When did the national anthem become a ballad??
I’ve served twenty years in the military (so far) so I’ll start out by saying that every time I hear “The Star Spangled Banner”, it is always a moving experience for me and symbolic also of everything the United States has been through and for what our country stands for. I can’t pinpoint any specific examples of where I’ve heard the national anthem sung in a manner where a performer is trying to use it to showcase their talents at the expense of the song. This is not to say that it hasn’t happened, like you mentioned in your question details, but just that I haven’t ever witnessed it. If I ever do see this, it will be a sad occasion for me (and an irritating one also) if someone uses this song for their own selfish purposes. It’s been said that “The Star Spangled Banner” happens to be a very hard song to sing and I would have to agree as it has some very high notes to hit and detailed lyrics in the music. I would guess that many people choose to perform this song because they find it
