The game between the New York Giants and the Buffalo Bills was held at Tampa Stadium in Florida, under security like nothing anyone had seen at an American sporting event. Fans passed through metal detectors. Armed officers patrolled the stadium roof.
But before kickoff, a 27-year-old Whitney Houston walked onto the field in a white tracksuit and a headband.
Her version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” was different. Inspired by Marvin Gaye, she slowed the anthem down and gave every word room to breathe. When the NFL heard the recording ahead of time, officials worried it was too slow. They asked if it could be redone. Her father and manager, John Houston, said no.
He was right.
Backed by the Florida Orchestra, Whitney held the crowd of 73,813 in the palm of her hand. When she reached the word “free,” she held it like a bell. As she finished, she raised her hands in triumph, and F-16 fighter jets roared over the stadium.
Even the players were overcome. “Everybody cried. I even cried,” Giants receiver Stephen Baker remembered. “Whitney Houston hit every note perfect, and it just made you reflect and made you proud to be an American.”
The response was so overwhelming that her recording was released as a single, and the royalties went to the American Red Cross Gulf Crisis Fund. After September 11, 2001, it was released again and climbed into the Top 10.
Whitney Houston died in 2012, at just 48 years old. But many still call this the greatest national anthem ever sung.
Do you remember watching this live? Share it with a friend who loves our anthem.