Video: Worst national anthem evah
posted at 9:29 pm on September 16, 2008 by Allahpundit
The Standard says it’s a close second behind Roseanne’s, but that’s apples and oranges. This one’s not off-key, it’s just … way, way, way too much. Note to Kat DeLuna: “The Star-Spangled Banner” is not just a vehicle to show off one’s range. Cover a Mariah Carey or Christina Aguilera song if you want to do that.
And for the record, this is no worse than third on the list of all-time stinker renditions. Good lord.
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Or lack thereof. It was EXCRUCIATING.
And really bad.
tree hugging sister on September 16, 2008 at 9:31 PM
Jeez, lady, sing it, don’t gargle it.
Bartrams_Garden on September 16, 2008 at 9:33 PM
Worst? Sorry, Rosanne Barr holds that one for life. Owns it.
Owns.
wise_man on September 16, 2008 at 9:33 PM
Wow, Allah must be on a caffeine bender! No quote of the day yet?
(C’mon, quote Olbermann saying Palin should be undergo a psych eval for owning a tanning bed.)
fiatboomer on September 16, 2008 at 9:34 PM
My Brother got to the send word into the song last night and changed the channel! LMAO!!! He was like WTF!!!!
Good game though!
The guy that dropped the ball before going into the end zone was a MORON!
Chakra Hammer on September 16, 2008 at 9:34 PM
Roxanne “owns” the national anthem – not in the same way that Sinatra owns “my Way” – but more like when the dog licks the pizza.
whitetop on September 16, 2008 at 9:34 PM
Worse than Frank Drebin?
reaganaut on September 16, 2008 at 9:35 PM
Also, this is so bad you can watch with the sound off and tell she’s epic-failing.
fiatboomer on September 16, 2008 at 9:35 PM
What was wrong with that?
lorien1973 on September 16, 2008 at 9:35 PM
meant “Roseanne”
whitetop on September 16, 2008 at 9:35 PM
I thought it was OK.
eea on September 16, 2008 at 9:35 PM
I’m not feeling it.
Maquis on September 16, 2008 at 9:36 PM
To scared to click.
Cindy Munford on September 16, 2008 at 9:36 PM
Pop sensation?
Keep it simple okay? It’s not about you it’s about the country. Thanks for booing, maybe she got the message
Dork…
Mojave Mark on September 16, 2008 at 9:36 PM
Ho. Ly. Crap. I couldn’t make it all the way through I felt so bad for the guy.
BadgerHawk on September 16, 2008 at 9:36 PM
2:16 of my life wasted. *sighs*
coyoterex on September 16, 2008 at 9:36 PM
That was painful.
D0WNT0WN on September 16, 2008 at 9:36 PM
Is that, like, “urban yodeling” or something?
TBinSTL on September 16, 2008 at 9:37 PM
The boos… zomg the boos at the end… comedy gold.
spmat on September 16, 2008 at 9:37 PM
Holy crap. That was awful.
jewells45 on September 16, 2008 at 9:37 PM
They should just use the Cactus Cuties for all their home games.
reaganaut on September 16, 2008 at 9:37 PM
It wasn’t that bad until the end. Was the crowd booing?
Sue on September 16, 2008 at 9:38 PM
Ah, she was just practicing. Lord knows she needs it.
trailboss on September 16, 2008 at 9:38 PM
She is so off key. This person makes her living singing? She has a tin ear. Horrible.
UnEasyRider on September 16, 2008 at 9:38 PM
It Must have been bad for an Atheist to call upon the wisdom of the Lord. :}
Let us Pray..
Chakra Hammer on September 16, 2008 at 9:39 PM
Not as entertaining.
trailboss on September 16, 2008 at 9:39 PM
You don’t need to start riffing on the national anthem. That Sucked.
echosyst on September 16, 2008 at 9:39 PM
That was a guy? Well maybe that explains it.
jewells45 on September 16, 2008 at 9:40 PM
You know, if you put it on Mute and just watch her sing, its not nearly that bad. She’s sorta cute in an exotic sort of way, and the mind-bending awfulness of the sound is almost entirely moot.
Always Right on September 16, 2008 at 9:40 PM
Kind of reminded me of that Simpsons episode where “Bleeding Gums” Murphy took forever to get through the anthem…
Pasalubong on September 16, 2008 at 9:40 PM
Bad, obnoxious, and self-debasing. But not even in the same category as Roseann Barr’s assault on humanity.
