Best Super Bowl National Anthems: Whitney Houston, Aretha

Super Bowl XVI was played in Detroit, so who better to start it off than the ultimate Motown legend? After being announced as “Detroit’s own superstar, Miss Diana Ross,” she proved why she’s the Boss with this impeccably beautiful version of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” She also got the crowd to sing along, asking them, “Can we sing our National Anthem with authority?” It had all the diva energy of her famed 1996 halftime show, where she made her exit via helicopter. 

Two renegade artists Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan joined forces for this unexpected yet perfect duet, bringing both country and R&B flavor to it. Church plays his electric guitar with a Nashville twang that suits Sullivan’s Philly soul, as she sends her high notes soaring. 

Oh, the smoothness. Herb Alpert could sing, as in his classic 1968 hit “This Guy’s in Love with You,” but his main love was always the trumpet, so he let his horn do the talking. Natty as always, looking very Eighties in his Miami Vice-style white suit, he was introduced as “the world’s favorite trumpet player, Herb Alpert!” He became one of the only performers to do a non-vocal National Anthem at the Super Bowl—and nobody’s tried it since.

Those were the days—the NFL would invite one of Charlie’s Angels to do the “The Star-Spangled Banner” in front of 100,000 fans at the Rose Bowl. Cheryl Ladd performed with the Los Angeles City High School Choir. Many fans had no idea she could even sing, but this Angel proved she could do a lot more than bust perps in high heels. The game took place in the middle of the Iranian hostage crisis, so Ladd paid her respects, saying, “We’d like to dedicate this to our American hostages in Iran.”

Definitely one of the most distinctive National Anthems that America ever so proudly has watched. Aguilera’s performance is remembered for how she butchered the lyrics, skipping the “ramparts” and turning “the twilight’s last gleaming” into “the twilight’s last reaming.” (Hey, Francis Scott Key wishes he wrote it that way.) Fortunately for Aguilera, all her musical sins were forgiven later in the game, when the Black Eyed Peas reamed everyone with the most nightmarish halftime performance ever.

Neil Diamond is the most legendary of American showmen, always going the extra 100 yards to blitz the crowd with a larger-than-life extravaganza. So it might be a surprise that Neil holds the record for the shortest Super Bowl anthem of all time. It’s not even close. Neil nails it in a Ramones-worthy 62 seconds—8 seconds shorter than any other anthem in history. It’s a winter day in Pasadena, but Neil turns it into a hot August night.

Love it or hate it, Alicia sure gave a memorable interpretation. She’s out of breath before she finishes the first line. She’s so slow, she stretches it to nearly 3 minutes—the longest Super Bowl anthem ever. The players stare at her with faces that say “No offense ma’am but you know there’s a game today, right?” It goes on longer than the actual War of 1812. She even throws in a little improv at the end. (“Livin’ in our own home of the brave!”) Alicia plus live TV: the entertainment combo that never fails. Coincidentally, this is the last time the NFL has ever let anyone sing the anthem while sitting down.

The Backstreet Boys became the first boy band at the Super Bowl, at the peak moment of TRL pop mania. This was the same game where ‘NSync and Britney Spears played the halftime show with Aerosmith—dirty pop had a big night. Howie, Brian, Nick, Kevin, and A.J. wanted it that way, treating it like a hometown gig since the game was in Tampa. (“Florida’s own, the Backstreet Boys!”) Tragically, O-Town, 98 Degrees, and LFO never made it to the Super Bowl. Ray Charles sang “America the Beautiful”—talk about range. 

The Super Bowl anthem was sung by three American Idol alumnae in a row: Jordin Sparks in 2008, Jennifer Hudson in 2009, Carrie Underwood in 2010. Underwood kept up the momentum with a strong country-tinged rendition. Kelly Clarkson sang it in 2013 to complete the Idol Fab Four sweep.

The Texas country phenom Mickey Guyton did the honors in 2022, in a sky-blue gown, joined by a choir in white, followed by R&B star Jhené Aiko singing “America the Beautiful.” This was the same Super Bowl where the halftime show was Dr. Dre, Snoop, Kendrick, Mary J. Blige, and Eminem taking a knee.

A bold move: since Super Bowl XX was in New Orleans, at the Superdome, young jazz master Wynton Marsalis played the anthem on trumpet. It had been over a decade since anyone tried doing an instrumental version, but it worked beautifully, with a hometown jazz touch from a local hero. (Herb Alpert also played a great trumpet version two years later.) 

The Broadway queen brought her mighty mezzo-soprano to Super Bowl XLIX. Idina Menzel’s voice was ubiquitous at the time thanks to the Disney blockbuster Frozen and her theme song “Let It Go,” so many of the kids out there were hearing her sing for the second time. A comical controversy: the pro-Seahawks crowd booed loudly in the middle of the anthem, right at “oh say does that star-spangled,” but it had nothing to do with Menzel—it’s because the Jumbotron showed a close-up of Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

Billy Joel is the only solo performer who’s ever sung the National Anthem twice at the Super Bowl, 18 years apart, in 1989 and 2007. (Aaron Neville comes close, since he backed up Aretha in 2006 after going it alone in 1990.) The Piano Man sat at his baby grand for his second version, where he also became the last singer to bring it in at 90 seconds. In this century, only Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson have approached Billy’s time.

