Those very same audiences who are so quick to boo often start cheering and whooping during a stirring performance, adding to the emotional impact, and helping to create a truly memorable moment. On the other hand, when it’s done right, it can be an incredibly powerful musical experience. It is so hard to sing, many pros refuse to perform it. Fergie, Christina Aguilera, Steven Tyler, and Michael Bolton were all humiliated after poorly received renditions of the song. It requires a decent vocal range, even if you sing it without pyrotechnic flourishes it features numerous, awkward upward and downward leaps and it has lyrics that are famously hard to remember.Īdd to that the pressure: singers are performing in front of large, sometimes global, audiences – a crowd that is quick to turn hostile, especially if you forget the lyrics – and, this being the Internet Age, fails are sure to go viral. “The Star-Spangled Banner” is a notoriously difficult song to sing. Consider this advice if you’re ever called to perform it. A performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” can be a powerful musical experience when done right and a national embarrassment if things go wrong.

Lyrics to the star spangled banner song