The Star Spangled Banner (Whitney Houston recording)

"The Star Spangled Banner"
Single by Whitney Houston
B-side	"America the Beautiful"
Released	February 12, 1991 (original release) September 26, 2001 (re-release) January 27, 2021 (re-release, streaming)
Recorded	January 27, 1991
Genre	Pop R&B
Length	2:15
Label	Arista
Composer(s)	John Stafford Smith
Lyricist(s)	Francis Scott Key
Producer(s)	John Clayton (music arrangement) Rickey Minor (music coordinator)
Whitney Houston singles chronology
"All the Man That I Need" (1990) "The Star Spangled Banner" (1991) "Miracle" (1991)
"Fine" (2001) "The Star Spangled Banner" (2001) "Whatchulookinat" (2002)
Alternative cover
2001 re-release cover

"The Star Spangled Banner" is a charity single recorded by American singer Whitney Houston to raise funds for soldiers and families of those involved in the Persian Gulf War. Written by Francis Scott Key and John Stafford Smith, "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The musical arrangement for Houston's rendition was by conductor John Clayton. The recording was produced by music coordinator Rickey Minor, along with Houston herself. The recording was included in the 2014 CD/DVD release, Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances^[1] and the US edition of the 2000 release, Whitney: The Greatest Hits.

Traditionally performed at sports games in the US, "The Star-Spangled Banner" was performed by Houston at the original Tampa Stadium for Super Bowl XXV in 1991. Although Houston was singing live, she was singing into a dead microphone, and television viewers were hearing a non-live pre-recorded version of the anthem due to her musical director making her aware of the risks of performing live, including the sound of the crowd, jets flying overhead, and other such distractions from pregame activities.^[2]

After the September 11 attacks, Arista Records re-released Houston's "The Star Spangled Banner". She once again donated her share of the royalties, as did Arista Records, towards the firefighters and victims of the terrorist attacks. This time the single peaked at #6 on the US Billboard Hot 100;^[3] it was certified platinum by the RIAA. This made Houston the first musical act to take the national anthem Top 10 in the US; she was also the first act to have it certified platinum. The 2001 re-release of the single was Houston's last Top Ten hit on the US Hot 100 during her lifetime.