An Off-Key Look Back At The Worst National Anthem Performances Of All Time

Lis Sinatra
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Ingrid Andress isn’t the first singer to mangle the national anthem, and she won’t be the last.

During the Home Run Derby on Monday as part of Major League Baseball’s All-Star festivities, the four-time Grammy nominee gave an eyebrow-raising performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” To be fair, it’s a tough song to sing! But that’s probably small consolation for Andress, who has yet to publically comment on what the heck happened. But at least she’s in… well, maybe not “good” company, but company nonetheless. Below, you’ll find some of the worst anthem renditions (U-S-A? U-S-A? U-S-A?) of all time.

(Update: On July 16, Andress shared the following message about her performance on social media: “I’m not gonna bullsh*t y’all, I was drunk last night. I’m checking myself into a facility today to get the help I need. That was not me last night. I apologize to MLB, all the fans, and this country I love so much for that rendition. I’ll let y’all know how rehab is I hear it’s super fun. xo, Ingrid.”)

Jesse McCartney (October 11, 2009)

If there’s one crowd you don’t want to forget the lyrics to “The Star-Spangled Banner” in front of, it’s a NASCAR crowd.

Roseanne (July 26, 1990)

Back before Roseanne Barr lost her mind, she was the queen of sitcoms, thanks to her brilliant self-titled ABC comedy. One of Roseanne‘s executive producers was Tom Werner, who also owned the San Diego Padres at the time. His synergistic plan to have Roseanne perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” backfired when during a break between games of a Padres vs. Cincinnati Reds doubleheader, she intentionally sang off-key and grabbed her crotch, eliciting a think-of-the-children rebuke from then-president George H. W. Bush. As the game’s first-base umpire Steve Rippley told the Sporting News, “We [immediately] knew it was a disaster.”

Alexis Normand (May 18, 2013)

This is why you don’t have a Canadian sing the American national anthem (except Celine Dion… and Neil Young… and Joni Mitchell… and Japandroids, just to see what that’s like — they’re all allowed to).

Victoria Zarlenga (May 26, 2012)

The most common explanation for a pitchy live performance: in-ear monitor issues. “This was not a good performance and I take full responsibility for it! I did not realize I would need ear buds as monitors and to block out the stadium sound delay, lack of knowledge on my part,” Victoria Zarlenga explained following her flat, uh, interpretation of the national anthem at a USA vs. Scotland soccer match. “Therefore, I had to borrow a pair from the sound crew that were too large for my ears and were popping out.”

Carl Lewis (January 21, 1993)

Two words: “Uh oh.”

Fergie (February 18, 2018)

How did Fergie respond to the audible laughter for her performance at the 2018 NBA All-Star Game? By apologizing, basically. “I’ve always been honored and proud to perform the national anthem and last night I wanted to try something special for the NBA,” she said the next day. “I’m a risk taker artistically, but clearly this rendition didn’t strike the intended tone. I love this country and honestly tried my best.” Fun fact: before Fergie performed the United States national anthem, Barenaked Ladies did the same for Canada.

Kat DeLuna (September 15, 2008)

Kat DeLuna tried to the make the National Anthem her own, like when Aretha Franklin sang it for over five minutes. But with all due respect, there’s only one Aretha Franklin.

Ingrid Andress (July 15, 2024)

Just in case you somehow missed it.