In the wake of George Floyd’s death and calls of the Black Lives Matter Movement in 2020, Alicia Keys performed a pre-recorded version of the unofficial “Black national anthem,” Lift Every Voice and Sing. It aired during that year’s Super Bowl.
The lyrics to the song were written by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson. It was sung first on February 12, 1900, in celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. The words to the song encompass the African-American people’s fight for liberty.
It became an anthem for the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s-1960s. Since then, it has been considered the “Black national anthem.”
The song had its renaissance in 2021 when Alicia Keys sang it for the Super Bowl, albeit on a pre-recorded video. Emmy Award Winning singer Sheryl Lee Ralph made history when she sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing” live at the Super Bowl last Sunday as part of the pregame performances.
Ralph was in her element as the words rang throughout the stadium. She performed the iconic song in a red dress with her natural hair flowing behind her. It was a solemn moment inside the arena as she sang the words that became the cry of the African-American community during the Civil Rights Movement.
Last Sunday’s Super Bowl was also the 123rd anniversary of the day the anthem song was first performed by a children’s choir. It was also performed during the celebration of Black History Month, which tripled the event’s importance.
“It’s just so amazing that they chose me. And then the Eagles are in the Super Bowl.”
Ralph recently enjoyed some career accomplishments when she was nominated and won the Outstanding Supporting Actress in the Emmy Awards for her role in the comedy series “Abbott Elementary.”
She is also fresh from winning the Best Supporting Actress Award at the Critics Choice last month. “The blessings have been amazing, including this one, singing in front of millions of people.”
When asked about her reaction to being offered to sing in the Super Bowl, Ralph said, “I always say that I feel at home on center stage. To be on the 40-yard line for the song, I’m like, ‘OK, God, this is pretty doggone wonderful.”
The singer/actress was also pumped that she was singing in front of the Philadelphia Eagles, the team she’s rooting to win. The Eagles played against the Kansas City Chiefs. Unfortunately for Ralph, her team didn’t win as the Chiefs scored three points more than the Eagles to land the victory.
Aside from Ralph, there were other pregame performances last Sunday. Chris Stapleton sang the national anthem, Star-Spangled Banner, while Babyface sang America the Beautiful.
The much-awaited halftime was occupied by Rihanna’s performance. She shocked fans by performing while pregnant and suspended in the air. It was her first appearance, musically, since the 2018 Grammy awards.
Overall, this year’s Super Bowl had epic performances from artists who have made their mark, but Sheryl Lee Ralph’s rendition of the “Black national anthem” is one for the books.