It's time for the March 1, 2016, Battle of the Bands.
Mr. Stephen T. McCarthy provides us with this information about the bloghop:
The whole thing is really quite simple: You select two different versions of the same song (versions you feel might give each other some competition in the voting) and you post them on the 1st and the 15th of each month. On the 7th and 21st of each month, you add your own personal vote to the mix, total up all the votes and announce the winner on your blog.
Beyond that, just try to have fun with it and let your readers/voters have fun with it.
Citizens of the United States of America, prepare to rise and put your hands over your hearts. My Battle of the Bands song is our national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner--not the easiest song to sing because it requires a great range.
I didn't watch The Stupor Bowl, but I heard that Lady Gaga sang the anthem beautifully. I watched it on YouTube, and it was true. However, I recall that the late, great Whitney Houston sang the anthem with her usual power. I decided to pit these two ladies against each other.
Here she is, a singer who will forever be missed, Whitney Houston:
Wikipedia states: Her rendition was critically acclaimed and is considered the benchmark for singers. Rolling Stone commented that "her singing stirs such strong patriotism. Unforgettable," and the performance ranked No. 1 on the 25 most memorable music moments in NFL history list. VH1 listed the performance as one of the greatest moments that rocked TV. Following the attacks on 9/11, it was released again by Arista Records, all profits going towards the firefighters and victims of the attacks. This time it peaked at No. 6 in the Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Some criticized the Super Bowl performance because Houston sang into a dead microphone. Organizers explained that it was standard procedure because of background noise.
And now, from 2016, we have Lady Gaga, whose performance you must watch on YouTube because of NFL copyrights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrfeZ3GeM-A
Lady Gaga (Stefani Germanotta) stated that her favorite performance of the anthem was Whitney Houston's. For me, Gaga's performance is the most moving and heartfelt. Reportedly, she sang The Star-Spangled Banner live.
Actress Marlee Matlin performs the anthem in American sign language. The song was followed by a Blue Angels flyover (Jacksonville's Naval Air Station is the home of the Blue Angels).
Please vote for your preferred performance of The Star-Spangled Banner in your comment, and tell us why you made the choice. Remember, you're not voting for whether you like our national anthem. You are voting to tell us who gave the better performance. I'll announce the winner on March 7.
Infinities of love,
Janie Junebug
Please visit the other participants in the Battle of the Bands:
Voice Your Vote @ ‘FAR AWAY SERIES’ by clicking HERE.
@ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ by clicking HERE.
@ ‘YOUR DAILY DOSE’ by clicking HERE.
@ 'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CURIOUS AS A CATHY' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING' by clicking HERE.
@ 'DCRELIEF - BATTLE OF THE BANDS' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE DOGLADY'S DEN' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE' by clicking HERE.
@ 'ANGELS BARK' by clicking HERE.
@ 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' by clicking HERE.
@ 'J.A. SCOTT' by clicking HERE.
@ 'NOVELBREWS' by clicking HERE.
@ 'QUIET LAUGHTER' by clicking HERE.
@ 'REINVINTAGED' by clicking HERE.
@ 'HOLLI'S HOOTS & HOLLERS' by clicking HERE.
Whitney is always a winner with me!
ReplyDeleteNice alliteration.
DeleteI listened to the both twice, once watching and the other time with my eyes closed, simply listening. This is a hard one to pick. Whitney had a full orchestra backing her up and Gaga had only a piano. If I am calling it strictly by vocals I would have to give it to Whitney by a very close margin, but I have to go with the full package and I thought Gaga was spot on with sentimentalism and patriotism so my vote is with her.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the studied manner in which you made your decision.
DeleteI always miss the Super Bowl though sometimes I'll sneak in to watch the half-time show and maybe a few commercials. Can't say I'm a football fan.
ReplyDeleteWhitney was fine though in her typical style she went a bit over dramatic for my taste. Gaga was still dramatic, but more pure I guess. I wish Gaga would have also had he orchestra, but maybe that would have put her over the top too.
Anyway, for me it's Lady Gaga.
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out
Gaga is gaga for you. I never watch any part of the Super Bowl. The next day I watch the national anthem and maybe the halftime show.
