15 Best Performances Of "The Star-Spangled Banner"

Happy National Anthem Day! We celebrate with these patriotism-inducing renditions that will have you seeing red, white, and blue.

15. Marc Anthony

Marc sang his heart out (jacket flourish and all) at the 2011 NBA Finals and even LeBron was moved.

14. Jordin Sparks

Eighteen-year-old Jordin blew us away with her rendition during the 2008 Super Bowl, held in her home state of Arizona.

13. Carrie Underwood

Carrie rocked the anthem a cappella and hit all the high notes (obviously) at the 2010 Super Bowl in Florida.

12. Luther Vandross

Beautifully soothing and mellow, Luther nailed it at the 1997 Super Bowl while curiously dressed dancers formed a waving American flag in the background.

11. The Dixie Chicks

Shortly before their controversial political remarks about President Bush, the Dixie Chicks showed off their impeccable harmonies at the 2003 Super Bowl.

10. Josh Groban

At the 2010 Rose Bowl, classically-trained Josh Groban and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea joined forces for a truly unique performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

9. Renee Fleming

At this year's Super Bowl, Renée Fleming became the first opera singer to belt out the National Anthem before kick-off in Super Bowl history. Fleming was accompanied by the New Jersey Symphony and 32 singers from all the military branches, while currently deployed servicemen and women around the world saluted.

8. Jimi Hendrix

This infamous, guitar-shredding version of "The Star Spangled Banner" at Woodstock in 1969 needed no words to convey the feelings of its disenchanted generation.

7. Kelly Clarkson

At the 2012 Super Bowl, nothing could be more magical than Kelly Clarkson singing, except for Kelly Clarkson singing with a children's choir.

6. Justin Timberlake

A baby-faced Justin sang the anthem in his hometown during the Memphis Grizzlies season opener in 2002.

5. Lady Antebellum

For the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, Robert DeNiro and FDNY bagpipers introduced this moving (and beautifully harmonized) tribute by Lady A.

4. Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer's rousing performance during the 2009'Super Bowl is made even more remarkable by the fact that it happened only a few months after the tragic death of her mother, brother, and nephew.

3. The U.S. Military Choir

Sometimes the national anthem requires no excessive glitz and glamour. The men and women in our Armed Services did us proud at the 2005 Super Bowl.

2. Beyonce

Before she did Super Bowl halftime shows, Queen Bey wowed us with the national anthem at the 2004 Super Bowl in her hometown of Houston, Texas.

1. Whitney Houston

Whitney was absolutely flawless and viewers of the 1991 Super Bowl experienced one of the greatest moments in live television. End of story.

Happy National Anthem Day!

Sincerely, the ZinePak team