Whitney Houston, The Star Spangled Banner | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 186^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2023), we recollect and reflect on “The Star Spangled Banner” by Whitney Houston.

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome. In the 186^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2023), we recollect and reflect on 🎵 “The Star Spangled Banner”, performed by 🎙 Whitney Houston. 

“O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave / O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” ‘Merica 🇺🇸! Anthems begin and end with 🎵 “The Star Spangled Banner,” performed by ONE person and ONE person only. The greatest national anthem of all-time belongs to the late, great, 🎙 Whitney Houston.  Houston made us all gag with unique rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” at Super Bowl XXV in 1991. Rolling Stone dubs Houston’s version as “the gold standard for all Super Bowl performances,” adding it “Stands as one of the most stunning moments in NFL history.” Agreed. That’s merely one of many publications that have praised this iconic moment in history.

First and foremost, it is the voice that makes this performance among the greatest of all time.  Houston’s voice was truly once-in-a-lifetime – in its own league.  Her tone, the nuances – special, special, special.  Beyond her flawless vocal execution, the orchestral arrangement of the tried-and-true national anthem (John Clayton), makes it unique. Instead of being in triple meter, it’s set in common time, which, is uncommon in this case! The longer, stretched out take is nothing short of sublime.  All told, Houston’s rendition = EPIC.

🎙 Whitney Houston • 💿 Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances • 🏷 RCA• 📅 2014

Whitney Houston, The Star Spangled Banner: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 186 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; RCA; John Alan Sperry, PIRO via  Pixabay]