DeleteI adore Lady Gaga and she certainly turned in a barnburner of a performance but even so, I must vote for Whitney Houston's simpler but even more powerful rendition. And I actually do quite like "The Star Spangled Banner" as a song. Impossible for most people to sing, of course, given its demanding range, but always very moving when done well. It's right up there with La Marseillaise in my books as a favourite anthem.
ReplyDeleteI like singing The Star-Spangled Banner. One of these years, you'll turn on the Super Bowl and hear the announcer say, And now, The Queen of Grammar sings our national anthem. I love the sound of La Marseillaise, though I don't know the words. It's another anthem that makes me feel the love of one's country. I also sing along on God Save the Queen.
DeleteWhitney Houston for the win! :)
ReplyDeleteIf she were alive, she'd appreciate it.
DeleteWait, what? "Some criticized the Super Bowl performance because Houston sang into a dead microphone." So she wasn't singing live? I thought this was a lock for Whitney, but if she didn't sing it live, with all the pressures that come with that and just rolled in and lip-synched the whole affair after leisurely belting it out in a controlled environment the day before, I have to give the edge to Lady Gaga. All my meat suited votes go to Gaga.
ReplyDeleteIt was a controversy at the time when people learned Whitney lip synced. I felt pretty certain that Lady Gaga sang it live--and I confirmed it online--because she almost missed a couple of letters at the beginning of words and she was a little off on one note--things that could be fixed in the studio. How many meat-suited votes do you get?
DeleteI love gaga, but its hard for me to challenge whitney on this one. Ahh! Tough call. I can't pick!
ReplyDeleteTake some time, Mayor Gia, and return to vote for Mother Monster.
DeleteGaga definitely put a lot of emotion into her performance and she looked great as well. That said, Whitney's powerhouse voice can't be denied. Please give my vote to Whitney.
ReplyDeleteWhitney it is.
DeleteIt's pretty hard to beat Whitney with her clear vocals. Gaga has such a throaty sound, Whitney is more melodic. My opinion!
ReplyDeleteAnd you are entitled to it.
DeleteThe Gaga did it justice. But I have to give my vote to Whitney, because she's dead. And she made me cry during the original. Or maybe not. But she is dead.
ReplyDeletePS Different note - I'd like to quote you. Please see you email. Thank you, darlin. Cheers.
Please quote me with the following: I like nice people, including Robyn Alana Engel, who makes me giggle. She is the Lewis to my Martin, or the Martin to my Lewis. Either way.
DeleteWhitney Houston gets my vote. Gaga's version was blah-blah for me. I didn't even recognize her at first, not that that altered my vote.
ReplyDeleteI like Gaga's red spangly suit. I want one of those suits. I wonder how much it costs. Probably more money that I get in a year.
DeleteI'm voting for Lady Gaga - I really enjoyed the depth and rich sound of her voice.
ReplyDeleteMother Monster feels moved by your mad music skills.
DeleteI prefer Whitney's National Anthem, but Lady Gaga blew me away with her recent performance at the Oscars.
ReplyDeleteI cried when she sang at the Academy Awards. Of course, I cry every time I listen to her sing the anthem. I cried when she sang The Sound of Music medley at the Oscars. I'm a Gaga crier. I've seen enough interviews with her to feel that she has a lot of empathy for people, and that gets to me.
DeleteJanie, in a nutshell Lady Gaga does a far better Star Spangle Banner than Houstson. When I heard Lady Gaga perform this at the opening of Super Bowl 50 I was really moved. She is one of the best I've heard in years. Fantastic battle!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cathy! I think Gaga is catching up to Whitney.
DeleteLoved the younger Whitney (poor talented woman threw her life away) but I have to say I was blown away by Gaga! And she just had a piano for backup! There was no straining or sliding up to hit a high note--she was spot on. My vote goes for Gaga. :)
ReplyDeleteI knew you'd vote for her. We are the world's oldest Gaga fans.
DeleteThis is so lame of me to comment that I am undecided! I should probably just, well DECIDE and THEN comment!
ReplyDeleteYou can say anything you want. You can comment on your dinner tonight. It's okay.
DeleteGaga! I've always been a fan of Gaga - I just love her voice!
ReplyDeleteMmmmgaaaaammmgaga.
DeleteI forgot to add: I've nominated you for the Music & Words Award, specifically for music bloggers. You don't have to accept it but here's the info if you do: http://www.jinglejanglejungle.net/2016/03/music-words-award.html
ReplyDeleteps I really do enjoy your blog!
