The Land of the Boy Bands and the Home of the Backstreet Boys

The Backstreet Boys were given the honor of singing America's National Anthem for Game 1 of the World Series tonight in St. Petersburg, where the Philadelphia Phillies are playing the Tampa Bay Rays.  It took them long enough to sing the anthem that I was able to get up from my futon, grab my computer, and begin this post.  Why?  Because they spent half the time elongating words and changing their intonation while adding three and four part harmonies.  This is completely unnecessary!

The Star Spangled Banner is about the power of the words - how our country prevailed through "bombs bursting in air" that we might be the "land of the free and the home of the brave."  Francis Scott Key didn't wake up that morning nearly 200 years ago, see the battered American flag and think, "Hey, I bet a boy band in a couple hundred years would make this sound great!"  To me, the quartet ruined the song.  They're fortunate it was our nation's song or I  wouldn't have even known what they said.  I was too focused on how their intent to sound sleek made them sound stupid.  I realize they are not the only people to do this, but they just happened to be the one's singing tonight.  Anyone who does it deserves the mute button.

Nice try BSB, but I'm glad you're off the field so the game can start.  And by the way, you guys were cooler in the 90s.