Revisit Marvin Gaye’s revolutionary national anthem
Before 1983, singing the national anthem at a sporting event in America was fairly boring. There wasn’t much in the way of singularity or diverse renditions: the song was the song, and you were supposed to sing it the way that everybody knew it. This was about honouring America, after all. Americans don’t take too kindly when you try to subvert their traditions. But nobody had told Marvin Gaye that when he arrived at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game.
Gaye already had two decades of experience that helped qualify him to sing America’s most patriotic song. Starting out as a sessions drummer for The Funk Brothers in Motown, Gaye slowly made his way up the ladder until he was able to carve out a niche singing duets with fellow Motown star Tammi Terrell. It was only after was struck down with a brain tumour (the same one that would kill her at the tragically young age of 24) that Gaye began feeling his way around a solo career.
You don’t need me to tell you the highlights that followed. Across more than a decade of work, Gaye pioneered a new genre of soul music that came to be known as quiet storm. But that’s not all he did: he also created one of the most iconic albums of all time in What’s Going On, crafted the all-time highlight of baby-making music in Let’s Get It On, and pushed out one of the most painful breakup albums ever in Here, My Dear. Legends didn’t get any bigger than Marvin Gaye in the early 1980s, but there was still room for one more innovation at least.
Gaye was a noted sportsfan. In fact, he nearly left his career in music after trying to snag a tryout for the Detroit Lions in the late 1960s. Rather than singing songs about making love, Gaye could have been bringing the pain as an NFL linebacker or making crazy catches as a wide receiver. Gaye was a naturally gifted athlete, so when the NBA All-Star game asked him to sing the ceremonial national anthem, Gaye was more than ready to step up.
Legend has it that Gaye showed up on the court wearing a sweatsuit and did some shootarounds with the star players of the day. When business called, Gaye retreated to one of the locker rooms, donned his finely tailored suit, and returned ready to blow some minds. Anyone who had been expecting Gaye to simply sing the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ in a straightforward fashion was about to be surprised.
Over three minutes, Gaye brought his signature touch of soul to the national anthem. It’s easy to forget now that everyone tends to sing it in their own way, but nobody had re-arranged the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ before Gaye did at the All-Star game. Doing so would have amounted to treason had a less-skilled singer been at the helm. Instead, Gaye revolutionised the way that the national anthem was sung. Future singers had to bring their a-game if they wanted to follow in Gaye’s massive footsteps.
Check out Gaye’s version of the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ down below.
