[Hot Tabasco]

First off, I don't like the Star Spangled Banner as our national anthem despite who wrote it and where.

It's the hardest song to sing and there has been more controversy over the singing of this single song than any other and it's time to get rid of it.

"America the Beautiful" fulfills the same meaning for this country and there have been many wonderful renditions sung by talented vocalists who would be hard pressed to screw it up.

As a side note, I'm also an advocate to remove the Michigan state bird, the robin, as our state bird and replace it with the chickadee.........The robins head south for the winter while the chickadees stay here and keep us amused with their company.

[TexasTransplant]

***** “It’s the hardest song to sing and there has been more controversy over the singing of this single song than any other and it’s time to get rid of it.” ******

If everyone could do it, it wouldn’t be special, just like our Country before Obama.

TT

[MarkBsnr]

First off, I don't like the Star Spangled Banner as our national anthem despite who wrote it and where.

With tongue in cheek: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaXzcTrY0Vg

Manowar's Warriors of the World United - given our history of (especially recent) warfare, it might not be as farfetched as one might suppose.

[I cannot think of a name]

“It’s the hardest song to sing”

I used to think the exact same thing until I punching around on late night TV. Remember, the music began life as a pub drinking song. So you can imagine a bunch of men singing whatever words went with it.

At any rate, I’m punching through the channels and Kelsey Grammer Is on Letterman. Not a fan of Letterman, but Grammer sometimes say something interesting so I leave it there. Obviously the interview is finishing up, and Letterman asks Grammer if he would sing the national anthem. I’m thinking it must some set up for a gag. Nope. Grammer stands up and sings the best version of the song I have ever heard.

He starts out really low, when he gets to what are usually the high parts, he is only up to a normal voice (remember the music was written for a bunch of MEN singing in a bar). Instead of sounding like his vocal cards are about to be ripped out, Grammer just storms through it effortlessly.

I had no idea Kelsey Grammer sang, and I am now convinced, the song has been sung in the wrong key for 200+ years.

[AceMineral]

I have long advocated “America the Beautiful” as the national anthem. It is certainly a more “American” song than the “The Star Spangled Banner”.

[Fiji Hill]

I love "The Star-Spangled Banner" and find that it is not at all hard to sing.

I hope "America the Beautiful" never becomes our national anthem. It's a good patriotic song, but is at times cornball (alabaster cities?), and unlike our current National Anthem, it is too passive. "The Star-Spangled Banner" exhorts us to "conquer we must, for our cause, it is just." It even includes a Bible reference: "no refuge can save the hireling and slave" (see Job 7:2).