The first "pop" performance of [The Star Spangled Banner] heard by mainstream America was by Puerto Rican singer and guitarist Jose Feliciano. He shocked some people in the crowd at Tiger Stadium in Detroit and some Americans when he strummed a slow, bluesy rendition of the national anthem before game five of the 1968 World Series between Detroit and St. Louis. This rendition started contemporary "Star-Spangled Banner" controversies. The response from many in Vietnam-era America was generally negative, given that 1968 was a tumultuous year for the United States. Despite the controversy, Feliciano's performance opened the door for the countless interpretations of the "Star-Spangled Banner" heard today.
The YouTube video I linked is reflective of my point; it's a statement about how willing we are to accept, even honor, artistic reinterpretation now. It's a post-modern deconstruction age, baby. While the video author was conscious of the history behind the video and considered it another depth of his affection for the music, it wasn't more than an acknowledgment. It was a good track to match his photos.
But when you consider the written history of the time, it was almost a, "get a bodyguard, we're fatwa-ing your ass", uproar that was drowned out by other uproars. The bloody Democratic convention of 1968 was scarcely 5 weeks past. NOW and other Women's liberation causes staged a massive protest outside the Miss America pageant in New Jersey in September; we still talk about 'bra-burning' because of it. And scarcely 5 days later, Tommie Smith and John Carlos held the blck power salute during the Star-Spangled Banner at their Olympic Games medal ceremony.
Most of us forget about Feliciano and his uproar because Hendrix 10 months later really set the Closed-Minded Bunch's underwear on fire, with his electric guitar belting out literal sonic bombs and rockets.
There's a YouTube link of Feliciano talking about the anthem and the event, but it has him talking through most of the clip. I always considered Jose just the guy whom did "Feliz Navidad" - but his expression then and his thoughts now show him to be real musical artist. I've been schooled. Big.
But was the anthem mangled?? I take issue with the inclusion of the artistic renderings and their controversies alongside the horrific train wrecks of forgotten words and poor pitch. Does Marvin Gaye compare to Rosanne Barr? I don't think so.
For a country who's post-modern image has shaped much of the world, the reinterpretation of the national anthem should be welcomed, if not expected.
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