What is it exactly that makes an anthem? Is it the lyrics, the music, the writer? When you think of anthems, one really big one probably comes to mind. We’ve heard Francis Scott Key’s “Star Spangled ...

“The Star-Spangled Banner” is the national anthem of the United States. By the time the song officially became the country’s anthem in 1931, it had been one of America’s most popular patriotic tunes ...

A 1934 postcard of the original Star-Spangled Banner which at the time was hanging in the United States National Museum, now the Arts and Industries Building. (Smithsonian Archives image) Today, more ...

, a classical music aficionado who came across this humorous high school band performance of "The Star Spangled Banner." Though your first intuition might be to laugh at the sheer sight of a high ...

This story is part of American Anthem, a yearlong series on songs that rouse, unite, celebrate and call to action. Find more at NPR.org/Anthem. This week marked one ...