The hardest song in the world to sing

Super Bowl XXV was held in Tampa, Florida on January 27, 1991, only 10 days after the start of the Persian Gulf War (codenamed Operation Desert Storm).  The legendary recording artist Whitney Houston sang the national anthem, "The Star Spangled Banner""The Star Spangled Banner" during the pregame ceremonies.  Houston's performance is considered one of the greatest renditions of the U.S. national anthem of all time.  The recording was subsequently released as a hit single, which peaked at #20 on the Billboard "Hot 100" singles chart, and it was re-released shortly after the events of September 11, 2001 and peaked at #6 on the "Hot 100", making it Houston's last top 10 hit before she died tragically in 2012.

The song is notoriously difficult to sing.  The humorist Richard Armour once quipped:

In an attempt to take Baltimore, the British attacked Fort McHenry, which protected the harbor. Bombs were soon bursting in air, rockets were glaring, and all in all it was a moment of great historical interest. During the bombardment, a young lawyer named Francis Off Key [sic] wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner", and when, by the dawn's early light, the British heard it sung, they fled in terror.

Not everyone has Whitney Houston's five octave vocal range - not even close!  As a matter of record then, there are several well-known disastrous performances of the national anthem (for example, see Billboard's top 10 worst performances of all time here).  Both professional and amateur singers struggle with the song's vocal range and have been known to forget the lyrics.   

Take a look at this video of a woman who starts to sing the national anthem before an NHL hockey game.  She appears to forget the words, abruptly stops and turns around to go back and grab a lyric sheet, and returns a few seconds later.  While walking back onto the ice, she slips and falls, as the audience cheers and jeers in the background.  Now ask yourself, what would you have done if you had been there?  Would you have jeered or even booed at the woman?  Admittedly, I can totally see myself reacting in that fashion in a similar circumstance.  And I am not proud to admit that.

Now, check out this video of a similar circumstance.  In this case, a young singer was invited to sing the national anthem before an NBA basketball game between the Portland Trailblazers and Oklahoma City Thunder on April 25, 2003.  The singer was a 13 year-old 8th grade student who had been selected by the fans in a promotional contest.  As luck would have it, she woke up that morning with a case of the flu and felt awful as she walked out in front of 20,000 plus fans. 

The young girl started singing, but when she got to the phrase, "What so proudly we hailed," she stumbled over the words.  She stopped - complete mind block.  She started looking around for her father for help.  At first, the audience tried to encourage her to continue, but the longer her uncomfortable pause lasted, some of the cheers turn to jeers.  Suddenly, one of the Oklahoma City assistant coaches, Hall of Fame basketball player Maurice "Mo" Cheeks, walks up behind the girl, put his arm around her, and started singing with her.  He coached her through the next few words of the song (and if you pay close attention to the video, he actually gets some of the words wrong too!).  The audience's jeers and boos turn to cheers, as they collectively finish the song together.  The girl would go on to say, “It was like a guardian angel had come and put his arm around my shoulder and helped me get through one of the most difficult experiences I've ever had."

Which situation would you rather be in when you make a mistake - having people make fun of you or celebrate your failure, like the first video, or have someone support you and coach you through the difficult times, like in the second?  Now, ask yourself my earlier question again.  The next time you see someone struggle, will you be like the hockey fans in the first video or like Coach Cheeks in the second?

You don't have to be an NBA Hall of Famer to be a leader.  At times, leadership is defined as being directive but calm under pressure.  At other times, leadership requires patience and humility.  I want to leave you with one last video - this time, it has nothing to do with the Star Spangled Banner.  During a recent NCAA basketball game between the University of Michigan and Iowa State, Michigan's head coach (and former "Fab Five" and NBA superstar), Juwan Howard, took a moment during a time-out to help mop up sweat from the floor.  He apparently did it as a player too (see here).  How many times do you see a head coach doing that?  Leadership.