European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 31, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page to the stars and stripes january 1978 modern living by Donal Uel Vahan new York times perhaps the time has came to snarl booing Hie Slu spangled not the poor old National Anthem but those tasteless miscreants who sing it at televised sports demolition hog wrestling contests and other cultural the Anthem has become a sort of nation Al Booby awarded to popular and in popular on what it is not always easy to certainly an ability to sing the notes in tune and in Lime is rarely a one clue to the Pune of Why the Anthem is so regularly mistreated in Public emerged at last alls world when the pop Star Linda Ronstadt appeared on Slof spangled Linda Ronstadt a both bottomless television and made a botch of the those who know How such hooking coups Are pulled off in the pop world disclose that Rao Tadt was chosen to sing the Anthem by vote of the Lea an Geles dodgers they apparently Admire her smile so much that no consideration was Given to he possibility that her voice might be both topless and in the same world in new Pearl Bailey Sang what was alleged to be Star spangled Banner in her distinctively careless a performance that would have been perfectly at Home in a Las vegas the management of the Home in most picks the sinner and there fore blame or credit is easy to this for the new Vork kicks have abandoned the which Robert Merrill Sang in his competent though Dull Way in the merrills operatic baritone now lines out the possibly be cause people have been complaining that the Anthem is Sung too often and too routinely nowadays at sports the Philadelphia flyers also Dis covered some Lime ago that it was possible to begin sports event with out first hearing the Anthem Kate Smiths campy rendition of god Bleu America became the hockey teams fight More such defections from the Star spangled Banner would be Good for the country and would do the reputation of toe Anthem no a it stands a youngster growing up on the so Wenly interpretations encountered on Tele vision could be excused for thinking that the Star spangled Banner is an up Tempo pop number in the manner of you Light up my the Anthem is not the easiest song to As Ronstadt and others regularly make in we have been bombarded with Boring complaints about its Unsin ability for Many years certainly Ever since March when presi Dent Herbert Hoover signed Public Law 823 of the Tim Congress and the centuries old tune became he nations official Joan in the iconoclastic examined it and found it severely wanting it is just so much and Constance the greater Elgreat granddaughter of the Man who wrote the fran Cis Scott said Only last year Pearl Bailey out of tune i think its an awful song for a National such comments always have been particularly among those whose do not exceed the usual pop song Range of one at one Point and the rockets red Glare the Anthem requires an upward leap of a or two notes beyond the and Here is where the complainants Nave a the key most commonly used is which is a Compromise Between the Flat or g that Low voices can handle and the c that sopranos prefer but whatever the the solution surely is for everyone in the audience to sing As much of the song As dropping an if at the one famously trying Asok defender of Ibe the late pundit and Rondoll put it if the French can slog the there is no such As an ujust table and no attention should be paid to the Sixko talk that arises periodically about Chan sink to another official Aaron Copland had what should be the last word on that the National Anthem is not like an Auto tire that you change when it goes above the singing at the Anthem ought to be a celebratory not a conk Pul Sory action Breeding boredom or As at let the sports have their if they crave them have a tune they can