Soul legend Aretha Franklin donned a Lions beanie and belted out the National Anthem ahead of Detroit’s home game against the Minnesota Vikings on Thanksgiving, delivering one of the longest renditions of “The Star-Spangled Banner” in recent memory.
Franklin’s version, in which she accompanied herself on piano, clocked in at 4 minutes and 35 seconds, as CBS helpfully noted for its viewers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaC-tm3c1OI
Franklin’s anthem drew a wide range of responses on Twitter, with most praising the Queen of Soul for the performance. Some criticized the singer for taking too long, with one user calling the performance “self-indulgent.”
Some Twitter users reminded other artists that Franklin is the only singer who could get away with a nearly 5-minute-long anthem, while others went for the obvious Colin Kaepernick jokes.
Check out some of the responses to the performance below.
https://twitter.com/TomFornelli/status/801842985747050496
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum
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