Bill Press, hater.
The talk show host started a major controversy on his radio show this week when he hit the airwaves and announced to listeners that the American national anthem, a.k.a. “The Star- Spangled Banner,” is “stupid” and “un-singable.”
“It’s an abomination… First of all, it ranges two octaves; most people can only do, kind of, one octave,” said Press. “It’s more than a pet peeve. It is a major crusade of mine. A major cause of mine and that is, to get rid of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’”
He also called the lyrics “stupid.”
O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their lov’d homes and the war’s desolation;
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the heav’n-rescued land
Praise the Pow’r that hath made and preserv’d us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Awesome!
June 8, 2012 at 4:01 pm
Well, he's right that it spans an unusually wide range, and is difficult to sing. But that's been common knowledge for a long time.
But to say the lyrics are stupid… I'd say rather that they are above his comprehension.
June 8, 2012 at 4:17 pm
I like the fact that it's a bit difficult to sing. We are Americans, for God's sake. Rise to the occasion and practice. Do your best and belt it out without effeminate self-consciousness. Approach the difficult as a challenge, not as something to be eliminated because of your ineptitude.
I hate radical egalitarianism in all its pathetic forms.
June 8, 2012 at 4:23 pm
The melody is from an old English drinking song, which is why it can only be sung (or appreciated) by someone who is completely drunk.
June 8, 2012 at 4:35 pm
All the more reason why we should keep drinking.
Years ago I sang this song on a public street, after a tad too few, and I actually got an audience and applause. (At least I think so, or maybe they were throwing stuff at me. I can't be 100% sure.)
@Blackrep: EVERYONE hates egalitarianism. So you are just like everyone else. (Ha.)
The best rendition of this every, btw, was Whitney Houston – I think it was right after the Gulf War. Used to have that on video. God rest her soul.
June 8, 2012 at 5:48 pm
The song is stupid and was a re-furbished ENGLISH tavern chant; "The Anacreontic Song". The lyrics are about a war which is hardly memorable, and present the US as unoriginal or unable to come up with a unique song without relying on England.
"God Bless America" or "America the Beautiful" are much better choices.
June 8, 2012 at 5:55 pm
The melody is from an old English drinking song
Well, the lyrics to the "Ode to Joy" are from a German drinking song.
Proving that drinking songs provide great inspiration.
June 8, 2012 at 6:13 pm
The range is not two octaves. The range is an octave and a fifth – the "two octaves" part refers to a tasteless added-on high note that pop singers and pop singer wanna-bes toss in in order to show off. Most people can handle the range if they are able to pitch the song where they are comfortable. Unfortunately, it is most often sung at sports events – by sopranos or tenors. Most guys' ranges are lower, in the baritone/bass range. Tough. Use falsetto. Great lyrics – sung in the USA for nearly 200 years, our national anthem since 1916.
June 8, 2012 at 6:27 pm
A couple of years ago I started doing genealogy. I discovered at least two direct ancestors, possibly a third, that fought in the War of 1812. In January of 2011 I was lucky enough to be a chaperone on the March for Life and took my group of teenagers to see the Star Spangled Banner at the Smithsonian on our "free" day. The song is so personal now. I cry easily, I'll admit, but now the song really chokes me up. It makes me think about my 4th great grandfather and his 6 brothers going off to fight. Keep the song!
June 8, 2012 at 6:37 pm
The solution to leading a group in the anthem, I've learned, is that you begin on the D right above middle C. It goes down till about the lowest note most people can manage (G below middle) but only goes 9 notes above middle- people are just beginning to panic that the melody is going too high when the melody starts coming down again. The anthem is just within the range of most people IF you pick the right starting note.
June 8, 2012 at 6:58 pm
Thank you, Margaret.
June 8, 2012 at 9:19 pm
Yeah, I agree that it's difficult to sing.
At least it has some elements of virtue in it, and doesn't promote inherited oppression (the monarchy) or imperialism like "God Save the Queen" does. (And I'm not condemning monarchy per se, but the English monarchy did some pretty nasty stuff-and the Spanish Marcha Real doesn't have lyrics…and the tales about the Spanish monarchy are overblown anyways.)
June 9, 2012 at 2:42 am
But please, could the people who try to sing it stop the silly embellishing with the, to me, sickening endless vocal riffs. They destroy the song. When I hear the first extra note, I am turned off, especially on the singer, even if I liked them before.
I want to hear it straight up!
Karl
June 9, 2012 at 3:23 am
Totally agree, Karl. People are already intimidated enough by the range, and not always entirely secure with the lyrics. No need to start treating it like some kind of pop or soul sing. The KISS rule applies here in spades-Keep It Simple, Stupid.
June 10, 2012 at 12:21 am
Margaret and Karl – YES! Nailed it. Another problem about the pop embellishments is this: Dear pop singer – the National Anthem is not about YOU. Ideally, it is not entertainment. It is about our nation – which means it is about all of us, those who have gone before us, and future generations. As such, maybe it's not so bad that it might be a stretch for any given non-professional vocalist American to sing it, and that to express all the highs and lows it takes all of us together in a cooperative effort.
Another thing – it engages us in a way that "God Bless America" and "America the Beautiful" don't. If we pay attention, it asks questions which require an answer from us: Does the flag STILL wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave? The question being not only does it still wave, but – are we still free? Are we still brave – i.e., worthy successors of those who have defended it before us? I know what my answer would be to these questions.
Besides that, the other two songs go on enough about God and Pilgrims that – the way things are going – either of them would likely be tossed out in a generation or so anyway. Better hang on to what we have, rather than start a tradition of updating our National Anthem every few years to reflect current political correctness.