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Marvin Gaye's National Anthem Covers

10:21 a.m. · July 4, 2010 · by Dan Nishimoto

Happy America Day! To some of you the Fourth may mean throwing on an American flag bikini and toting a gun. For me, I'm reminded of Marvin Gaye tastefully fucking the "Star-Spangled Banner" at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game. Mostly because his draping of the National Anthem in a velvety, sexual robe and his ability to get a crowd to do a soul clap at the climax are all pretty memorablel. Then again, this was Los Angeles in the early '80s. Other highlights include the Spurs' George Gervin looking around excitedly as if Marvin were singing directly to him.

So, I took to the YouTubes this morning and was pleased to find that Gaye claimed that ol' gay tune several times. And each rendition more or less matched the different points of his career. Spoiler alert: "Sexual Healing" didn't come until the early '80s, so the earlier renditions were a little... safer.



Gaye's performance of the anthem during Earnie Shavers and Larry Holmes' 1979 Heavyweight title fight in Las Vegas is surprisingly tender. Then again, he was in the midst of divorce hell, both in real life (with his second wife Janis Hunter) and on record (1978's Here, My Dear, which was based on his separation from his first wife Anna Gordy). So the spare piano accompaniment and vibrato-filled delivery lends an austere, intimate, rural-church vibe. It's like Gaye is paying homage to the song and its context, as opposed to owning it.

In contrast, the other highlights include Howard Kossel's sarcasm ("And a very sad man because he owns Andy Price, whom Leonard destroyed," on introducing Gaye), Earnie Shavers looking exceptionally excited while a greazy-looking Larry Holmes looks on and Dirty Diana smiling on.



Gaye's performance at the December 1974 Raiders v. Cowboys match-up is perhaps what we'd expect of a sporting event music performance: formal, regal and dramatic. Somewhat surprisingly, none of the Let's Get It On libido is in effect, but he is rocking the red beanie. Not too many other highlights aside from seeing the Raiders-era Madden and the simple fact that Marvin was at a Raiders game in Oakland back in the '70s. Then again, you'd expect some Wattstax-level hype, right? Wrong. I guess even Marvin knew who wrote his checks. And is that Kenny Stabler? I only remember him with the grizzly-man beard.



Last up we have Gaye's home game performance at Game 4 of the 1968 World Series between the Detroit Tigers v. St. Louis Cardinals. This is definitely the most conservative performance--a fitting tribute to the assimilationist mindset of neighboring Hitsville U.S.A. Yes, I used that word "assimilation" on America Day. Melting pot, son.

That said, even in comparison to his soaring duets with Tammi Terrell, this is a relatively milquetoast performance. Again, the highlights are in the game itself. Like the long shot of Cards pitcher Bob Gibson @ 1:15 standing akimbo (a deceptive preface to his crushing 10-1 victory that game) contrasts with a prior shot of Denny McLain standing listlessly and wiping his nose.

Admittedly Jose Feliciano's charismatic performance of the National Anthem in Game 5 became the defining musical moment of this series (and, in a way, of other sports game renderings of the National Anthem that followed), so maybe we should thank him for opening the doors for Gaye's 1983 rendering?