And while the song is a marker of community, it is also a marker of individuality.

We have a such a big country, with millions of millions of people, and we know the collective rituals, singing the songs together.”īut, according to Clague, there is no traditional way to sing the anthem. “One of the powerful things about music, and a powerful thing about an anthem - it builds community when we sing it together. He’s a big believer in the song’s impact on American culture. Mark Clague is a professor of musicology, the director of research at the University of Michigan and the founder of the Star-Spangled Music Foundation. Thousands of renditions are played each year, but how much do you really know about the anthem? From the war of 1812, to World War I, and up to today’s traditions, it’s had a hand in molding the modern image of America.

To celebrate the anthem’s 200-year anniversary, we explore its historical significance. …the song evokes potent emotion and memory. …or belted by Whitney Houston at Super Bowl XXV…

Whether distorted in protest by Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock… We’re all familiar with Francis Scott Key’s “The Star-Spangled Banner,” especially as a ritual opening at our county’s favorite sporting events.

Lyrics to the star spangled banner song