For every Super Bowl, the NFL invites prominent musicians to perform songs honoring the country. Among the many performances that take place before kickoff, the singing of the national anthem gets the most attention.
Several renditions of "The Star Spangled Banner" have been so powerful and memorable that years, and even decades, later, we are still going back to them. We put together the best of the best across Super Bowl history. Here are the top 10 national anthem performances:
10. Faith Hill (2000)
Faith Hill's undeniable talent was on display as she performed the national anthem. It began calm, and she built the excitement as she continued. The performance includes drummers and bag pipes. She showed off her pipes with her own spin on the last lyric. For the full performance, click here.
9. Cher (1999)
Cher has an extremely recognizable tone and it could be heard in her national anthem performance. The pop singer was topping the charts at the time and brought an undeniable star power to the Super Bowl stage. She put her stamp on the song, without changing it too much. For the full performance, click here.
8. Lady Gaga (2016)
Lady Gaga is known for some wild performances, but for this one she kept it simple and made the moment about her vocals rather than dramatic visuals. She added her own flare at the end, showing off her ability to hit the high notes.
7. Luther Vandross (1997)
It was classic Luther, with the soul you would expect and the smoothness the moment needed.
6. Carrie Underwood (2010)
The country icon was selected to perform the national anthem five years after winning American Idol, which launched her impressive career. For the full performance, click here.
5. Kelly Clarkson (2012)
Clarkson had one of the shortest national anthems, proving the performance does not have to be long to make an impact. For the full performance, click here.
4. Jennifer Hudson (2009)
The American Idol finalist impressed many with her exceptional vocals ahead of Super Bowl XLIII. For the full performance, click here.
3. Beyoncé (2004)
Beyoncé has one of the most powerful voices in the music industry, and it showed during her national anthem performance. She was offered the halftime show, but chose to sing the anthem instead. Beyoncé performed the anthem in her home city of Houston, Texas. For the full performance, click here.
2. Aretha Franklin and Aaron Neville (2006)
Aretha is already an incredible and emotion-inducing singer, and in the New Orleans stadium, as a native of the area that endured Hurricane Katrina, the performance was that much more impactful. For the full performance, click here.
1. Whitney Houston (1991)
It is hard to get everyone to agree on one thing, but most people agree this is without question the greatest Super Bowl national anthem performance of all time. Houston's vocals and poise were unmatched, and I doubt there will ever be a rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" on the NFL's biggest stage that tops this one.
