Frazz by Jef Mallett for July 05, 2022

With some people’s singing, it just seems like it goes on forever.

The Twelve Days of the 4th of July? What kind of gifts would someone give their true love for (The 12 Days of) Independence Day?

Eighty-nine thousand days of US, Eighty-nine thousand days. Elect a GOP, thirty thousands they’ll crop… Fifty nine thousand days of US.

Musically, I think “O Canada” is better. Hear that a lot at hockey games.

Still some occasional controversy about swapping the current national anthem for America, the Beautiful. Some consider the first stanza more descriptive of our country. Others like it because the melody line is easier on the ears and voice.

Yet many African-American singers sing “free” a full octave over the way “Anachreon In Heaven” (the English drinking song which is used to sing what I call “Star-Mangled Banner”) was written!

I love the 5th of July because the stinking fireworks stop.

What a stupid tradition.

89,851 bottles of beer on the wall, 89, 851 bottles of beer! You take one down and pass it around, …

Wanna hear the most epic singing of the National Anthem? Listen to Meatloaf. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDSZxUlGZnA

One of my pet peeves at the local AAA baseball games – over dramatic and painfully slow renditions of the national anthem. This is not a recital, or Carnegie Hall. And except for maybe you mom, we did not come to hear you sing.

Since the 5th of July is my birthday, Yes. Happy!

An a lot better than that monstrosity we call national anthem.

I would love to ditch the Star Spangled Banner for something more like Lee Greenwood’s, God Bless the USA.Even America the Beautiful would be better. Star “mangled” banner is an apt description.

“Oh say can you pee? By the bonfire’s light, That twelfth beer was too much, Now my bladder is screaming!”

I felt that. You gotta love it when your crazy aunt sings along at the football gaming, holding each and every note 3x longer than it should be.

Super Bowl 1991, Whitney Houston, never done better, nothing fancy, merely mind-bogglingly wonderful: https://youtu.be/Z1QmeEdFOSc

I’ve not done extensive research on this, but I believe the United States has one of the few national anthems glorifying war…

I find that salient as well as indicative…

So that means we hit 100,000 days of independence on December 1.

Oh the anthem that has a verse part that says it’s ok to kill runaway slaves? I think it’s in verse 4 or 5.

And that is why I always says “Happy Independence Day”. The fourth of July is just a day on the calendar. We don’t say “Merry twenty-fifth of December” nor “Happy first of January”

I love all five verses of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

In the year 2525…..

We need an new anthem; not only is it hard to sing (the tune having come from a drinking song, which made the high notes easier to hit), not only does it glorify war (which I guess does make it appropriate for the US of A), but a little deeper in the lyrics than most people go, it tells of how just and wonderful it was that the US forces massacred a group of escaped slaves who the gall to take up arms against white folk. Which again, alas is in keeping with our national character……

Had he done the math in advance or did he do it on the spur of the moment? Either one would fit his personality.

89,851 bottles of beer on the wall…..

The military lady who sang the National Anthem at the USFL football championship game sang it the way it was written, nothing fancy, no extreme highs and lows, and it was definitely a welcome change!!!!!!

Boy, isn’t that the truth? Marvin Gaye’s rendition at the NBA All-Star Game notwithstanding, it really gets old hearing “Look at Me-Me-Me” versions. It’s really NOT about you.

When I was handling the PA at sporting events before moving overseas, I had two a capella versions of the Anthem I’d play before games: One by the Gaither Vocal Band for men’s games, another by the Dixie Chicks for women’s games. Both were knockout performances that ran less than 1:50 and sounded less “tinny” over loudspeakers without instrumental accompaniment. Sometimes, less really is more.

Unfortunately, we rarely sing the other verses of it. Oh yes, you DID know there’s 3 more verses, right?

We’ll be counting down the remaining days of independence with the current supreme court.

That is why Ray Charles started with the second verse.