Scott Fitzgerald – who was Key’s second cousin, three times removed.

By then, his name was attached to another famous American writer, Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald – better known as F. If things had been a little different, ‘ Hail, Columbia’, ‘ America the Beautiful’, or even ‘ My Country, ’Tis of Thee’ were all contenders for that honour.įrancis Scott Key was, of course, long dead by the time his poem became the lyrical basis for his country’s national anthem. So, ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ started life as a poem called ‘The Defence of Fort M’Henry’, was written not by one of America’s leading poets of the day but by an amateur, and – despite being written in 1814 – only became the official US national anthem in 1931. These words, of course, have become famous beyond the poem (or song): many people refer to the United States as the ‘land of the free’, especially. The 2001 re-release of the single was Houston's last Top Ten hit on the US Hot 100 during her lifetime.Throughout ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’, Francis Scott Key uses the refrain, ‘O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave’. This made Houston the first musical act to take the national anthem Top 10 in the US, and have it certified platinum. This time the single peaked at #6 on the US Hot 100, and was certified platinum by the RIAA. She once again donated her share of the royalties, as did Arista Records, towards the firefighters and victims of the terrorist attacks. After the Septemattacks, Arista Records re-released Houston's 'The Star Spangled Banner'. Houston donated her portion of the proceeds. Traditionally performed at sports games in the US, 'The Star Spangled Banner' was performed by Houston at the original Tampa Stadium for Super Bowl XXV in 1991.

The recording was included in the 2014 CD/DVD release, Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances and the US edition of the 2000 release, Whitney: The Greatest Hits. The recording was produced by music coordinator Rickey Minor, along with Houston herself. The musical arrangement for Whitney Houston's rendition was by conductor John Clayton. Written by Francis Scott Key, 'The Star-Spangled Banner' is the national anthem of the United States.

'The Star Spangled Banner' is a charity single recorded by American singer Whitney Houston to raise funds for soldiers and families of those involved in the Persian Gulf War.

Lyrics for star spangled banner song