Charley Pride was the first singer to do the honors on his own. Until Super Bowl VIII, the National Anthem was handled by marching bands, choirs, or Doc Severinson. But they couldn’t have chosen a cooler legend to kick off a new tradition. The greatest of Black country stars did both “America the Beautiful” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Charley Pride was the guy who made the Super Bowl anthem a great American ritual. However, the next year the NFL brought in the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America. 

As any Kellyoke fan can tell you, this woman can sing anything. Clarkson did a strong anthem at Super Bowl XLVI that really rocketed the red glare. She also kept it tight, at 94 seconds—one of the shortest Super Bowl anthems of the post-Whitney Houston era. A year later, Alicia Keys made it last a full minute longer. 

The country megastar did a solemn tribute, with actress Marlee Matlin, who is deaf, performing in sync via American Sign Language. But Brooks threatened to walk out right before the game, to protest the network refusing to show his pro-tolerance “We Shall Be Free” video. The producers had no Plan B, so they had no choice but to agree. Not coincidentally, this is when the NFL began requiring all singers to provide them with pre-recorded back-up tracks.

She left the Bob Mackie headdress at home, but Cher did the honors in 1999, right at the moment when “Believe” was blowing up into the world’s favorite song. Cher’s throaty take on “The Star-Spangled Banner” still had the pop icon’s unmistakable style – not to mention some impressive notes.

The Academy Award-winning star of Dreamgirls held nothing back in her 2009 performance, delivering a controlled yet astonishingly powerful take on the anthem. There was controversy over the revelation that she was lip-synching to her pre-recorded performance—but only until people found out that was standard procedure at the Super Bowl.

Country legend Reba McEntire did an impeccable anthem, making it down-home with pedal-steel guitar and her Oklahoma twang. She really worked the word “ramparts.” A touching detail: Reba wore a massive belt buckle that belonged to her rodeo-champ daddy, along with her mama’s bracelet. It was the buckle he won in 1957 from the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, reading, “Clark McEntire, Worlds Champion Steer Roper.” (On a less sentimental level, Reba added a second “the brave,” causing chaos for gamblers who bet on the over/under line.) 

The country star’s version was straightforward and traditional, yet moving and sophisticated. Hill brought her own distinctive Nashville touch, along with bagpipes. 

No one expected the Queen of Melisma, Mariah Carey, to perform a simple version of the National Anthem. Her version was comparatively restrained, however, and very elegant. Being Mariah, she did hit one glass-shattering note at the very top of her five-octave range. A proud highlight of her underrated Glitter era.

For a Super Bowl in Atlanta, it was a heartwarming touch to bring in the ultimate hometown hero, Gladys Knight. The Empress of Soul (introduced by an announcer saying “welcome home”) slayed with a gorgeous midnight-train rendition. Nobody knew it yet, but she was simultaneously killing it on The Masked Singer, as The Bee. (She came in third, behind Donny Osmond and T-Pain.) 

For the first time, a classical performer sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Super Bowl. The renowned opera diva Renée Fleming brought her regal touch, doing a unique version in her mighty soprano. No singer has worked “land of the free” quite like Fleming.

Stefani Germanotta loves her football and her patriotic gestures. Who can forget her immortal halftime show, where she recited the Pledge of Allegiance? Gaga sang an equally great anthem at Super Bowl 50 in red glitter eye-shadow, but she kept it simple and heartfelt, with a powerhouse ending. Almost exactly 5 years later, she sang it at the White House for Biden’s Inauguration.

It’s a challenge to harmonize at the Super Bowl. Only two pop groups have ever even tried it for the anthem: the Backstreet Boys in 2001 and the then-Dixie Chicks in 2003. Yet the Chicks really rose to the occasion, doing their country three-part harmonies for one of the most impassioned and triumphant versions ever. Ironically, later in 2003, the Chicks would get kicked off country radio and canceled for criticizing the President.

Chris Stapleton sang one hell of an anthem in 2023—a mournful , powerfully bluesy version, with Stapleton accompanying himself on his Fender Telecaster. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and center Jason Kelce were just two of the people seen on camera tearing up at his great performance.

The smoothest National Anthem ever. The ultimate love man of soul put a little bit of swing into the song, almost like a Quiet Storm version of bombs bursting in air. Even though Luther could sing rings around anyone, he resisted any temptation to show off here—he just got up there and gave it his own unmistakable touch.

Beyoncé has starred in not one but two legendary Super Bowl halftime shows. (The second one was officially headlined by Coldplay, but the only moment people remember is Bey stealing the show when she debuted “Formation.”) But she also did one of the most rousing Super Bowl anthems ever. In 2004, she was still in the dawn’s early light of her solo career, but this was proof she could do it all.

Aretha was the greatest singer America has ever produced, so it was always a special occasion when she delivered the National Anthem. But the Queen really pulled out the stops for this historic version at Super Bowl 40. She was on her home turf in Detroit, but she made it a tribute to New Orleans, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Aaron Neville started off, with Dr. John on piano. The Queen didn’t make her royal entrance until halfway through, but the suspense just made it more dramatic. A deeply moving tribute in those dark times. Aretha, as always, gave proof through the night.

Still the gold standard for all Super Bowl performances more than 30 years later, Whitney Houston’s prerecorded version of the National Anthem stands as one of the most legendary moments in NFL history. It’s the only Super Bowl anthem that rivals famous versions like Marvin Gaye (at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game) or Jose Feliciano (at the 1963 World Series) or Jimi Hendrix (at Woodstock in 1969). It’s gone down in history as of her most beloved performances.