1996 Atlanta Opening Ceremonies - The Star Spangled Banner

[ItachiUchiha2010]

Just got chills! =D

[julius923]

@jfabproductions I had a dream that we had a temporary Olympic stages built inside the Grand Canyon, imagine that?

[historybuff5341]

How sad is it that the sound and video quality brings back childhood memories from the ninties?

[SchwarzeWitwe2]

God, Clinton looks so young.

[idowickedtkd]

Does anyone agree with me that strike up the band starts playing at the end?

[AthenaTungsten]

I DONT CARE IF THE MASCT IS IZZY'S PAL, ANOTHER EAGLE OR A DOG! US DESERVES 2012 OLYMPICS!!!!!(and so does the world)

[AlexHWalker]

@AthenaTungsten You can think that the USA deserves the 2012 Olympics but it's quite pointless to say it when they were awarded to London 6 years before you posted that comment and the 2016 games were awarded 2 years prior to your comment. Anyway, in my opinion the US have hosted the games too many times, 4 summer and 4 winter. The world definitely doesn't deserve another american games when new countries with richer cultures could host better games.

[zfecomat]

Forced Labor in China is in.

[SallyAura]

Do you realize that none of the three which are actually being shown honoring the anthem have their hand on their heart? They have it in their diaphragm...

[PeepoICSS]

Beautiful just Beautiful!! miss u Mr.Clinton =] 

[berpatch1]

You American's always think about yourself. The Olympics are not about you the American's. It's about THE WORLD and what great talent the world has in all the sports that the Olympics have to offer and it's not about freaking politics. Chicago was the first city in America to be elimated. ITS GONNA HAPPEN, MY ASS!

[berpatch1]

This is how the national anthem should be song every single time!

[sotsclarinet08]

I read that the IOC wants an African country to host the Olympics in the future. After the Rio Olympics, Africa will be the only continent where the Olympics haven't been hosted.

I doubt Rio beat Chicago in getting the Olympics, come on it's Chicago! The reason Chicago didn't get it, from what I read, was the IOC doesn't want the US to have the Olympics anytime soon. Thanks in part to the Salt Lake City debacle in 2002.

[marselmt]

Yes!!!!!! Rio de Janeiro 2016

[kiwi539]

nice Opening Ceremonies and it shame Atlanta stadium so fucking ugly...70 year ago berlin olympic stadium look much better

[jordguitar]

The area where the stadium ended up at was heavily developed and surrounded by homes and businesses. I lived about less than half a mile from where they did the volleyball stuff. The stadium then became the new baseball stadium.

[wl03bu]

it was converted into a baseball diamond afterwords which is why it has such a weird shape. A lot of the stands were temporary

[upmusicman1]

This gives me goosebumps every time! Such a powerful arrangement of the National Anthem, the reprise makes it even more special "Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave" GOD BLESS AMERICA!

[thisisabadname]

I'd like to get a lip reader to see what Clinton, Samarach, and Payne were saying. Was it the anthem? Or something else?

[THyperon]

Yeah, Chicago 2016 would be great, I love that town... But wintergames 2018 in Munich/Germany! My home!

[thisisabadname]

Munich isn't hosting any more Olympics. Not after what happened in 1972.

[nonameslob24]

YES CHICAGO 2016 INDEED!!!!!

[Exult]

Chicago is a great city, but Rio 2016 Olympics will be an interesting event. Probably be the bests Olympics...since Beijing. ( suck on that london)

[berpatch1]

I think no other country will ever beat Beijing. They were the best!

[Jeremiahk2012]

@berpatch1 yeah america will we beat everybody just look at iraq.

[Darkdroom]

the world deserves chicago 2016

[gz0730]

@Darkdroom

No you can't

[SgtSplatter782]

the secret service must have been shitting bricks when Clinton walked out there like that.

[BendikHolden]

Happy 4th of July!

[grantmiller13]

My Aunt is in that Choir! oh and I hope Chicago wins too

[Jurassicparkz08]

It'd be so awesome if Chicago got the 2016 summer olympics, but Tokyo is probably going to beat us out :(

[scottie0625]

doubtful. they almost never give the same continent consecutive olympic bids. chicago has a very good chance since it will have been 20 years since the summer olympics were last held in north america.

[Headlinestudios]

it was in atlanta in 96 dude... thas less than 20 years

[scottie0625]

2016-1996=20

[Headlinestudios]

o my bad i thought you meant from 08'

[migkiller001]

Scottie, this was a comment in 2008

2008-1996=12

I can do math too smart ass!

you dont know what someone truly meant or thought when they left a comment! So enjoy the SSB and quit whining.

[YampoGA]

Good luck with your bid, I hope you win!....Just be prepared to defend not only your country, but your city against Euro snobs who will say you lack culture and are too "commercial." What a bunch of asses

[Xone7]

I want CHICAAGO 2016.

[scottie0625]

not consecutive, but they hardly ever give olympic bids to the same continent that close together.

[gamedude507]

Even Rio could overtake Chicago. I'm hoping for Chicago to win, but South America, as far as I can remember, has never hosted.

[VinCrazyest]

BILL!!!!!

[dukelampard]

He was a great president, and I'm not even a democrat!

