Joaquin Orozco

Writing II

Due Date: 2/18/21

Ms. Gordon

 

National anthems have always been identified as the pride of a nation, known for representing the values of its people and its culture since creation. They express one’s love for their own country and the treatment of these anthems is of high importance to a nation’s people. One recent example is Colin Kaepernick taking a knee during the Star-Spangled Banner to stand against police brutality and racial killings, inspiring future generations to use this gesture for protesting against future racial killings, such as Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. The Star-Spangled Banner itself had humble beginnings as “a melody from a British gentlemen’s club sing-along, the anthem memorialized the battered flag (then with only fteen stars) that flew over Fort McHenry during its bombardment by the British. Yet the freedom that the song celebrates tends to stop when it comes to unorthodox arrangements” (Rewinding Jimi Hendrix’s National Anthem – The New Yorker). What matters about the Star-Spangled Banner isn’t necessarily the music as a whole but instead its message: that America was built on the foundation of freedom and justice for all. This aspect itself has affected other people who’ve attempted to change anything about its music, with other musical renditions being ignored in favor of the original work itself due to them being seen as transgressive. However, this makes Jimi Hendrix’s rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner much more notable since it’s one of the few renditions of the anthem that’s withstood the test of time. Born on November 27, 1942 in Seattle, Washington, he is considered by many to be one of the most influential electric guitarists in recent memory despite his mainstream career only lasting 4 years. His rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner proves his talent by playing the tune of Voodoo Child (Slight Return) before seguing into the anthem itself. What makes this so incredible is that Voodoo Child is already a difficult song for guitarists yet he’s able to draft it seamlessly into the Star-Spangled Banner. With his influence, he is also able to express his own experience as a paratrooper in 101st Airborne fighting in the Vietnam War, using the electric guitar in a masterful way. “At one point, Hendrix toggles between two notes a semitone apart while burying the guitar’s tremolo bar, turning his Fender Strat into a doppler warp of passing sirens, or perhaps the revolving blades of a helicopter propeller” (Rewinding Jimi Hendrix’s National Anthem – The New Yorker). Through the skill of the electric guitar, Hendrix masterfully reflects those that have died on the battlefield, thus asserting his authority through his music.