Alicia Keys performed the National Anthem at the XLVII Super Bowl while sitting at a great white piano, clocking it at 156 seconds – making it the longest rendition at the Super Bowl ever.
Keys took her time with "The Star Spangled Banner," channeling all of her soulfulness in the arrangement and her delivery, leading The Christian Science Monitor’s John Kehe to recall Marvin Gaye’s 1983 NBA national anthem performance. The arrangement was all her own, which will allow her to copyright the version and earn money from it in the future.
While bets on the final outcome of the Super Bowl are commonplace, Las Vegas bookies also take bets on the length of the national anthem. This year for Keys performance, the over/under was 1:35, according to USA Today. Last year, Kelly Clarkson clocked in at only 1:30 seconds, but back in 1994, Natalie Cole took 1:52 to complete the anthem. What took Keys over the edge was her repetition of the song’s final line.
Debates have begun about whether Keys' spin on the "The Star Spangled Banner" was poignant and artistically well done, or if the artistry should have been left to her recording studio in place of a more traditional take on the national anthem. Regardless, she sang it live, which is more than can be said of some others.
Watch Keys at the Super Bowl below:
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