[ethanmx2]

Thank Ross Perot for that.

[bringonthelovin]

Just curious- what country are you from?

[BendikHolden]

(Norway) :-(

[christopherinnyc]

Ah...jeg elsker norge...et beautiful land och et beautiful volk!

[SakurabaSan]

amazing

[paradise1234]

america has a nice national anthem!!!! gd on ya all!!!

[SchwarzeWitwe2]

Oh my God, no we don't. It's an old English drinking song, and it's just thumbing our noses at the British. I'm fond of the Canadian, German, and Russian anthems myself.

[nathanfornash]

Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave!!!

[dukelampard]

Damn right

[gafan888]

this was 1 yr after after i was born.

[nathanfornash]

brat

[nosuchpersonvideo]

You are mixing up Olympics. NSYNC sang at the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Olympics and BoyzIIMen did the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics.

[wajwhale]

It was Boyz II Mei who sang the national anthem, not nsync..

[aric2007]

Wrong. Take a look at rockies77's video. It IS *NSYNC who performed the US national anthem.

[ranzchic]

Clinton looks hot!

[ranzchic]

Eww, just saw the veteran military band people and the flyover. What was that all about? No war stuff should be present during the Olympics. The military band people should have worn something else, and the plane should have never flown over.

That wasn't classy at all.

[luft9989]

dude, a country's military is every bit apart of the country as the national anthem, as an american, i like hearing the 'american' military sing the 'american' anthem.

[jessieclance]

yes.

[bulldawgs50]

good point

[masevicious]

america usually has military dressed officers at all major presentations of the national anthem.

1) cuase america is a country formed from a war

2) our national anthem was written during a battle by an american prisoner on a british boat

3) a counutries military is just apart of a country as the ppl are, i mean its not like they were dressed in fatiges and sporting m16s

[lasthurrah00]

About the flyover: They did it in Barcelona as well.

[admats130]

You have no idea what you're talking about. The military of Italy, Greece and Spain, off the top of my head, was present for the national anthem at the Torino, Athens, and Barcelona Olympics. Stop hating on America already.

[lostalex77]

america has the best Anthem in the world!!!

the land of the free and the home of the brave!!!

USA!!!!!

[ibejake]

Putting aside recent political bickering and all stupid choices made by our leaders, moments like this make me remember how proud I am to be apart of the United States.

[Tominger]

@ John: That is playback!!

[johnathangibbs]

Oh!!! Well in that case, how did they do it still? I mean, I know all of those people didn't show up to just lip sync. That would be crazy.

[johnathangibbs]

I wonder how they pulled that off? I mean, that's a freakin huge choir singing in a freakin huge space. Didn't they run into reverb/ accoustical problems???

[thierrydiribarne]

waooouuuhh fabulous ....from france happy birthday USA

[faithrider02]

Im a huge fan of flyovers...my favorite part of an sporting event, but at the Olympics?! come on! The Olympics is suppose to be a time when the world comes together in peace and puts differences aside. I dont like seeing warplanes thundering above.

[cridionysiou]

its a nice anthem..but greek is better

[Nightowlerthing]

All ill feelings toward america's foreign policy recently aside, the American National Anthem is quite impressive. It's truly a moving piece.

[ausspan]

There are better national anthems.

[Bibo59]

I love the USA, The national anthem brings tears to my eyes, and now my greatest dream has come true, I live here now!!!! God bless America!!!!

[patlovesu]

Is that Bill? Oh my god, it's Bill! He looks so...so...young

[jason115pl]

Awesome.

[scottie0625]

wow...thats amazing...very impressive

[sjaeckh]

Hey, Bill Clinton knows the words! Rock on Bill, I still think you're the coolest.

[patlovesu]

You would hope a band geek like Bill would know the words to the Star-Spangled Banner.

[johnathangibbs]

Why would a "band geek" have to know the words to the Star-Spangled Banner?

[patlovesu]

Because that's what Clinton is, a band geek.

[johnathangibbs]

No, you missed it. Why would a "band geek" need to know the WORDS to the Star Spangled Banner??? Band is all about instruments. It's not a choir.

[LinguesonoVita]

I love the Olympics.

I love our anthem too, few have such moving power.

[ChibiByron]

**SALUTES THE FLAG ONCE AGAIN***

God bless the U.S.A

[SC1986]

beautiful

[SpicherJung89]

Great One! I am german, but this is just great :)

[bgdrewsif]

the visuals from this ceremony are just incredible, grand in scale and emotion... possibly one of the best opening ceremonies ever.

[DavidBIGdArruda]

And to think that such a beautiful melody evolved from an old vulgar English drinking song... America for you.

[SchwarzeWitwe2]

Hahaha.

I'm not a fan of the lyrics.. it's just snubbing our noses at the Poms.

[h3lls4int]

One of the best anthems on the world. At the SLC 2002 opening was more sentimental, because of the 11/S & the flag recovered from the zero zone that was present at the ceremony.

[SchwarzeWitwe2]

Yeah, but fucking 'NSYNC? Who made THAT decision?

[lasthurrah00]

NSYNC sang the anthem for the closing ceremony. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang the anthem at the opening ceremony.