Ind. Girl's National Anthem Rendition Stirs Flap

[gunslingingbird]

An Indiana school district that told a black teenager to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" in a "traditional way" after receiving complaints about her performance is drawing questions now about whether the complaints and directive were racially motivated.

Shai Warfield-Cross, 16, has performed the national anthem at sports events at Bloomington High School North over the last year without incident. But school officials said they received complaints about her performance during a game in Martinsville.

I'm glad someone is finally putting a stop to this trend of bastardizing the National Anthem. People think that they can shit all over it freely because it's their "artistic representation" of it. Sorry to tell you this, but it's the fucking NATIONAL ANTHEM, not some shitty pop song that you can improve by adding your personal touch to it. This is a song that represents a country as a whole, not some wanna-be "artist" who wants to make the song his.

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[zdenka]

Who cares about India.

 

[gunslingingbird]

Who cares about India.

Try reading the article. Hell, try reading the first sentence of the quote. You'll find that it clearly says that it's about Indiana, which is a state in the US scream: Andronicus!!! :scream not India. :ban:

 

[Icewater Jones]

I'm not mad at this. They probably either heard her practice her rendition, or her her perform previously. Either way, so many people, of all races, treat the anthem like its an American Idol tryout. Nothing wrong with telling somebody to sing like you got some sense.

 

[meesterperfect]

45 seconds in: its ok so far.
finished: it wasn't that bad, a little off key, slow tempoed and whitney houstonish but i've heard much worse.
i too despise when people sing it in a stupid way, keep it traditional the way it was written to be sang but in this case it wasn't too bad.

as far as the racist aspect of this, sure, if thats the way one chooses to view it.

after reading the article: was that her traditional version or the one they complained about?
i think it was her traditional version.

 

[pete rose]

I'm glad someone is finally putting a stop to this trend of bastardizing the National Anthem. People think that they can shit all over it freely because it's their "artistic representation" of it. Sorry to tell you this, but it's the fucking NATIONAL ANTHEM, not some shitty pop song that you can improve by adding your personal touch to it. This is a song that represents a country as a whole, not some wanna-be "artist" who wants to make the song his.

Story

If you REALLY think about, The Star Spangled Banner was a shitty song to begin with. All of that John Philip Sousa march garbage. The Rite of Spring should have been the national anthem, because that was rule so hard.

 

[YMIHERE]

You must have known that Jimi Hendrix would come up. Great nontraditional rendition.

 

[pete rose]

i was mostly talking about the original march. march music sucks, but when jimi plays it, it doesn't sound like a shitty march.

 

[Ace Bandage]

That was absolute fucking garbage. And that's exactly why the band should be playing the anthem instead of having some dumbass student perform it. You don't take artistic liberty with the goddamn song. She deserved to get shit canned.

This is how an anthem should go. :thumbsup:

 

[PlasmaTwa2]

OMG racism. Bitch bitch bitch...

 

[feller469]

blame it on Mariah Carey and her dolphin rap, half the time the only creatures that can understand her are Flipper and his buddies

 

[jod0565]

If that was the rendition they are referring to in that link, then I don't think it was that bad.

 

[meesterperfect]

If that was the rendition they are referring to in that link, then I don't think it was that bad.

i think that was her revised version, after they complained.

see the article wants to cause more racial tension, thats its goal.

so by showing the revised normal version people will say " that wasnt bad, what are those racist white people talking about?".

the version they complained about probably sounded like the typical w. houston style horrible moaning and wailing.

what happened to singers like diana and dionne? you know , with talent

 

[jod0565]

i think that was her revised version, after they complained.

Kind of what I thought, that's why I started with "if." lol

 

[ThatRedWing]

You must have known that Jimi Hendrix would come up. Great nontraditional rendition.

I don't have any problem with somebody adding their own style to the anthem in the context of a personal appearance or whatever. If however you are there specifically to do it, then do it like it is written.

 

[darkwarrior3007]

It's not like she went all Marvin Gaye on the song, get over it.

 

[gunslingingbird]

If you REALLY think about, The Star Spangled Banner was a shitty song to begin with. All of that John Philip Sousa march garbage. The Rite of Spring should have been the national anthem, because that was rule so hard.

i was mostly talking about the original march. march music sucks, but when jimi plays it, it doesn't sound like a shitty march.

Oh, dear. Where do I start with this?

1. The music is not a march. A march is a piece in a duple meter. This, clearly, is not in duple meter, it's in triple meter.

2. The poem by Francis Scott Key was set to an existing piece, an old British drinking song. John Phillip Souza had NOTHING to do with writing it.

3. John Phillip Souza didn't write shitty marches. In fact, some of the most popular pieces played at events such as 4th of July celebrations are Souza marches. Ever hear anyone complain because "The Stars and Stripes Forever" was playing? What about "The Washington Post March"? I didn't think so. The next time you know the name of an American composer from the XIX century try researching him a little before you talk about him.

4. The reason why the song is hard to sing is because the melody spans more than an octave. An average person's tessitura spans less than an octave, making the original melody a poor choice for a song that all the people of a country will be singing.

5. Jimi Hendrix's version didn't sound like a march because he didn't play marches; he was a blues guitarist.

Sorry, bubb, but you went 0 for 4 on that one.

 

[magicspore]

Who cares about India.

You should , before , forget your livelihood, YOU get outsourced.

 

[mrtrebus]

At least you lot have a National Anthem!

 

[pete rose]

Oh, dear. Where do I start with this?

1. The music is not a march. A march is a piece in a duple meter. This, clearly, is not in duple meter, it's in triple meter.

2. The poem by Francis Scott Key was set to an existing piece, an old British drinking song. John Phillip Souza had NOTHING to do with writing it.

3. John Phillip Souza didn't write shitty marches. In fact, some of the most popular pieces played at events such as 4th of July celebrations are Souza marches. Ever hear anyone complain because "The Stars and Stripes Forever" was playing? What about "The Washington Post March"? I didn't think so. The next time you know the name of an American composer from the XIX century try researching him a little before you talk about him.

4. The reason why the song is hard to sing is because the melody spans more than an octave. An average person's tessitura spans less than an octave, making the original melody a poor choice for a song that all the people of a country will be singing.

5. Jimi Hendrix's version didn't sound like a march because he didn't play marches; he was a blues guitarist.

Sorry, bubb, but you went 0 for 4 on that one.

dont care; still a shitty song.