Before the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Tennessee Titans at that year’s Super Bowl on Jan. 30, 2000, Faith Hill performed a memorable rendition of the national anthem.
Hill’s performance was significant to the singer as Hill’s home team, the Tennessee Titans, made their first appearance in a Super Bowl.
Before the kick-off at Atlanta’s Georgia Dome, Faith Hill took the field accompanied by drummers and bagpipe players who acted as the live band. As they played in the background, her voice soared, effortlessly hitting those difficult notes one after another.
Dressed in a black sweater and leather pants, as the rockets fired off to close out the show, she pumped her fist in the air for a signifying that she was proud of her performance.
Not only was Faith Hill’s voice reaching new heights: the week of her appearance, “Breathe” was spending its sixth week atop the country singles chart. The song claimed the No. 23 spot on the “Billboard Hot 100,” later hitting No. 2.
Following her performance, the Rams captured their first Super Bowl win and first NFL championship since 1951 that year, with a score of 23–16,
In 2009, Hill would make her return to football’s biggest game, this time singing “America the Beautiful” before Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Fla.
Hill’s performance made her the only country artist to perform both songs at the Super Bowl. Her rendition of the national anthem in 2000 appeared on many “Best Of” lists, classifying her as one of the most highly regarded singers to perform the song.
Her husband, Tim McGraw, proved to be her biggest supporter, writing on Facebook at the time, “My favorite Super Bowl National Anthem. Faith Hill.”
Faith Hill’s Performance Landed Her A New Gig
The performance was so stunning that she caught the attention of NBC. The network hired her to sing the opening theme for “Saturday Night Football” in 2007.
Her spin on Joan Jett’s “I Hate Myself for Loving You,” made into “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night,” appeared every Sunday before games.
Hill was the staple on the show for six seasons until leaving in 2013, setting the stage for Carrie Underwood to take her place.
Hill isn’t the only country superstar to have performed the National Anthem before football’s biggest night. In 1974, the late Charley Pride kicked off the game with “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
In 1993, Garth Brooks lent his chops, and a decade later, The Chicks opened the game with the patriotic anthem.
For this year’s Super Bowl, Eric Church will join Jazmine Sullivan for the National Anthem at Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7.
