O Say Can You Hear

A Cultural Biography of the Star-Spangled Banner

By: Mark Clague

Narrated by: Reuben J. Tapp

Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

The fascinating story of America’s national anthem and an examination of its powerful meaning today.

Most Americans learn the tale in elementary school: During the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key witnessed the daylong bombardment of Baltimore’s Fort McHenry by British navy ships; seeing the Stars and Stripes still flying proudly at first light, he was inspired to pen his famous lyric. What Americans don’t know is the story of how this everyday “broadside ballad,” one of thousands of such topical songs that captured the events and emotions of early American life, rose to become the nation’s one and only anthem and today’s magnet for controversy.

In O Say Can You Hear? Mark Clague brilliantly weaves together the stories of the song and the nation it represents. Examining the origins of both text and music, alternate lyrics and translations, and the song’s use in sports, at times of war, and for political protest, he argues that the anthem’s meaning reflects—and is reflected by—the nation’s quest to become a more perfect union. From victory song to hymn of sacrifice and vehicle for protest, the story of Key’s song is the story of America itself.

Each chapter in the book explores a different facet of the anthem’s story. In one, we learn the real history behind the singing of the anthem at sporting events; in another, Clague explores Key’s complicated relationship with slavery and its repercussions today. An entire is chapter devoted to some of the most famous performances of the anthem, from Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock to Roseanne Barr at a baseball game to the iconic Whitney Houston version from the 1991 Super Bowl. At every turn, the book goes beyond the events to explore the song’s resonance and meaning.

From its first lines Key’s lyric poses questions: “O say can you see?” “Does that banner yet wave?” Likewise, Clague’s O Say Can You Hear? raises important questions about the banner; what it meant in 1814, what it means to us today, and why it matters.

©2022 Mark Clague (P)2022 Spotify Audiobooks

Expanding one’s experience of the Star Spangled Banner

What is there to learn about a song that we all know so well? Mark's book shows how the SSB came to Americans, and how it is expressed in so many areas of American life, and in so many different forms. Many people are familiar with and attached to the SSB in only certain traditional forms. Others have been moved to expand the possibilities of its expression. I came away with a much broader understanding of diversity and unity of a symbol of America.

Exhaustive history, narration could be better.

There is no stone left unturned here, this is an exhaustive and comprehensive study on the origins of our anthem. I didn’t know that the tune was ubiquitous, with over 100 different lyrics before Key got hold of it.

Performance-wise, the narration has a distracting number of mispronounced words. Enough that Audible should do some touching up with the narrator. In a book about a song about a flag, the word “ensign” should be said correctly. There were many other stumbles such as this along the way. Disappointing.

Anthem + More

You will learn more than you ever knew about the national anthem and its interactions with American life. And do you know all the words of the 4 stanzas? And the source of the music? An excellent book for middle school and high school students and all adults. Highlight of the year!

Learn to Pronounce Proper Names

The book is great, very interesting story. However, I have never listened to any other book where the reader mispronounced almost every place name. The reader's voice was perfect for a recorded book. Why didn't someone take the time to prepare him? It's an old saying : proper preparation prevents a poor performance.

I learned how little I knew about the Star Spangled Banner

This book is a deep dive into the anthem and, if like me, you aren’t familiar with music terminology, the book may drag in parts. I wish the music references could have been part of the audio book.

The narrator is clumsy and mispronounced many words. His voice is pleasant but he needed some coaching on pronunciation.