I have sung our national anthem countless times in my life. I doubt if I have ever sung it properly, but I have always sung it with gusto and love, which I think is rather the point.
Star Spangled PSA
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
Whenever we have a sporting event at school, it’s generally an instrumental, but I sing it anyway.
I am the PA announcer for our games and I usually call the crowd to attention and so forth. However, during a game last basketball season, I forgot to lower the mic away from my mouth when the anthem began, so the whole gym heard me badly belt out “O say can you see…” over the instrumental 😳
On Flag day, in our very large dining room at the Assisted Living home, I walked over to the corner of the room and picked up Old Glory, moving her to the center of the room.
This was 5 minutes prior to lunch.
A prayer was welling up inside which prompted the display. After we said the Pledge of Allegiance, we sang Our Country Tis of Thee.
I thanked all of our vets and their spouses, remembering too my Godfather, Joseph Taylor, WWII vet. Survivor of the Battle of the Bulge. Tank driver.
My singing comes in a distant second to my love for God and Country.
To all of you. Have a Joyous and Beautiful Fourth of July.
God BLESS America.
Special thanks for the “caretaker” of this blog; Donald R. McClarey.
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I don’t know if this practice is common or not, but my 4th Degree Knights of Columbus meeting opens with the anthem.
It is sung well by patriotic standards.
By *musical* standards, well… that is open for debate.
He’s… mostly right. As he says, some 90s artists…embellished it too much. It really does need to be sung as is, preferably with the entire crowd. I would prefer it done slightly more slowly though. If the average is about 1 minute 40, that’s probably about right. It’s based on a British drinking song; it can still be slightly majestic. ..I prefer it led by a choir in a fairly quick, yet marvelous,, 4-part harmony. …with the crowd belting it out with gusto too.