Monday, February 7, 2011

Bombs Bursting on Air

Christina Aguilera
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Perhaps it was TV lights glare
or fear of the camera's stare
There's no proof it was fright
caused the goof heard last night--
but the words in the verses weren't there

Last night Christina Aguilera fumbled The Star-Spangled Banner at the Super Bowl. The singer has plenty of company in flubbing the national anthem. Listen to 5 other famous screw-ups--including Roseanne, Michael Bolton and Frank Drebin--here.

3 comments:

panavia999 said...

Aguilera doesn't sing my style of music - I like classical music - but I've read that she is a real pro with the octave range to do justice to Star Spangled Banner. And she still screwed up? tsk tsk tsk. I don't like it when people riff on the tune. Just sing it straight and get on with the game. Some of us can't sing at all, but at least the words are ingrained.
20 years ago, we went to a July 4 Air Show at Moffet NAS where a navy ensign who also happened to have opera training sang the anthem. No flourishes, no trills, no extended notes, just the tune. Not a dry eye on the tarmac. When she finished, there was an audible sigh of appreciation then wild cheers. Best anthem I ever heard. Nothing one has ever come close.

panavia999 said...

Maybe Aguilera and other recording stars who flub the anthem are not good at straight performance. They are only used used to singing in studios and lip syncing at concerts.
The Backstreet Boys sang the anthem a capella at some big game - they were good! I had no idea they actually knew how to sing, I thought they were a lip syncing fake band. Sometimes celebrities do it right.

surly hack said...

I don't much care for the American Idol style of over-singing, but this was a matter of simply forgetting the lyrics.