American Anthems

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For example, Jehovah's Witnesses do not sing the national anthem, though they are taught that standing is an "ethical decision" that individual believers must make based on their conscience. The ‘rocket’s red glare’ and ‘bombs bursting in air’ are all about the fear surrounding Britain’s attack on the Americans. As Jon Batiste, leader of the band Stay Human, has said, the hymn “connects us to the history of all the people who we stand on the shoulders of – who have marched and fought and died for the freedoms we enjoy and that we’re trying to improve upon. Lyrics set to the tune celebrated national heroes or spoke of political struggles, including temperance (1843; “Oh, Who Has Not Seen”).

A particularly significant celebration occurred during the week of September 10–16 in and around Baltimore, Maryland. Patriotic demonstrations at concerts had become routine, and Henry Lee Higginson, the patrician founder and chief executive of the Boston Symphony, was asked to include “The Star-Spangled Banner” on the program. Despite the controversy, Feliciano's performance opened the door for the countless interpretations of the "Star-Spangled Banner" heard in the years since. Marvin Gaye Spices Up "The Star-Spangled Banner" At NBA All-Star Game, On This Day In 1983 [Watch]".Francis Scott Key, The Star Spangled Banner (lyrics), 1814, MENC: The National Association for Music Education National Anthem Project (archived from the original Archived January 26, 2013, at the Wayback Machine on 2013-01-26). He created a nationwide uproar when he strummed a slow, blues-style rendition of the song [56] at Tiger Stadium in Detroit before game five of the 1968 World Series, between Detroit and St. This Roaring Twenties hit was successfully revived as the B-side of Sinatra's top 3 US and UK single 'All the Way'. The anthem tells of American victory over the British (Key saw the American flag as the smoke cleared on the battle scene, in ‘the dawn’s early light’). Muck’s relationships with young women were exploitative, although Burrage points out that he was one of very few male musicians of the period who supported female aspirations toward conducting and composing.

Higginson, for his part, was prejudiced against Jews and supported measures to restrict immigration. Gladys Knight and the Pips also took the 'Midnight Train to Georgia', Brook Benton and Randy Crawford got wet on a 'Rainy Night in Georgia', and the Charlie Daniels Band told the tale of what happened when 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia'. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. President Herbert Hoover signed the bill on March 4, 1931, officially adopting "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the national anthem of the United States of America.Military law requires all vehicles on the installation to stop when the song is played and all individuals outside to stand at attention and face the direction of the music and either salute, in uniform, or place the right hand over the heart, if out of uniform. Lift Every Voice and Sing’ is a hymn written by two brothers in the early 1900s in response to the struggles faced by African Americans following Reconstruction, and the Jim Crow laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States until 1965.

Men and women were instructed to stand with their hands over their hearts, men removing their hats, irrespective of whether or not the flag was displayed and those in uniform saluting. Although all four stanzas of the poem officially compose the National Anthem, only the first stanza is generally sung, the other three being much lesser known. British Rockets at the US National Park Service, Fort McHenry National Monument, and Historic Shrine. The lyrics come from the " Defence of Fort M'Henry", [2] a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by British ships of the Royal Navy in Outer Baltimore Harbor in the Patapsco River during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. Joni's account of the New York State festival was a hit for CSNY in the US, and the Matthews Southern Comfort version went to No 1 in the UK.The playing of the song two years later during the seventh-inning stretch of Game One of the 1918 World Series, and thereafter during each game of the series is often cited as the first instance that the anthem was played at a baseball game, [27] though evidence shows that the "Star-Spangled Banner" was performed as early as 1897 at opening day ceremonies in Philadelphia and then more regularly at the Polo Grounds in New York City beginning in 1898. S. soldiers—who were under bombardment from British naval forces during the War of 1812—raise a large American flag over Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland.