Many Americans consider it to be militaristic, and for many years, people have lobbied for it to be replaced by what they believe to be a better representation of our nation, America The Beautiful. What it isn’t is easy to sing, with an octave range that is challenging to even the best of singers. The song has a rich history, being inspired by the perseverance of the American spirit in battle, and the American flag itself. There are actually four stanzas to the song, but only the first is commonly sung or played today. The lyrics are taken from a poem titled “The Defense of Fort McHenry”, written by amateur poet Francis Scott Key in 1814 after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by The British Navy in The War of 1812. It has been so since it was made official by congressional resolution on May 3, 1931. In The United States of America, our National Anthem is The Star Spangled Banner. The Encyclopedia Britannica defines National Anthem as “a hymn or song expressing patriotic sentiment and either governmentally authorized as an official national hymn or holding that position in popular feeling.”

The star spangled banner song sung