National Anthem

The “Start-SpangledBanner”（《星条旗永不落》）is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics werecomposed by Francis Scott Key, an amateur poet, in the year of 1814. Afterwitnessing the attack of Baltimore Harbor by British Royal Navy during the Warof 1812, he was inspired by the American victory and the sight of American flagabove the fort.

Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics to "The Star Spangled Banner" on the back of an envelope. It was the only piece of paper handy when he was struck with inspiration.

The poem was set to the tune of a popular British song, which was already popular in the States with various lyrics. After setting to Key's poem and renamed "the Star-Spangled Banner", it soon became a well-known American patriotic song. Although the poem has four verses, only the first is commonly sung today.

"TheStar-Spangled Banner" was recognized for official use by the United StatesNavy in 1889, and was made the national anthem by US Congress in 1931.

The nationalanthem is traditionally played at the beginning of public sports events and orchestral concerts in the United States, as well as other public gatherings. In1991, Whitney Houston performed the national anthem for Super Bowl XXV. Her performance has been regarded as one of the best renditions（演绎；表演）of the anthem in history. We found the video clip of her performance and now let’s watch it.