Super Bowl 55 kicked off Sunday with recording artist Alicia Keys singing the so-called black national anthem, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” along with a poem. Hitmaker Alicia Keys was tasked with a virtual performance of the 121-year-old spiritual song that has come to be known alternately as the “black national anthem” after being introduced in 1899 for Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. The poem read in 1899 was set to music in 1900.