The Breeze Magazine of the Lowcountry, JULY 2018

MUSIC TOWN
“Oh, Say Can You See...”
By: Jevon Daly
For July this year, I have been thinking alot
about the National Anthem. A powerful song. A song
everyone knows (or is supposed to know). A song that
is not easy to sing. And finally, a song that is usually
over-sung, if that is even a word.
Gone are the days when someone would step
up to the microphone, sing the song exactly like it
was written, and the bow to applause. Nowadays,
in the wake of shows we love like American Idol and
The Voice, the anthem has become more and more
a vehicle for singers to add ornamentation to as
they wail and cry up and down scales (usually using
their hands to pantomime their note choices). Could
you imagine Dorothy singing “Somewhere Over the
Rainbow” in this ‘new’ style? Laughable? I think
so. Without being too critical of modern vocalists in
general, why can’t young singers follow pop singer,
PINK’s ‘lead’?
but that was newsworthy bad. Hopefully, the Billie
Holliday comparisons were a joke, too. When the
players were smirking I knew - this stinks. When you
go out there and try to “make something your own,”
remember this: you probably won’t. We all want to
hear songs done pretty close to the original. I am sure
if there were a digital download of the “orig” of the
anthem, it would sound like PINK. She rules.
*Editors Note: There will always be great singers for
this song. Don’t be afraid to hum along.
PINK sang the Anthem at the Super Bowl LII
and just brought the house down. She didn’t make
the words “proof” or “wave” ten syllables. She hit the
high notes hard, held them nice and long. Her face
was serious. None of the players laughed or rolled
their eyes. That is where the proof is to me. Don’t
make fun of the anthem, man. Lady Gaga’s reading of
the song at Super Bowl L, though not quite as pure to
me as PINK’s, is still very straight, to the point. There
may be a little more vibratos, but she is Gaga. She still
sticks to the script and original version of the melody
here. I’m trying not to sound too much like a music
nerd here, but all the extra swooping up and down on
one syllable words you hear on POP radio these days
is a little silly to my ear. And no, I’m not getting old.
I mean, I am getting older. But go listen to Brittany
Howard or St. Vincent’s Annie Clark belt out a song off
a recent album. No frilly crud. It’s not necessary. Sing
us the song like we have heard it in school. Geez.
I have always liked the Black Eyed Peas. I
thought Fergie was cool. However, I no longer think
she is cool. I am sure there will be something that
will come out soon that will put her back on the map,
but her cocky arrangement at the NBA All Star game,
WOW. JUST BAD. I don’t watch sports that often