Jewel's Rendition of 'The Star Spangled Banner' at the Indy 500 Was Divisive

I didn’t spend much time online this week, so I’m catching up. In the meantime, to tide you over, when I saw that some people were huge fans of Jewel’s rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” at this weekend’s Indy 500 while others thought she “mangled it,” I at least had to listen to a few bars to figure out what could possibly be so controversial about her rendition. I get it now. The former winner of The Masked Singer tried to do a little something different, and while I err on the side of, “It’s decent!” I understand why “The Star Spangled Banner” purists might have issues.

.@jeweljk sings the national anthem at the greatest spectacle in racing. 🇺🇸 #Indy500

📺: NBC and @peacock pic.twitter.com/rpjuG1o2dk

— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 28, 2023

I don’t know how many “Star Spangled Banner” purists there are, but I’m guessing you’ll find most of them watching or attending the Indy 500. At least, Jewel’s version beats Roseanne’s rendition.