July 4th and Marvin Gaye's Star Spangled Banner

The hype over July 4th doesn't cross the border much, and that's a good thing. I don't miss it. My way of celebrating is simply to tune out all the noise about Michael Jackson and go to YouTube and type in Marvin Gaye National Anthem. There you can watch and listen as he re-imagines the anthem at the '83 NBA All-Star Game. You can also watch him sing it in '79 at the Ernie Shavers and Larry Holmes title fight. Though Marvin hadn’t fully re-imagined the anthem then, in some ways that video is its own a compelling portrait of America—two black brothers getting ready to pummel one another as a third sings the anthem in front of soldiers holding the flag. Diana Ross—whose duets with him were marvelous—was in the audience along with, of course, a whole bunch of wealthy white folk there to watch the proceedings. Gaye had opened the decade with his groundbreaking album What’s Going On, music overflowing with angst and despair and hard questions. He followed it with Let’s Get It On which became, among other things, the number one college sex aid of its day. He remained a dominant musical icon until his tragic death at the hands of his father in 1984. I can think of no better way to celebrate the holiday than by listening to one of the nation’s great artists discover--in an anthem that marching bands have long since turned into noise--nuance, redemption and soul.