February 6, 2011 8:49 PM

Christina Aguilera Flubs National Anthem

By
David Riedel
Topics

Christina Aguilera sings the national anthem before the NFL football Super Bowl XLV game on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011, in Arlington, Texas.

(Credit: AP)

NEW YORK (CBS) Christina Aguilera belted out the National Anthem in Arlington, Texas, Sunday night at the Super Bowl and - probably inadvertently - put her own spin on the words to the Star-Spangled Banner.

Instead of singing the song's fourth line with the correct words - "O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?" - Aguilera sang, "What so proudly we watched at the twilight's last gleaming?"

PICTURES: Christina Aguilera
PICTURES: Stars at the Super Bowl
PICTURES: Top Super Bowl Commercials
PICTURES: Super Bowl Party People
READ MORE: Best Super Bowl Commercials 2011? You Decide
SPECIAL SECTION: Super Bowl XLV

According to Billboard, her error was a merge of the second line with the fourth line.

(Watch the video below to hear Aguilera's change.)

To be fair to Aguilera, the song is difficult and the stage - the Super Bowl is watched by millions and millions and millions and millions of viewers - is at one of the biggest events in the world.

Aguilera's not the only singer to make a mistake belting the National Anthem. In 2009 Jesse McCartney goofed the words before the NASCAR Fontana Race. In Dec. 2010, the lead singer of the Eli Young Band flubbed the words before a Kansas City Chiefs-Denver Broncos game.


Add a Comment See all 135 Comments
by happygael February 9, 2011 2:12 PM EST
Christine Aquilera has no excuse. I have listened to Rise Stevens Maria Callas Kate Smith and a host of others sing our National anthem and not make any mistakes. She never prepared for the event. If she could not handle it then she should have turned down the assignment. She has no excuse. She is supposed to be a pro.
Reply to this comment
by SeattleHostMom February 8, 2011 10:19 PM EST
I do wish that singers would sing the national anthem the way it was written.
The dramatic "interpretations" don't impress me. I just like to hear the performance of the song done well and done right.

Remember when Willie Nelson mixed up the lines "broad stripes and bright stars" several years back? This has happened before and will happen again.
Reply to this comment
by gruven13777 February 8, 2011 5:32 PM EST
by erasmus111 February 8, 2011 3:20 PM EST
"We would learn them and practice until it was right."


Well, we know that she does know the words and did get it right on this occasion....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VtF6rwNmdA


Like I said, people make mistakes. You can know something really well, but that doesn't stop mistakes from happening. In the blink of an eye, things can change. It all depends on the circumstances.

Also, singing without music is very hard. Not a lot of people can do it. And when you have people cheering around you, that makes it even worse.

-------

Dude, our National Anthem has been sung in front of mobs of people for over 100 years, so stop acting like this is the first time in the history of mankind that it's ever been attempted.

The fact is....she's just a sucky singer.
Reply to this comment
by erasmus111 February 8, 2011 5:58 PM EST
I don't give a rat's ass how many times it has been sung. People makes mistakes, that's life.

And she is not a sucky singer. She is one of the best singers. I did not particularly like the way she sang the Anthem, with all the "runs", but she still is a good singer. With all singers, there is always that one song they don't sound good singing. She sang it at another game and sounded just fine, though. There wasn't as many "runs".


"...so stop acting like this is the first time in the history of mankind that it's ever been attempted."


And might I suggest that you stop acting like this is the first time someone didn't sing the song well, or screw it up.
by oldlawoman February 8, 2011 5:26 PM EST
So what, she just gave us more of a good thing. Think of it this way, at least she gave it her all, for us.
Reply to this comment
by RedWings_ninety_one February 8, 2011 12:32 PM EST
Her rendition of the National Anthem may have been an insult to our country...but the halftime show was an insult to music anywhere...even the God-awful music that they sing to begin with. Perhaps the only highlight of the show was Slash....the show was abysmal...even worse than the "wardrobe malfunction" caused by Timberlake a few years back. The best halftime show so far has to be either Springsteen, or Petty.
Reply to this comment
by olebasiclady February 8, 2011 9:05 AM EST
I can't believe the number of people defending this hideous performance.

Aguilera isn't a choir member performing for free.

She was paid more for this performance than most people make in a year, and she goofed it up because she didn't put enough time into preparation.

