Billboard names Gaga’s rendition of the National Anthem performance as 2nd best ever

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On 7/23/2026 at 8:57 PM, Pink Eye said:

I blame that performance for making me memorize this national anthem 

 

On 7/23/2026 at 8:59 PM, gagzus said:

Ironically I don’t even know the UK national anthem but I do know the US one BECAUSE of this

I mean, it is a great lil poem/song

I just wish the country itself would live up to how stirring it can be

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I feel like I’m the only person on Earth that doesn’t think Whitney’s rendition was that good 

[Horny Chicken 10,939]

On 7/27/2026 at 7:57 PM, StrawberryBlond said:

Because it's widely known by now that Whitney lipsynced her version, I don't know why it's frequently still cited as the best.  

I think it’s because Whitney could have easily pull it off live, so whether she lip synced or not, there wouldn’t really be a difference. The same can’t be said for other singers, even Celine or Mariah. 

They didn’t want to risk anything at that time so they just went with prerecorded vocals.

 

Edited yesterday at 12:38 PM by Horny Chicken

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10 hours ago, gagzus said:

I mean… I’m not American so I don’t know any of them really. But despite not being American most people I know can remember or have heard about Whitney and Gaga’s renditions. Before Gaga’s I only knew Whitney’s exclusively.

Thats my point exactly. Ppl say who the best should be when they know 2 or 3 of the most famous ones to go by (or a few more of the recent ones if they whatch it every year)

 

and one thing ive learned about music is that good stuff can easily be forgotten while something less good just by being from a bigger name will be rememered

 

Id not be shocked if theres some amazing ones no one knows or remembered cuz it simply is never talked about

[StrawberryBlond 15,585]

9 hours ago, Future Lovers said:

Well yes. Pretty much exactly that because it's the truth. 

Even if it was lipped at the game, that's still her voice, and it sounded better than anyone else who has done it. If she did it live right there in the stadium, it'd still be the best. 

I don't care for Whitney's music (like at all actually bar one song) and even I can tell you she has the greatest voice of anyone who isn't an opera sing in history and her version, lipped or not, far outpaces anyone else who has ever done it. 

6 hours ago, Horny Chicken said:

I think it’s because Whitney could have easily pull it off live, so whether she lip synced or not, there wouldn’t really be a difference. The same can’t be said for other singers, even Celine or Mariah. 

They didn’t want to risk anything at that time so they just went with prerecorded vocals.

But the whole point of it is that it's supposed to be live. To lip it just makes a mockery of the whole thing and it doesn't matter if you can pre-record it flawlessly or could do it live but just opt not to. It's supposed to be live. When you know you can do it but don't, that's arguably worse. I think coming from a British POV, this is just a farce. We do it too but we call it out and don't give it any merit. In America, lipsyncing seems so common and people just accept it.

[Horny Chicken 10,939]

16 hours ago, StrawberryBlond said:

But the whole point of it is that it's supposed to be live. To lip it just makes a mockery of the whole thing and it doesn't matter if you can pre-record it flawlessly or could do it live but just opt not to. It's supposed to be live. When you know you can do it but don't, that's arguably worse. I think coming from a British POV, this is just a farce. We do it too but we call it out and don't give it any merit. In America, lipsyncing seems so common and people just accept it.

I don’t think people just accepted it. There was real controversy but they made an exception because it’s Whitney Houston, not Katy Perry. She was instructed not to do it live on that particular occasion. There isn’t a single other vocalist in pop, then and now, who could get away with that. The public (not including you obviously) accepted a lip synced version and still considers it the best for a reason. 

Her version is still the gold standard to this day, with the cultural impact and the lasting legacy. A hundred years from now it will still be the gold standard, whereas Gaga’s will just be in a sea of “great” renditions. (No hate to Gaga, she’s still my GOAT)

Edited 12 hours ago by Horny Chicken