The most watched rendition of the national anthem is performed each year at the Super Bowl, with 80,000 people in attendance and over 100 million more viewing and listening from afar.
It's the grandest stage of all, for the players set to take the field, and for the artist set to take the mic. The performance is as anticipated, and as scrutinized, as the game itself.
Someone at your Super Bowl party will invariably ask who is singing the anthem. This year it's Jon Batiste, the Grammy-winning singer and songwriter from Louisiana.
Bettors will wager on the length of the performance time. In recent years, it's often been over two minutes.
Critics will analyze the singer's pitch, pace and patriotism – so don't mess up the lyrics with the world watching. One year, it happened.
Let's look back at that infamous rendition and other fun facts about the Super Bowl national anthem...
Who sang the national anthem at the first Super Bowl?
The first Super Bowl national anthem in 1967 was performed by The Pride of Arizona, Michigan Marching Band and UCLA Choir.
What was the best Super Bowl national anthem?
Whitney Houston's 1991 rendition during the Gulf War is widely regarded as the best national anthem performance of all time. It was later confirmed by her musical director that Houston was lip-synching to a version of the song she had pre-recorded, ABC News wrote in a story titled “Whitney Houston's Star-Spangled Secret.”
This week, thousands of media members will descend upon New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX. One of the main hubs all week is Radio Row. Our partners at GALvanize and the Empower Campaign are on the scene to explain what goes on at Radio Row.
What was the longest national anthem at the Super Bowl?
The longest Super Bowl national anthem was sung by Alicia Keys, whose 2013 rendition was two minutes and 36 seconds. That topped the previous record set in 1994 by Natalie Cole of two minutes and 33 seconds.
How long was last year's national anthem at the Super Bowl?
Country singer Reba McEntire clocked in at about one minute and 36 seconds during her performance of the national anthem at Super Bowl LVIII in 2024.
Who has sung the national anthem at the Super Bowl the most?
Sing us an anthem, you're the Piano Man. Billy Joel is the only solo performer to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl more than once, doing so in 1989 and 2007.
Aaron Neville also sang the national anthem twice, doing so solo in 1990 and with Aretha Franklin in 2006.
Has anyone messed up the lyrics to the national anthem at the Super Bowl?
Christina Aguilera's rendition of the Super Bowl national anthem arguably is the most infamous after she mixed up some of the lyrics. She turned "O'er the ramparts we watched" into what sounded like "What so proudly we washed." But she sounded great doing it.
See more fun facts about national anthems at the Super Bowl here.
