The NFL went back to a familiar formula in the Super Bowl this year with country music superstar Mickey Guyton performing the National Anthem. A year ago the league tried to do a country music/ R&B mashup that turned into a total mess, and thankfully the 2022 performance was much better.
Mickey Guyton’s Super Bowl anthem was fine, but Jhene Aiko blew her away
Aiko had an impossible act to follow.
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Guyton did a great job performing on arguably the biggest stage a singer can take. It began as a classic, no-nonsense rendition that didn’t re-invent the wheel, but it didn’t do anything wrong either. Then it became Guyton’s own, when backup singers supported her and really made the remainder of the song pop in one of the most memorable anthems of the past few years.
See, this is how you do it right. You really don’t need to go nuts with weird flourishes or runs to make the song your own — just nail it, get in, get out and let people clap. The final time of 1:50 hit the over of 95 seconds by a HUGE margin, if you enjoy betting on things like that.
There was one colossal screwup though. NBC clearly didn’t know who Jhene Aiko was, so they showed Guyton when she was announced. Welp.
While Guyton’s anthem was great, it was Jhene Aiko with “America the Beautiful” that gave you goosebumps.
This might be the greatest version of this song that has ever been sung at the Super Bowl. Aiko’s vocal stylings leant themselves perfectly to the song, and it was performed with a reverence and restraint that was simply beautiful.
Honestly, when it comes down to it, I’ll be remembering Aiko’s performance for years to come. What a brilliant job.
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