDING me???? Ok...let's just say, for example, that the average person attends some gathering where the SSB is performed, what? 10 times a year? 15? For people who hold season tickets to major sporting events, you can double and even triple that. Can you imagine, if every performance were "note for note" with the original music? Stadiums everywhere would be filled with snoozing people before the game even started! Seriously...let's face it...no matter how patriotic you are...no matter how much  you love your country...the melody of the SSB is...well...let's just say it's "plain." So if for no other reason than to keep people awake...embellishment should occur.

To me, the whole "sing it straight" mentality is a false outrage. With all the other problems this country has, you're going to get all worked up about a single (admittedly distasteful) rendition of the National Anthem? Come on now...come on back to earth and join the rest of us earthlings, please? Channel that false outrage into doing some good in this world.

Not only that, but, last I checked...we live in the "Land of the Free," right??? I mean...it even says so right there in the SSB itself! So, why shouldn't a performer have the freedom to inject their heart, soul, and personality into our very own National Anthem? There is absolutely nothing "disrespectful" in doing so. In fact, I would submit to you that there is nothing more "American" than adding embellishment to music in general, and that includes the SSB. After all, the original "uniquely American" music...Jazz...is built on embellishment and improvisation. The key here being that it be done in a tasteful manner and more importantly: from the heart. Two things completely lost on Xtina. She has no concept of the term "tasteful," and her idea of "from the heart" translates as "let's see how much shit I can throw in for the sake of throwing it in..."

Whitney Houston's rendition of the SSB for SuperBowl 25 is considered by many to be one of the most heart-warming performances of the tune in modern times. Personally, it still gives me goose-bumps every time I hear it! Why? Not just because of it's musicality...but because the heart and soul she puts into that performance. Go watch the video and notice the look of sheer joy on her face as she's singing that song! I bet if we were to ask her...she probably looks on that performance as not only one of her best...but one of her personally proudest moments as well. Those who know me know that I am a huge fan of hockey, and particularly the St. Louis Blues. One of the BIG reasons I love going to a Blues game is to hear Charles Glenn performing the SSB before the game. He has a wonderful voice and while each performance is similar, (because that's his "style") I've never heard him sing it the exact same way twice. And just like Whitney's famous version, you can hear Charles's heart and soul in every note...and see the joy on his face as he performs!

So, to all you who say "sing it straight" I say, "stop being un-American."