If you watched the Presidential Inauguration on Monday, you saw and heard Beyonce sing our National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, at the conclusion of the ceremony. I am always curious to hear a performer's version of this song that means so much to our country. It is a challenging song to sing, without question, and there have unfortunately been many more performance "flops" than there have been successes. Singers forget or mess up the words (who can forget Christina Aguliera at the SuperBowl a few years ago), change the melody, or can't remain in tune with the high notes at the end of the song. Too often, in my humble opinion, a singer tries to make the song overly flashy and dramatic instead of simply singing it, and in doing so, makes the performance more about themselves than honoring our country.
Beyonce, accompanied by The Marine Corps Band, added just enough flair to make it her own, while still remaining true to the melody and rhythm of the song. I was very impressed with her performance, and think it was one of the best I have heard in quite some time. Watch and tell me what you think...
