30 Years Ago, The Gold Standard For The National Anthem
It’s Been 30 Years Since Whitney Houston Sang The National Anthem At The Super Bowl
Wow, how can it possibly be 30 years have passed since this moment. January 27, 1991, Super Bowl XXV was taking place (like this year’s game) in Tampa, Florida. Just like now, our nation was in the midst of a major crisis. Now it is the Covid-19 pandemic, then it was Gulf War One. We were just 10 days into it.
It was a much different time in our country. Despite our differences (yes, we’ve ALWAYS had them), I never felt like we weren’t “together” as a country. And keep in mind I was a college student at the time. If there’s anyone who would have felt otherwise, it would have been me.
Anyway, as great as the game was (the Giants beat the Bills 20-19 as Buffalo’s last second field goal attempt went wide right), what that game is best remembered for was a moment that took place before the first whistle even blew.
Whitney Houston, arguably the greatest pop singer America ever produced, stepped to the microphone on the fifty-yard-line, and delivered the most memorable and poignant rendition of our National Anthem that I’ve ever heard-before or since.
I was watching the game with some fraternity brothers. We all had tears in our eyes. Then we all stood up, applauded and high-fived each other.
To many, that game and that song became a “This is American Strength” moment. There is a term called “rally ’round the flag effect,” where tragedy or war inspires patriotism, and Whitney Houston singing that day heightened that.
Singer/Producer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds once said about Whitney, “Hearing her sing The Star-Spangled Banner — she made people proud that they were Americans.”
I’m not certain who is singing the national anthem this year, but I think we can all hope that seeing/hearing it has that same effect for our country. We could sure use it, right?
