Remember When Faith Hill Sang the National Anthem at the Super Bowl?
On Jan. 30, 2000, just before the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Tennessee Titans at Super Bowl XXXIV with a score of 23–16, Faith Hill sang the national anthem, and she killed it.
The Rams captured their first Super Bowl win and first NFL championship since 1951 that year, and Hill's home team, the Tennessee Titans, made their first (and so far, only) appearance in a Super Bowl.
Hill's performance was breathtaking, as a company of drummers and bagpipe players acted as the live band and played in the background while her voice soared, hitting those difficult notes again and again. Dressed in a black sweater and leather pants, Hill seemed satisfied with the delivery, as at the close of the song, when the rockets fired off into the air, she pumped her fist in the air for a job well done.
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Nine years later, Hill would go on to sing "America the Beautiful" before Super Bowl XLIII in 2009 in Tampa, Fla., making her the only country artist to perform both songs at the Super Bowl. Hill's performance of the national anthem in 2000 made many "Best Of" lists. Time and time again, she was ranked as one of the most highly regarded singers of the song.
Her husband agrees with that sentiment. "My favorite Super Bowl National Anthem. Faith Hill," Tim McGraw writes on Facebook.
Perhaps her performance allowed her to get into the good graces of NBC's Sunday Night Football, as she began singing the opening theme for the program in 2007. Her version of Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself for Loving You," made into "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night," made its way into every Sunday game. She was a staple for six seasons. She exited the gig in 2013, paving the way for Carrie Underwood to take over.
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