Jaibones on September 16, 2008 at 9:40 PM
Good lord, she’s terrible . . . but would excel at a hog calling contest.
rplat on September 16, 2008 at 9:41 PM
Agreed. That was seriously flat.
When did oversinging become the norm for pop stars?
Slublog on September 16, 2008 at 9:41 PM
The boos, sums it up!….damn that was bad!
Bluestate_Blues on September 16, 2008 at 9:41 PM
Not off key Allah ??? Jarringly off key my man – she hits some of those notes with a regular gargle.
From now on just let a Vet sing it !!
defendfaithandfamily on September 16, 2008 at 9:41 PM
The fact that the concepts of ‘pitch’ and ‘key’ are entirely lost on her and she seems to think that singing is supposed to resemble screaming while getting an anal probe with a baseball bat.
Sheesh!… Rosanne still pwned her though
Damiano on September 16, 2008 at 9:41 PM
This is my line of work. And yes, she did have some intonation issues. The hand gestures and the tortured melismatic effort made it that much more egregious.
She stunk.
I haven’t done this on Monday Night Football, but I have done it for MLB, and it’s not always easy (the conditions can be less than ideal – lots of delay/slapback, etc.) – but man, she was just trying way too hard. It hurt.
capitalist piglet on September 16, 2008 at 9:42 PM
Carl Lewis national anthem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJLvCM4j2mg
gumble on September 16, 2008 at 9:42 PM
I’ve always hated it when singers opt to improvise the tune of the Star-Spangled Banner. Far better to nail the song and impress the audience by hitting all the notes- even the ones 99% of Americans can’t touch!
highhopes on September 16, 2008 at 9:43 PM
Holy crap that was bad.
Must be.
amerpundit on September 16, 2008 at 9:43 PM
That crap really does suck…sing the damn song in the way it was intended…it seems she probably has the voice for it.
Wow…they really booed her at the end there??
Good on them…although I would hate to see her 18 month career ruined by this….
Gahh!!!
BigWyo on September 16, 2008 at 9:43 PM
Next time, maybe they should hire this little girl…..
Seven Percent Solution on September 16, 2008 at 9:44 PM
Best post. Of the day.
trailboss on September 16, 2008 at 9:44 PM
She was off-key.
And, the gravest sin of all, she, with the gesturing and prancing, did this to my national anthem.
emailnuevo on September 16, 2008 at 9:45 PM
Huh?
It wasn’t so bad…
On a scale of one to ten, I give it a five.
SaintOlaf on September 16, 2008 at 9:45 PM
When it comes to the national anthem, I agree with this guy. Just sing it.
Slublog on September 16, 2008 at 9:45 PM
Carl Lewis did one at a Nets game that was horrific by any standard.
JammieWearingFool on September 16, 2008 at 9:46 PM
I don’t remember anybody complaining about Whitney Houston’s performance of the national anthem – this girl was just trying way too hard, and she overdid it. Her effort exceeded her ability.
Also, that pitchy stuff – I honestly think she had a riff in her head and she blew it. She just clammed it.
capitalist piglet on September 16, 2008 at 9:46 PM
She should try acting, or modeling or maybe being a doctor or a business woman.. singing doesn’t look promising.. at least not the National Anthem.(She needs to be banned from singing that)
Chakra Hammer on September 16, 2008 at 9:46 PM
11 seconds, that’s all I could watch, and it was 8 seconds to long even for that…………………
Seven Percent Solution on September 16, 2008 at 9:46 PM
I say stick with the Whitney Houston version..before the coke addiction.
x-wing on September 16, 2008 at 9:46 PM
Har. Try the link I quoted, funny man.
BadgerHawk on September 16, 2008 at 9:46 PM
Sounds like she had one or two too many cocktails getting ready and relaxed for the show.
Spirit of 1776 on September 16, 2008 at 9:47 PM
She wasn’t on just one scale.
She kept changing keys like a full-bladder drunk locked out of his house.
trailboss on September 16, 2008 at 9:49 PM
Come on man, she was at least easy to look at.
/I’ll duck if you’re a girl
x-wing on September 16, 2008 at 9:49 PM
One of the best?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qciWEufZ2xA
gumble on September 16, 2008 at 9:49 PM
Um, I beg to differ. Way off key, way pitchy!
