Sunday’s Grammy Awards marked the end of a seven-day span in pop culture I can only summarize as “the week of the diva.”
On Feb. 6, Christina Aguilera flubbed the lyrics to “The Star-Spangled Banner” in her pre-Super Bowl rendition while trying to break the record for Most Drawn-Out Single-Syllable Words.
Friday, Lady Gaga released her long-awaited new single, “Born This Way,” which sounded more reminiscent of Madonna than ever.
And two days later, both Gaga and Aguilera attended the Grammys, paying homage to the oversingers who came before them.
The latter joined some of current music’s most talented songstresses in a show-opening tribute to Aretha Franklin, the “Queen of Soul.” The former dedicated her performance to Whitney Houston, whose version of “I Will Always Love You” solidified her standing as the most long-winded of them all.
The goddess-like status of these vocal powerhouses and the constant attempts of aspiring artists to emulate them are proof that our culture appreciates melisma. This ability to embellish simple notes and melodies has, regrettably, become the trademark of a great singer.
Our ears can expect such dramatic spectacles at the Grammys, an award show meant to celebrate and showcase musical talent. We can even anticipate many aspects of the Super Bowl to be equally as overdone, given it’s essentially the event of the year in American culture. Perhaps this lofty expectation explains why the Black Eyed Peas’ halftime performance underwhelmed so many of us.
Unfortunately, we’ve come to apply these same theatrical standards to celebrities who sing the national anthem. Aguilera is not the first superstar to butcher the song, and she won’t be the last.
As one ABC News article suggested recently, these recurrent mishaps might be sufficient basis to change our national anthem to an easier song, like “America the Beautiful.”
I’ll admit “The Star-Spangled Banner” is vocally challenging, especially when performed at such a major venue. Therefore, props must be given to Aguilera for at least singing it live.
But the problem lies not with the song or the issue of stage fright, as Aguilera herself professed she’d been singing it since she was 7 years old.
We don’t need a more diva-friendly national anthem.
We need virtually unknown singers who don’t have to live up to a reputation for oversinging. It’s natural to lose your lyrical bearings when you repeatedly insert syllables where there shouldn’t be any.
But on that note, I also think our society needs a bit of an adjustment in the way we approximate vocal skills. Aguilera is one of many modern superstars who take the idea of melisma, originally mastered by bluesy icons like Aretha Franklin, too far.
Today’s wannabe divas don’t know when to quit, but singing the national anthem seems like a pretty good place to stop.
Such a performance is unique from other musical events. It isn’t — or at least it shouldn’t be — about trying to promote yourself or your lung capacity. It’s also not the proper platform to outdo your predecessors.
Singers build their entire careers on the premise of showing everything their voices can do. An artist’s true talent lies in exploring all facets of his or her repertoire and exercising restraint when the occasion calls for it.
The national anthem represents something much bigger than even Aguilera’s vocal range.
As such, it deserves respect, which is something the “Queen of Soul” knows a little bit about.
Kelly Hotard is a 19-year-old mass communication junior from Picayune, Miss. Follow her on Twitter @TDR_khotard.
 
 
 
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Contact Kelly Hotard at [email protected]