Blame the song? That's the new American way. Blame everyone and everything but the performer, whether that performer be an ill-prepared singer, a hostile and combative athelete, a criminal running from police, a poor performer in school, a mental patient who goes beserk and shoots a politician. I could go on, but I'm sure there will be enough negative replies to my comment already.
Reply to this comment
by bobnjersey February 8, 2011 10:43 AM EST
[She was paid more for this performance than most people make in a year, and she goofed it up because she didn't put enough time into preparation. ]
------------------------------------------------
how much was that? post a reference to support claims that she was paid large sums of money of doing this.
by olebasiclady February 8, 2011 11:28 AM EST
She is an entertainer. She doesn't work for pennies. That's my opinion bob, and I'll stick to it. You want to disprove it, go right ahead.
by Magginkat February 8, 2011 8:35 AM EST
So? Just another blonde bimbo. By the way she sounded like an old Tom Cat in heat. This woman is supposed to be a popular singer???
Reply to this comment
by wlhoppers February 8, 2011 2:02 AM EST
So Christina flubbed a lyric or two. Big deal. It's a difficult song and there isn't an armchair quarterback here, me included, who could do better.

I do like the idea of having a member of our armed forces sing the anthem and I also like the idea of having it sung as it was meant to be sung - without grandiose personalized stylings (wailing and screeching).

On a note about our armed forces - for the gallant serviceman (sorry, forgot his name) who was given the Medal of Honor - what kind of pathetic introduction was that in the show? From the sidelines in the third quarter - a brief intro while the teams were gathering at the scrimmage line? Give the man his due, a place of honor in the opening of the game or perhaps at half-time. What an insult.
Reply to this comment
by obwan222 February 7, 2011 10:46 PM EST
"The problem isn't so much with Aguilera as it is with the anthem. The lyrics are about some obscure war in this country's never ending series of wars and make little sense to the modern listener..."

That's because schools do such a bad job of making American children appreciate their country's history. As a native of Baltimore I must take a few moments to defend the anthem.

The poem (later made into a song) was written about a pivotal battle during the War of 1812, the second revolutionary war. The British wanted nothing less than to re-conquer their old colonies. To prove that they were our masters and we had to bow to their dominant power. To undo American independence.

A critical part of that war was taking the port of Baltimore so they could link up their naval forces with their army inland. An Army that had already sacked and burned Washington DC.

In the harbor of Baltimore sat Ft. McHenry. The commander there knew that he was sitting on a critical strategic target. He ordered that a flag be made large enough to be seen by all. It ended up being about half the size of a basketball court.

That was the flag that flew during the bombardment of the fort by the British Navy. Francis Scott Key had gone to a British ship to negotiate the release of some Americans that the British had seized in advance of their attack. He was stuck on-board overnight as the battle raged.

The British failed to penetrate the harbor and seize the city. Eventually they were forced to withdraw.

I always get a little choked up and sing a little louder during the line, "And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there."

It's not about glorifying war - it's about pride in America. That we stood up to the most powerful army and navy on the planet and beat them - twice. That Americans withstood shot and shell to defend their belief in self-determination.

That despite adversity, war and strife that have struck this country too many times we still stand with our heads held high and face the future.

...Our flag is still there, we're still the land of the free and there are many brave Americans that we owe that to, past and present.
Reply to this comment
by BoldChapeau February 7, 2011 11:39 PM EST
Enough dissection already! The fact remains that this battle is obscured by the ages and the language is archaic. "The ramparts we watched were so valiantly streaming" is as nonsensical to the modern listener as "Jose can you see" would be. "America the Beautiful" is more melodic, more understandable, WAY more relevant and actually imparts a positive message.
by erasmus111 February 8, 2011 1:24 AM EST
"See, I got it wrong, too."


Yeah, well I can see why people would get it wrong. It goes on forever, and doesn't look easy to remember.
See all 4 Replies
by common_sense_fla February 7, 2011 10:43 PM EST
enough is enough. The national anthem was not written with all that woo-wooing and those awful screaming high notes. ms. aguilera's rendition was an overly sad attempt. she should have spent more time learning the words than trying for some pitiful dramatics.
Reply to this comment
See all 135 Comments
.

Follow Celebrity Circuit

Scroll Left
Scroll Right More »
CBS News on Facebook
  • Building You a Better Morning

  • CBS This Morning

    "CBS This Morning," anchored by Charlie Rose, Gayle King and Erica Hill, airs weekdays from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and at the same time in other time zones.
    Learn more...