ConMom on September 16, 2008 at 9:49 PM
AP,
Your name is ridiculous because you are apparently unaware that Arab Christians use Allah in reference to God.
Seriously, how do you criticize the Obamessiah with a straight face?
TTheoLogan on September 16, 2008 at 9:49 PM
Exactly right…
BigWyo on September 16, 2008 at 9:49 PM
Ah, yes. Apparently Francis Scott Off-Key wrote Kat DeLuna’s rendition as well.
amerpundit on September 16, 2008 at 9:49 PM
Geez, for moment there, I thought an alien was coming up out of her mouth…
d1carter on September 16, 2008 at 9:50 PM
Did anyone watch the movie Southland Tales? If you ever wanted to listen to the worst National Anthem evah, that would be it.
m064404 on September 16, 2008 at 9:51 PM
Can’t anyone sing without sounding like an R&B singer anymore?
barry norris on September 16, 2008 at 9:51 PM
As always, I blame Bush.
Mr_Magoo on September 16, 2008 at 9:51 PM
If you’re going to hot-dog on the national anthem, at least do it well.
Then there’s always our other national anthem. Be prepared to have your spine melt (in a good way). :)
spmat on September 16, 2008 at 9:51 PM
At the Indy 500, Steven Tyler ended with “and the home of the Indianapolis 500.” That rated number 2 (behind Rosanne) for me.
DAT60A3 on September 16, 2008 at 9:51 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKCVS57j284&feature=related
Bluestate_Blues on September 16, 2008 at 9:52 PM
Today’s award for Most Random Comment goes to TTheoLogan. He’s fully aware of what Allah means. Prior to working at Hot Air, AP ran a satirical site in which he assumed an Allah voice.
amerpundit on September 16, 2008 at 9:52 PM
heh…Anyone remember “Bleeding Gums” Murphy from The Simpsons attempt at the National Anthem?
Sorry, I know I’m not alone when I say…our anthem is NOT a pop or an R&B tune. Dear gawd…
JetBoy on September 16, 2008 at 9:52 PM
Didn’t see a link.
jewells45 on September 16, 2008 at 9:52 PM
Not terrible, not great, I’ve heard worse.
Slow night here at HA.
Bishop on September 16, 2008 at 9:52 PM
No need to duck, I was watching the Carl Lewis rendition……….My Goodness Graciousness.
Seven Percent Solution on September 16, 2008 at 9:52 PM
Here’s Patti Labelle taking it a little over the top, a model for generations of vocal gymnasts to copy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH7LiZTMXZI
cannonball on September 16, 2008 at 9:53 PM
That was horrible–off key, she breathes at the wrong time, she phrases horribly. That was the worst.
Why can’t anyone do a straight rendition, without attempting to it Gospel style?
Gabe on September 16, 2008 at 9:53 PM
Best version evah?
THIS ONE from Superbowl XXXIX…the combined military academy choirs…
JetBoy on September 16, 2008 at 9:54 PM
Wow…OT Mainia!!!
Don’t even know where to start on this one….
BigWyo on September 16, 2008 at 9:54 PM
everything’s R&B yo….
on a more serious note that gal is shrill…
sven10077 on September 16, 2008 at 9:54 PM
I don’t know, Hillary’s was pretty bad…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfZ_gXCHaMw
lutherjw on September 16, 2008 at 9:55 PM
Everyone is complaining about that, but honestly – if it’s well done, by a Brian McKnight or someone with that level of ability, do you still hate it?
To me, a bad R&B-style performance (like this one) is very offensive…it comes off like a bad American Idol audition – but when it’s done well, it’s awesome.
capitalist piglet on September 16, 2008 at 9:55 PM
I may disagree with the politics of the Dixie Chicks, but their version of the “Star Spangled Banner” was outstanding – they just sang it.
Slublog on September 16, 2008 at 9:56 PM
Not that bad until the end. The end was really, really bad, though.
Maybe It’s just me, but I think booing a 20 year old for, er, overextending herself is in bad taste.
VolMagic on September 16, 2008 at 9:57 PM
Two seconds. I saw that stupid look on her face and had to give it a pass.
Worse version ever here (scroll down). It’s the second most noticeable thing about the clip. :-)
baldilocks on September 16, 2008 at 9:57 PM
If I really put my mind to it, I could sing as badly as Roseanne Barr.
But there’s no way in a million years I could screw it up as badly as this lady did.
