People Are Talking About Patti LaBelle’s Version of the National Anthem
October 27, 2008 – Philadelphia, PA
Legendary singer Patti LaBelle sang the National Anthem for game 4 of The World Series to mixed national and international reviews. For those of you who are not baseball fans you can watch and listen to Ms. LaBelle’s rendition and evaluate her performance for yourself.
Click here to listen to Ms. Patti’s version.
Photo courtesy Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images
Black Men In America 
October 27, 2008 at 8:45, pm
Every so often and more often than not, a celebrity takes the mic and provides a personally artistic, morally individualistic and politically motivated rendering of the “National Anthem”. Famous voice coaches have dubbed the “National Anthem” the most imperfect harmonic melody every written. The note changes, tempo challenging and lyrically difficulties is legendary. Yet, only a few have been able to provide the sense of purpose and respect the song “sometimes” demands.
Jimi Hendrix played the dangling discorded electric version during a time when the United States was embroiled in a war of dubious means and purpose. Jimi’s version will go down in history as the accurate painting of sorrow, dismay, chaos and need. A collection of sounds that brought to bear destruction, explosive heartache and a final crescendo of power for power sake.
No one will ever forget the Late Great Marvin Gaye’s rendering at the NBA All Star Game. That was a love song, a ballad, a poem of redemption, a effort of reconciliation that brought the whole arena together in an on-beat clap that punctuated his smooth simplicity. The only time a song upstaged the great Dr. J.
There have been others, some not worthy to remember. Patti, Patti, she is the preemenient Diva. She will tell you that unapologetically. She’s weathered the “Do Woop” era when she was nearly attacked by famous crooners of that day, she survived the drug culture and disco, her family history is painfully dotted with the gone too soon deaths of her siblings and mother. And now she is center stage having provided some of the most heart wrenching ballads of our time. When you have Patti, you will get Patti. Don’t pretend to expect anything else or you will be corrected immediately. Was it her best? Was it her worse? That answer is in the ear of the beholder, Was it Patti??? Without a doubt!!!!
October 31, 2008 at 2:26, am
I never have heard a version this bad. I heard about Roseanne singing but I never got to hear her but rumor has it that she grabbed her crotch. I thought Patti Labele’s version was vary distasteful and I thought I detected some words that she used were wrong