NOTE: This post originally ran January 31, 2011, prior to this year's Super Bowl Game. I've chosen to re-up it today in honor of our nation's birthday.

THE SUPER BOWL AND THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER:  "The Star Spangled Banner" has been performed  at every Super Bowl except XI, when Vikki Carr chose to sing "American the Beautiful" instead.  Mostly, the honor has gone to a popular music artist, which has been the case since the late 80's. The sole exception was in 2005 following the now infamous Janet Jackson "Wardrobe Malfunction" of 2004. That year, game organizers decided to go with the combined choirs of the U.S Military Academy, the Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, Coast Guard Academy, and the U.S Army Herald Trumpets.

This year, Christina Aguilera will sing our National Anthem just before kick off of Super Bowl XLV. The five-time Grammy winner performed as part of the Super Bowl Halftime show in 2000 alongside Enrique Iglesias and Phil Collins, but this will be her first time singing "The Star Spangled Banner."  Here now is a look back at some of this past decades performances, starting with last year Super Bowl ...

2010 Carrie Underwood

2005  U.S. Military Academies and the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets

2003 Dixie Chicks

2002 Mariah Carey

Jennifer Hudson, Jordin SparksBilly Joel,  Aaron Nevill and Aretha Franklin, Beyonce, and the Backstreet Boys have performed it this past decade as well. Perhaps the most famous, though, is Whitney Houston's 1991 performance at Super Bowl XXV. It remains regarded by many as the best rendition of our National Anthem ever.

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