We've all heard "The Star-Spangled Banner" over and over again. Sure, sometimes it's a little kid adorably singing it before a little league game, and sometimes it's Beyoncé belting it at a White House inauguration, filling it with endless runs. However, it is always, in its bare essence, the same song with the same melody. That's how we all know it by heart and can sing along at the beginning of the Super Bowl.
However, before the 1983 NBA All-Star game, a true visionary took center court. Marvin Gaye was one of the biggest pioneers of soul music, with his early career strongly influencing the Motown movement, and his later career having a great impact on R&B. He was a man with so much style in every sense of the word, it simply could not be contained. When he stepped up to the microphone, casually adjusted it to his height, and readied himself to sing? Everyone was already on the edge of their seats, cheering, hooting, and hollering for the stunning performance to come.
Most artists take this opportunity to wail with the best of them, and to riff with as many notes as possible, but Marvin Gaye? No, he was just too cool to fall for that. His approach to our national anthem is so understated and soulful, he has the ladies in the stands going wild. Think about that for a second: ladies losing it over "The Star-Spangled Banner." Are you interested yet?
He was certainly a very powerful force… please SHARE with your friends on Facebook and see what they think!
