Worst National Anthem Singers

The National Anthem is a challenging piece to sing. It’s full of soaring notes, and there are three other stanzas no one ever learns because they’re rife with imagery from the War of 1812, aka the One We Don’t Study Because It Was a Tie.

To top it all off, our anthem is based on an English drinking song, so it wouldn’t be disrespectful of you to have a couple beers before attempting it. Heck, a good drink might even be a necessary step in remembering the lyrics.

It certainly would have relaxed the vocal cords in these screeching and stammering singers, perpetrators of some of the anthem’s worst renditions ever recorded (and then posted on YouTube).

Here is an uplifting one. Natalie Gilbert has a great voice, but she forgets the words. The supportive crowd touchingly cheers her on, but she remains flummoxed. She needs a hero. And because this is America, she gets one in the form of Mo Cheeks. Coach Cheeks can’t sing, but remembers all the words. Together, they’re the Voltron of national pride. People helping people: That’s what this country is all about (and cheeseburgers).