Is there a version of the video that continues to show how bad the booing got?
logis on September 16, 2008 at 9:57 PM
it gets “better” with a second listen…and by “better” I mean as an incentive to practive shotputting with my laptop…..
egads….
sven10077 on September 16, 2008 at 9:57 PM
I blockquoted AP’s link to another lovely rendition…
And you messed up my follow up joke. You were supposed to say “I’m a girl”. Then I could say “Well maybe that explains it”. Geez, get with the program./
BadgerHawk on September 16, 2008 at 9:58 PM
Ouch, that was painful
x-wing on September 16, 2008 at 9:58 PM
I’ve always thought Marvin Gaye’s version was the most interesting.
The Ugly American on September 16, 2008 at 9:58 PM
I take that back, she shouldn’t be encouraged to sing the National Anthem in Public as the lead vocalist, she should be free as anyone else is to sing the National Anthem on her own however.
Quit butchering it, and sing it how it’s supposed to be..(Thats my critique)
Who vetted her?
Didn’t anyone listen to her sing it before the game, I’m sure the practice session wasn’t much better? OMG.
Chakra Hammer on September 16, 2008 at 10:00 PM
Turn on the volume, quit looking at her. Now tell me nothing is wrong with it.
Tim Burton on September 16, 2008 at 10:01 PM
oh come on, it wasn’t that bad. Maybe inappropriate, but not bad.
/paula abdul/
She made it her own
/paula abdul/
tlynch001 on September 16, 2008 at 10:02 PM
At the 57″ mark I pulled the handles!
dmann on September 16, 2008 at 10:03 PM
I have the worst rendition…ever
This is not running down what she sang…just when she chose to sing it….
BigWyo on September 16, 2008 at 10:03 PM
Well, alrighty then.
I’ll be the first to admit I’m a bit slow on the uptake, even my husband says so…
jewells45 on September 16, 2008 at 10:03 PM
*WHUP* *SNATCH*
Just swooped down and stole my new favorite phrase.
The best thing about the video is the folks in the crowd boo-ing for the few seconds between her egocentric off-key vocal scales and the video mercifully ending.
I believe George Will — years ago, when I still read him — wrote something about Whitney Houston singing “I Will Always Love You”. His beef was that she started the song with her throat wide open, going full blast. He thought it a metaphor for something.
Never a fan of Mrs. Brown myself, I saw it, and see it still as a new urban female contest: who can add the most unnecessary notes, on- or off-key, at the most annoying volume to whatever song your sing…including lullabyes. The winner gets a crack-addicted lay-about husband.
I’ve seen kids on TV, 4 and 5 and 6, murdering common childish tunes by singing in this style. It’s a “cultural thing”. That said, I have even heard country singers imitating this crap.
Longine Symphonette will one day revive to produce a collection of “Urban Yodelling and Bitch Tunes”. “Fitty Cent” will do the commercial.
Puritan1648 on September 16, 2008 at 10:04 PM
I hate when people get carried away with this song by promoting their “talents.” This song is about a lot more than any one individual. And please, please tell me that cop vid was a joke.
DarkeningCloud on September 16, 2008 at 10:04 PM
Thanks for reminding me of that :roll:
Our National Anthem is not, sung well or not, to be remade into some pop/R&B tune. Ever.
I can’t STAND it when it is….again, sung well or not. It’s just wrong.
JetBoy on September 16, 2008 at 10:05 PM
I hate when stupid people put so much embellishment into songs that it no longer sounds like the song. This girl should be shot for doing this to the Anthem. (Well, maybe that’s a bit much, but at least mandatory removal of the voice box will suffice.)
This reminds me of the music awards show from about a decade ago when Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston had to do a duet, and they tried so hard to “out-diva” each other, that you couldn’t even tell it was a viable song at all.
ErinF on September 16, 2008 at 10:06 PM
Ugh. It’s God Bless America, Ms. Price, not Una Bella Journata from Madama Butterfly for heaven sakes. I wish operatic singers would stay away from popular tunes, because they ruin them as badly as popular singers butcher operatic solos.
This is how it’s done.
ManlyRash on September 16, 2008 at 10:08 PM
Hey, at least when Roseanne did it, you could sing along.
manwithblackhat on September 16, 2008 at 10:09 PM
Actually it was off-key at certain places. Horrible.
carbon_footprint on September 16, 2008 at 10:09 PM
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