Thank you! You are so kind.
DeleteGaga did a great job, but I'm going to give it to Whitney.
ReplyDeleteShe would appreciate it if she were here.
DeleteI do not like the practice of having a famous performer sing the "Star-Spangled Banner" before sporting events, specifically because it turns into a performance, and the crowd/audience finds itself listening to the performer rather than singing along. The National Anthem belongs to the people. There are some performers who don't make it seem like a performance (DeWayne Staats in Chicago, Timothy Miller in Atlanta), and neither Whitney nor Gaga fits into that category.
ReplyDeleteAll right, enough editorializing. I give this one to Whitney.
I never thought about it before. I wonder when that practice started. It's nice when members of the military sing the anthem.
DeleteThey generally do a good job: they sing it the way it was written and don't try to impress with their vocal range or run up and down the scale on a note.
DeleteStraightforward is nice. I don't think Gaga or Whitney overdid it.
DeleteJanie-poo, this battle is as close to equal as they come. My brain hurts again...or I'm getting Gonzo's flu/stomach bug. Dang kid kissed me goodnight last night and now he's sick as a doggerel. Wait...what am I supposed to be doing?
ReplyDeleteOh, yeah: Gaga takes it for me this time. The margin is microscopic.
Mother Monster thanks you and expresses her sorrow that you have a possible mother of an illness.
DeleteOf these two, I'll give my vote to Whitney.
ReplyDeleteLady Gaga for me. It was a very intimate and personal performance; don't know how she pulled that off in a packed stadium with F16s flying over.
ReplyDeleteI think keeping the accompaniment low made a major difference. A lot of strings can be hard to sing over.
DeleteLady Gaga gets my vote
ReplyDeleteThen she has it.
DeleteBoth artists give amazing performances but I'm giving my vote to Lady Gaga. She did a fantastic performance and her voice is magnificent. She sings so powerfully (as did Whitney) and her messages are so strong. I loved what she sang at the Academy Awards. She definitely uses her platform to spread strong messages and she's very effective at it.
ReplyDeleteGreat battle here Janie!
Michele at Angels Bark
I cry almost every time she sings. I've watched her performances of the national anthem and from the Academy Awards repeatedly, and I cry every time. And I swear I'm not a crier. She gets me. She understands me. She is a poet as Emerson defined it: the "namer" and "sayer." Love her.
DeleteFirst vote! I just couldn't not say anything... the thing is, I appreciate Whitney 's voice, and from technical point of view her performance was better. But Gaga made me feel it in my heart - I was almost proud to be American but then I realised in time that I'm not from there 😉 awesome choice though, thank you!
ReplyDeleteYou can stand up when you hear our anthem if you feel like it. When I watch the Olympics, I stand up for the Canadian anthem. I sing God Save the Queen. Welcome to your first vote.
DeleteBoth of these were very good. I'm giving the edge (and my vote) to Lady Gaga.
ReplyDeleteLady Gaga has won me over over the years with her great voice (and ability to actually play musical instruments), but I wasn't always a fan. I think she did a fantastic job of the National Anthem, and is an amazing performer.
ReplyDeleteAs is Whitney, who also has the voice of an angel. As I type this, I still don't know who I'll choose by the time I hit "publish" on this comment.
I've always adored Whitney's music, but I started out not caring much for Gaga even though I always recognized her talent. She has earned my respect over the years, and that is NOT something I saw ever happening when she first became popular. So give my vote to Gaga.
Kim (ReInVintated)
I go with Ga-Ga because her voice is so controlled and I. Perfect pitch. Whitney was also great but I was never one for her voice since I always felt she didn't control her voice as well. Ga-Ga gets my vote
ReplyDeleteWHITNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhitney for me. She has a truly beautiful voice before Bobby came along.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was going to lots of Rose Bowl Parades, Ballgames, I loved the flyovers.
After hearing the Anthem We had great flyovers at Angel's Stadium. The roar and sound just vibrated into your heart and it is wonderful.
I always stand for other Anthems also.
cheers, parsnip
I like both. I'm going with Whitney, but that doesn't mean I dislike Gaga's performance. It's a hard choice!
ReplyDelete