Another Anthem Butchered

In case you didn't see or haven't heard...Christina Aguilera gave us a really crappy version of our beloved national anthem at Super Bowl XLV.

Now, before I go any further, let me just say that I don't have anything against Christina Aguilera. In fact, I think she is one of the most talented vocalists in the world. She's the real deal! Having said that, she just destroyed the national anthem on Sunday. Not only did you screw up the words, but she also just sang it poorly. Damn!

Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but when it comes to the national anthem I believe two things: 1) Every American should know the friggin' words! Especially if you're going to sing it in front of millions of people. 2) SING THE SONG LIKE IT WAS WRITTEN!!!!

And please allow me to respond to the people who have defended her.

Defense #1 - "Well, she just got caught up in the emotion of the song, and forgot the words."
My response - Is she the first person to ever forget the words? No, of course not, and she won't be the last. I completely understand feeling the emotion of the moment and losing your place in the song. But tell me this, is there some rule that says you can't have music stand in front of you with the words on it? How many singers do you have to see forget the words before you say "well that's not gonna happen to me, I'm gonna have the words in front of me just in case". I'd much rather see that than you omitting several words.

Defense #2 - "Well she was just making the song her own...doing her own version".
My response - Bullshit! This isn't American Idol...you're not doing a version of "Hey Jude" for the 100th time. This is our NATIONAL ANTHEM...a beautiful, simple and moving piece of music. So sing it like it's written. You're a great singer? Prove it. Can you not just hold out a note? Do you have to do ridiculous vocal runs and riffs?

The videos below are a couple examples of how it should be done? Do they not give you goose bumps...and make you proud of your country?