oh say can you make it through this list
welcome to watchmojo.com performance
fails for this list we've chosen
performances where singers mangled the
star-spangled banner or Oh Canada or
wrote their own lyrics
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number 20 Chaka Khan what is it about
the NBA all-star game and gastly anthem
renditions for 2020
Fergie passed the torch to Chaka Khan
the R&B singer is known for her powerful
vocals but no one was ready for this
singing at a snail's pace Chaka Khan
launches into runs that would make even
triathletes exhausted
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[Applause]
hitting notes that audiences previously
did not know existed her performance was
swiftly dunked on drawing comparisons to
both Fergie and Uncle Bobby from proud
family
despite Magic Johnson's praise the
internet was quick to lump this
performance in with the worst anthems in
history number 19
Josh Groban and flea sometimes polar
opposites come together to make
something new and incredible other times
you get whatever this was whose broad
stripes for the 2010 BCS National
Championship game Josh Groban and flea
of the Red Hot Chili Peppers got
together to perform the national anthem
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it was a strange pairing to say the
least with Josh Dane committed to his
operatic style of singing and flee
accompanying him on bass
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their version was slow and seemed
stilted despite a drummer kicking in to
liven it up and while it wasn't the
worst rendition we've ever heard it
definitely left us with more questions
than answers namely why number 18
Victoria's are lehnga
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technical difficulties can be an anthem
singers worst nightmare a 2012 soccer
match between the USA and Scotland was
the setting for this pitchy performance
which had fans gasping and athletes
staring at each other in amazement
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although Victoria's are Lango rocked the
diva finger and looked like the belle of
the ball
her voice strained just enough to
resemble a dying animal
[Applause]
[Music]
to our credit
the singer managed to keep the universe
in order by nailing the lyrics and
blamed the earplug inspiring vocal on
poor auditory perception number 17 Aaron
Lewis your eyes and ears will be forever
stained by this rendition of America's
anthem Aaron Lewis the lead singer of
the affer mentioned alterna metal band
and now a country music crooner went
lyrically rogue at Game five of the 2014
World Series you think that's such a
self-consciously uber patriot would like
have remembered the words to the most
iconic song in the country's repertoire
but know he done goofed replacing at the
twilight's last gleaming with a wrongly
placed were so gallantly streaming
maybe he should have had the lyrics
tattooed on his neck
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number 16 Michael Bolton the Boston Red
Sox were a year away from World Series
glory in 2003 and their intense rivalry
with the New York Yankees cost fans to
tremble with anticipation one glorious
American hero named Michael Bolton
temporarily calmed the storm and brought
the country together with this confused
rendition of the national anthem during
the ALCS that year like so many singers
unable to remember America's most famous
song Bolton took to the hand closed his
eyes and belt it away in a star-spangled
slumber number 15 20 hours there must be
something truly intoxicating to a
performer about just going for it when
they sing the star-spangled banner
perhaps it's some mixture of the crowd
around them with the swell of patriotism
that make singers push their limits -
sometimes disastrous results that has to
explain actor Clint Bowers who had one
of the most cringe inducing final notes
in his performance of the anthem at an
NBA game
[Applause]
poor dude really thought he was gonna
hit the high note but instead his voice
cracked and warbled all over the place
but we guessed kudos to him for really
committing number 14 Christina Aguilera
the Superbowl stage is home to classic
American suspense but sometimes the
Greek masks of comedy and drama make an
appearance in 2011 the illustrious
Christina Aguilera began a
heart-wrenching rendition of the
national anthem only to remix the vocals
by the fourth line like a true Pro the
Grammy Award winning singer moved on
with bravery but the audience
experienced a collective deja vu moment
and wondered if it was all a dream
directed by Christopher Nolan number 13
Kat DeLuna performing the anthem at a
major game can be a great way for an
aspiring pop star to broaden their fan
base at least that's the best-case
scenario if they kill it can you see
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unfortunately for kat deluna she got her
big chance to perform at a monday night
football game back in 2008 and most
likely lost fans rather than gained new
ones she gave a very diva fide
performance of the song complete with
vocal runs and matching finger wagging
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DeLuna had the confidence of Aretha
Franklin but did not exactly have the
vocals to back it up the crowd was not
kind and ended up booing her by the
songs end
[Applause]
number 12 Alexis Normand at the 2013
Memorial Cup a jazz singer from
Saskatchewan Canada scattered her way to
national anthem infamy
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despite a strong opening line
Alexis Norman's vocal confidence quickly
transformed to sheer confusion as she
attempted to collect herself and move
forward with grace what happened next
was the creation of a new language
consisting of part mumbling and part
singing only to be followed up with a
powerful rendition of the national
anthem final lines number 11 Steven
Tyler Steven Tyler may be a rock legend
but even legends have their off days
[Laughter]
performing the national anthem at the
Indy 500 Stevens started off nicely by
doing a little harmonica riff before he
started singing but as soon as he opened
his mouth it went downhill pretty
quickly he was a bit too rock and roll
and he sounded more like he was
screaming rather than singing for much
of the performance
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towards the end he slid into a
particularly egregious note that sounded
like he was fighting off an assailant
not singing the nation's most important
song we feel bad for all the ears in the
stadium that day number 10
Misha bruger gozman sometimes you have
to wonder who's booking the talent for
these performances it's too often that
we hear an operatic version of the
star-spangled banner or o-canada at a
sporting event and that is for good
reason at a 2012 senators vs Penguins
game opera singer Misha Brewer gozman
gave one of the most dramatic renditions
of both songs when she belted them out
in her full over-the-top style it was
clear that she was a classically trained
singer but you have to know your
audience
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
overly drawn-out she made it feel less
like the start of a sporting event and
more like a brand of cruel and unusual
punishment number nine
Cuba Gooding senior test he's the lead
singer of the main ingredient and the
father of an Academy award-winning actor
so what happened to this experienced
performer in 2008 the twilight's last
gleaming this awkward theatrical
production of how high can you go
featured outstretched arms and squeaky
pitching along with a butchering of the
lyrics at one point Huebel getting
senior attempts to rally the audience
with an innovative pacing technique but
unfortunately his dynamic pronunciation
flipped the script on the thespian
affair commenters were right to wonder
if he had a bus to catch
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number eight Carolyn Marcel whether it's
a lyrical mishap or a vocal disaster
performers understand that the show must
always go on
[Applause]
[Music]
Carolyn Marcil forgot the lyrics not
once but twice prior to a 2004
exhibition hockey game between the USA
and Canada and apologized before leaving
the ice however just a few moments later
Marcille returned with written lyrics
for a shot at redemption only to suffer
an embarrassing backwards tumble and
literal fall from grace as the audience
pondered what else could possibly go
wrong
we're still swiftly made her exit and
called it a night
number 7 Madison Rising this band was
doomed from the start
before Madison rising even began to play
the announcer at a 2014 NASCAR race
introduced them as America's most
patriotic rock band a big claim for
anyone to make
what started off as a slow but fairly
run-of-the-mill rendition took on a
whole new life when the bass kicked in
and they attempted to turn the national
anthem into a rollicking rock and roll
song not that this hasn't been done
successfully before Jimi Hendrix anyone
but this particular version was a
resounding flop
to aggressive and just tonally off the
performance was proof that sometimes
it's just best to stay in your lane
number six Jesse McCartney when you're a
professional singer one of the lowest
bars to clear is knowing the words to
the song you're performing but time and
time again we've seen performers let
that get the best of them
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that is exactly what happened with
singer and actor Jesse McCartney who
completely skipped a line while singing
the national anthem at the 2009 NASCAR
Pepsi 500 from the get-go he seemed
nervous and timid unlike his usual stage
presence we don't know what was going on
with him but it had to be bad to
completely flub it like that
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and the
number five Ezra Harris while some of
America's most prestigious singers
prepare for the bright lights of
television others simply adhere to the
call of duty at a 2006 police memorial
ceremony in Chattanooga Tennessee
Ezra Harris was asked to perform and
became a youtube sensation with his
unique rendition of the star-spangled
banner as the cameras rolled
the deputy seemed aware of his lyrical
predicament but continued on with a
freestyle melody for one shining moment
an amused colleague attempted to sing
along only to realize that mr. Harris
was playing by his own rules number four
Dennis Casey parks confidence can go a
long way in selling a performance and if
Dennis Casey parks brought nothing else
to his rendition of Oh Canada it was
that in 1994 the Canadian Football
League tried to expand the league with
new American based teams like the Las
Vegas Posse for a game against the
sketch one parks a lounge singer was
chosen to sing the opening anthems but
too bad he never listened to the
Canadian song beforehand he made it
sound like the Christmas Carol o
Tannenbaum which stunned Canadians in
the crowd
parks became a laughingstock but two
weeks later he redeemed himself by
singing it correctly at another game
number three Carl Lewis Olympic athletes
become national heroes through
commitment and excellence but their
dedication to performance doesn't always
translate to the mic on one fateful day
in 1993 Carl Lewis stunned NBA fans
along with Michael Jordan by delivering
a confused
spoken word rendition complete with
crowd integration and a thorough
restructuring of the Francis Scott Key
classic
I'll make up for it now while the
enthusiasm of Louis was off the charts
his general understanding of the
national anthem earned him a collective
boo number two Roseanne Barr only one of
America's greatest mysteries this
comedian was booked to perform the
national anthem at a 1990 major league
baseball game and shocked the world with
her brash intonations despite a
lyrically sound interpretation the
rushed style and aggressive voice of
Roseanne Barr became an early internet
sensation with each increasingly
exaggerated note Jack Murphy Stadium
roared with boos and the performance
became a perfect example of how not to
perform the star-spangled banner
[Applause]
but as a wise man once said can you get
what you pay for number one
Fergie it's not that Fergie is a bad
singer or even that she didn't hit most
of her notes it's more like what the
heck was she thinking what so at the
2018 NBA all-star game for whatever
reason she decided to perform the song
with a jazzy arrangement complete with
scatting instead of mixing it up and
creating a new classic the result was a
weird sexual rendition of the song that
had players and spectators straining to
keep from laughing her version was
breathy and seductive the polar opposite
feelings the national anthem should
inspire she got roasted on social media
and apologized that her performance
didn't quote strike the intended tone
the reason I was smiling is because I
love the national anthem genre do you
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