Idina Menzel absolutely slayed the national anthem during the Super Bowl last night.
It has been ju-u-u-u-ust a month since Twitter was calling for her head after hitting a sour note during her freezing New Year’s Eve performance of “Let It Go,” and now it almost literally can’t get enough of her.
Good lord, let this woman do the halftime show next year. #SB49 #idinamenzel
— T.J. Holmes (@tjholmes) February 1, 2015
Amazing job #IdinaMenzel … Made me tear up! #SuperBowlSunday 🏈❤️🇺🇸
— Angela Kinsey (@AngelaKinsey) February 1, 2015
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Being asked to sing the national anthem for the biggest football game and one of the most-watched television productions all year is a huge honor, and the stakes are high. And the Broadway songbird sang the most difficult song in the American songbook a cappella and was nearly pitch perfect.
The national anthem is a performance where it seems everyone has an opinion as well as a favorite.
Arguably, the most memorable is the 1991 rendition given by Whitney Houston (listen here). But as amazing as Houston’s voice is, she deviated very little from the traditional music. It wasn’t until we got to Mariah Carey in 2002 when we heard the first real individualized performance (listen here).
Carey, who has never been known to use just one note when 15 will do, took many more liberties than any of her predecessors.
It is her legacy we have to live with, and that can be seen if you listen to Beyoncé’s 2004 version, which is fabulous, but by the second half almost unrecognizable from the original. Thanks, Mariah, and it only got worse with Christina Aguilera in 2011 (listen here).
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So, when Adele Dazeem stepped onto the stage, we had high hopes and expectations for the notorious songstress.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=mn2s8JqYwVY
Some people called Menzel’s performance safe, but I, for one, thought it was not only one of the best performances of the national anthem ever, but respectful and heartwarming. If it is one thing Menzel knows, it is how to reach an audience, having cut her teeth on many a Broadway stage.
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And one of the cutest things about the entire performance didn’t even happen on stage!
Menzel’s ex-husband, Taye Diggs, tweeted out one of the most adorable photos with a great caption that makes our hearts totally melt.
Yup. Baby mama crushed it at the Super Bowl. pic.twitter.com/94Vs8trhuD
— Taye Diggs (@TayeDiggs) February 2, 2015
What did you guys think about her performance? Sound off in the comments.
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