Greatness recognizes greatness.
And singing what is widely considered the greatest interpretation of the national anthem of all – at the Super Bowl 30 years ago, on January 27, 1991 – Whitney Houston was inspired by another music legend.
“She said, ‘You know, Marvin Gaye did that in [1983 NBA] All-Star Game, and I really loved how he was able to take his time. Can we do something like this, where we let the words stay? ‘”Rickey Minor, Houston’s longtime music director, told the Post. “So, we add a beat to each measure. That alone was a sacrilege to change the national anthem! “
Although Minor, now 61, “almost got fired” by NFL executives for shaking “The Star-Spangled Banner”, Houston’s bursting surrender at Super Bowl XXV in Tampa, Florida – the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face the Kansas City Chiefs for the championship February 7 – changed the game.
“We wanted it to be like Whitney,” said Minor, who also served as music director for the opening night special “Celebrating America” last week. “So the orchestrator, John Clayton, made an arrangement [where] we added some gospel chords and some jazz chords. So now, we are not only changing the tempo, but we are changing the harmonic structure of the song, which is a big risk. I wanted to make sure that, musically, it would give her places to go. “
Minor went to Tampa to work on the arrangement with the Florida orchestra. He then sent the song to Houston before meeting it in Los Angeles to establish the pre-recorded “safety” track needed for the Super Bowl.
“When she got to the studio, I ran outside to meet her in the car, like, ‘What do you think?’ ”Said Minor. “And she said, ‘I haven’t had a chance to hear it yet. I just auditioned for a film with Kevin Costner called “The Bodyguard”. I think it went well. ‘ And so here she is so relaxed about it.
“I played it for her, she heard it once and said, ‘OK, I get it!’ And she went into the booth, and I would say that 90 percent of what you heard is the first shot, ”said Minor, who asked her to do just one more shot.
‘I don’t think anyone was ready for impact.’
Rickey Minor, Houston’s longtime music director
However, when it comes to singing the national anthem in the big game, “it’s up to the artist to decide whether he wants to sing live, sing the track or how he wants,” said Minor.
In the end – because of the cold, wet conditions and technical issues – they opted for the pre-recorded track. “She sang live on the field, but I used the vocal she sang in the studio,” explained Minor. “I just didn’t turn on the microphone, so when you see her veins moving, she’s singing.”
In the midst of the Persian Gulf War, Houston’s “Star-Spangled” moment struck a patriotic chord at Tampa Stadium and across the country. “Everyone was excited to hear the national anthem,” said Minor, noting that Houston also recorded a version of “America the Beautiful” that was played at the stadium, but did not air on television.
As for the iconic white sweatshirt with red and blue stripes – in addition to the matching headband – that Houston wore, Minor said, “She was like, ‘I want to be able to go to my place and just enjoy the game.’ And she said: ‘My giants will win too, just so you know!’ ”(In fact, the New York Giants won a victory over Buffalo Bills, 20-19.)
Two weeks later, Houston’s instant classic performance was dismissed as a charity single and, when it was relaunched in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks, it reached the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10.
“I don’t think anyone was ready for impact,” said Minor, who was the music director for other singers in the national Super Bowl anthem, including Faith Hill (2000), the Backstreet Boys (2001) and, more recently, Gladys Knight (2019). “The stars have to align themselves for things like this to happen.”
But, he added, “I have to be honest that when Whitney opened his mouth, I expected magic.”