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Carrie Underwood was evidently flat in several spots yesterday when she sang the national anthem. We hardly noticed, to be honest. But that could just be because we tend to be more forgiving when it comes to people actually singing versus, well, not singing. Nonetheless, it got us to thinking about the most memorable moments in national anthem history.
We’ve assembled a list of the ones that made the hair on the back of our neck stand up — both in a good way and bad — the ones that left us wondering WTF?! and the ones that made us proud to be Americans. Click through to see which ones made the cut.
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10. Michael Bolton: Being in pitch is a small consideration, really, compared to, oh, you know, remembering the words. Chrissakes, Bolton, Celine Dion’s a Canadian, and even she knows the words.
09. Roseanne Barr: Then again, there’s some people we wish would’ve forgotten the words.
08. Carl Lewis: We could elaborate here, but oh, my, talk about pulling the wings off a fly.
07. Destiny’s Child:There’s another clip floating around with just Beyonce singing the “Star Spangled Banner,” but this one is far more gratifying to watch thanks to illustrious harmonies presented by these three gals.
06. Marvin Gaye: Without question, Marvin is one of the Greatest of All Time. Nonetheless, his rendition here is fairly ill conceived. Despite the fact that his voice is in dependably fine form, somehow Marvin manages to turn one of our country’s most sacred songs into a sexed up slow jam come on over some anemic ’80s-era beat.
05. R. Kelly: Hey, if Marvin Gaye can do it … Oh. Dear. God. Where to begin? We’re not sure what the hell is going on here, but a) we’d love to know how Kelly retained his citizenship after this performance, and b) don’t miss the hand claps and whoo! around the 1:11 mark. Pure comedy gold.
04. Christina Aguilera: Not sure who made the call here or why anyone thought this was a good idea. Everybody knows Xtina’s got pipes, just let the girl belt. Having someone bang out rudimentary beats on a kit while she’s singing is more distracting than the “heh” accents she keeps drops over the course of the song and more ill-advised than her hair color in this clip. She’s much better on her own as a blonde.
03. Whitney Houston: Maybe one of the most moving vocal renditions we’ve seen. Remember Whitney before reality television rendered her mere mortal?
02. Jimi Hendrix: C’mon! You had to see this one coming. We could’ve pulled out some wildcard pick here, but let’s be real: Hendrix’s “Star Spangled Banner” will never be outshined. Ever. By anybody. Well, except perhaps …
01. Overjoyed Americans… caught in the rapture of the moment and erupting in spontaneous song on the streets of New York this past Presidential election night.
