Jimmy Hendrix's rendition of "Star Spangled Banner" at Woodstock

Woodstock, NY

This iconoclastic rendition of the Star Spangled Banner has become an American Icon in its own right. I believe it was the first time an artist "violated" (desacralized) the iconic anthem, thus paving the way for others (e.g., Rosie O'Donnell) to sing the anthem "in their own way," as an interpretative act of identifying as an American. For Hendrix, this rendition spoke directly to the socio-political issues of the day: the war in Vietnam; the civil rights movement; the counterculture. It still sends chills up the listener's spine, even for those too young to remember Woodstock. The fact that it was "captured" and disseminated via film/recording deepens its iconic aspects, and ties it to that other very American icon: Woodstock.

Eric