Hands off Star-Spangled Banner

Hands off Star-Spangled Banner

I have heard the National An- them sung many times, and if I had any inkling that it was going to be butchered by Christina Aguilara the way she did it, I would have hit the mute button in advance. Why do singers (and I used that word loosely) have to change the music to their own version with their screaming and gyrations? Maybe they should study the origin of the song and show some respect for what it represents.

Some songs should be sung as written and not to suit the whims of the performer. If a mother sang Brahm’s “Lullaby” while cradling her baby to sleep and changed the music to her own liking the kid would never get to sleep. Or how about changing Handel’s “Messiah” or “Silent Night?” Wouldn’t that be a disaster?

Some music is never intended to be changed. Our national anthem is one of those. Sing it the way it was intended to be sung. Is there a lawmaker out there that is willing to submit it to Congress and strongly recommended that it be performed as a national anthem with no personal renditions allowed?

I had members of my family serve in every branch of the service from the first World War through every conflict since then. Even lost a 19-year-old brother during WW II. Yes, he died that you would have your rights to freedom of speech, so honor him and all Americans by doing the “Star-Spangled Banner” with the respect and reverence it deserves.

John Grantonic, Poland