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An Off-Key Look Back At The Worst National Anthem Performances Of All Time

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Getty Image/Merle Cooper

Ingrid Andress isn’t the first singer to mangle the national anthem, and she won’t be the last.

During the Home Run Derby on Monday as part of Major League Baseball’s All-Star festivities, the four-time Grammy nominee gave a “trainwreck” performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” To be fair, it’s a tough song to sing! But that’s probably small consolation for Andress, who has yet to publically comment on what the heck happened. But at least she’s in… well, maybe not “good” company, but company nonetheless. Below, you’ll find some of the worst anthem renditions (U-S-A? U-S-A? U-S-A?) of all time.

Jesse McCartney (October 11, 2009)

If there’s one crowd you don’t want to forget the lyrics to “The Star-Spangled Banner” in front of, it’s a NASCAR crowd.

Roseanne (July 26, 1990)

Back before Roseanne Barr lost her mind, she was the queen of sitcoms, thanks to her brilliant self-titled ABC comedy. One of Roseanne‘s executive producers was Tom Werner, who also owned the San Diego Padres at the time. His synergistic plan to have Roseanne perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” backfired when during a break between games of a Padres vs. Cincinnati Reds doubleheader, she intentionally sang off-key and grabbed her crotch, eliciting a think-of-the-children rebuke from then-president George H. W. Bush. As the game’s first-base umpire Steve Rippley told the Sporting News, “We [immediately] knew it was a disaster.”

Alexis Normand (May 18, 2013)

This is why you don’t have a Canadian sing the American national anthem (except Celine Dion… and Neil Young… and Joni Mitchell… and Japandroids, just to see what that’s like — they’re all allowed to).

Victoria Zarlenga (May 26, 2012)

The most common explanation for a pitchy live performance: in-ear monitor issues. “This was not a good performance and I take full responsibility for it! I did not realize I would need ear buds as monitors and to block out the stadium sound delay, lack of knowledge on my part,” Victoria Zarlenga explained following her flat, uh, interpretation of the national anthem at a USA vs. Scotland soccer match. “Therefore, I had to borrow a pair from the sound crew that were too large for my ears and were popping out.”

Carl Lewis (January 21, 1993)

Two words: “Uh oh.”

Fergie (February 18, 2018)

How did Fergie respond to the audible laughter for her performance at the 2018 NBA All-Star Game? By apologizing, basically. “I’ve always been honored and proud to perform the national anthem and last night I wanted to try something special for the NBA,” she said the next day. “I’m a risk taker artistically, but clearly this rendition didn’t strike the intended tone. I love this country and honestly tried my best.” Fun fact: before Fergie performed the United States national anthem, Barenaked Ladies did the same for Canada.

Kat DeLuna (September 15, 2008)

Kat DeLuna tried to the make the National Anthem her own, like when Aretha Franklin sang it for over five minutes. But with all due respect, there’s only one Aretha Franklin.

Ingrid Andress (July 15, 2024)

Just in case you somehow missed it.

Flavor Flav Sang The National Anthem At A Bucks Game And His Passionate Performance Drew A Mixed Reaction

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Flavor Flav City of Hope's 2023 Music, Film & Entertainment Industry Spirit of Life Gala
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Flavor Flav is a rap legend thanks to his work in Public Enemy. He’s also a reality TV icon thanks to his multiple shows, including Flavor Of Love. One thing Flav isn’t necessarily known for is his singing abilities, but he put them center stage this weekend to sing the National Anthem at a Milwaukee Bucks game yesterday (October 29).

The NBA team shared a video of the performance on X (formerly Twitter) and it has proven popular, racking up 3.8 million views in the 13 hours since it was uploaded. Not long after he left the court, Flav seemingly anticipated some negative feedback coming his way, as he tweeted, “The anthem was a long time bucket list item,,, that was fun! I can’t live my life worried about what people might say about me. I won’t let that stop me from trying new things and doing things I wanna do. Some people might not like that. But a sure failure is if you stop trying.”

Feedback was mixed: Some took exception to Flav’s vocal performance, while others were happy to see him putting his heart into the performance. One user called on fellow Public Enemy member Chuck D, tweeting, “I bet @MrChuckD is laughing his ass off.” Chuck responded, “Well I’ll put it to you this way .. Flav moved his opinion with The Obamas and VP Harris. I think a bit different on it. My father was a hardcore US Marine. When he passed in 2016 they came out played taps & folded the flag. The context must always be presented upon the action you see. I wrote each of MY songs with deep detailed meaning so you cannot listen to PE with a cavalier EAR and mindset.”

Chuck also recently posted about how Flav has been doing lately, writing, “Some social talk out there on @FlavorFlav about his management. Truth is They cleaned his life up. These past 5 years Period. If thats what it takes to get him away from the bulsht elements so be it. Bulsht street sht that has us RIP at stupid funerals for 50 and unders many times a year now. I don’t GAF if he moves In Taylor Swifts house.. HES 64 many are crumbling younger. He is doing well and best I’ve ever seen him.”