Singing the American national anthem is no easy feat.
On Sunday, Jewel was at the Indy 500 to open the marathon car race with a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner”, giving the anthem her own unique spin.
READ MORE: Chris Stapleton Sings ‘National Anthem’ At Super Bowl As Players Shed Tears
Strumming an acoustic guitar, Jewel stretched out the song with a slow, but vocally powerful take on the anthem’s melody.
.@jeweljk sings the national anthem at the greatest spectacle in racing. 🇺🇸 #Indy500
📺: NBC and @peacock pic.twitter.com/rpjuG1o2dk
— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 28, 2023
In the video, some onlookers appeared confused by the new arrangement of the song, while others seemed to be enjoying it.
Reaction to the performance was also quite divided, with many fans praising Jewel’s take on the song.
Jewel just did the best national anthem I’ve ever heard in my life I’m not exaggerating
— shakira (@shakkattackk) May 28, 2023
Finally heard Jewel doing the National Anthem. 50% of the posts all day hated it, and 50% loved it. Seriously, it wasn't that bad. It was sung by Jewel being Jewel. Hard to hate on it. Best I've ever heard was the Trumpet guy at The Copper World Classic year after year. 👊😎👊
— NonwingKingofKalifornia (@Nonwing_King) May 29, 2023
I don’t care who attacks me for this, but I loved Jewel’s National Anthem. I think it gave the words more meaning. As someone who’s heard it 1000s of times in my career, I was really listening to her and reflecting on the words.
— lori wood (Hauger) (@mankea) May 28, 2023
READ MORE: Canadian Singer Jully Black’s Subtle Change To National Anthem At NBA All-Star Game Draws Praise
Others, though, took the singer to task for her approach to the song.
This is the perfect example of how not to do the national anthem. It was to the point of being disrespectful. https://t.co/LAVSt1YZ6x
— Jacob 🇺🇸🏁 (@JacobRE1996) May 28, 2023
jewel’s national anthem for indy 500 might be the worst anthem rendition to date
— boone (@im_boone) May 28, 2023
For the love of God, STOP CHANGING THE MELODY AND RHYTHM OF THE NATIONAL ANTHEM. Jewel’s rendition is now in my top 3 least favorites.
— A M Y (@aragle12) May 28, 2023
