Photo: Ron Vesely/ Getty Images| Licensed to Alpha Media Group 2013

"The Star Spangled Banner" is a notoriously tough song to sing, whatever the circumstances. For every  Marvin Gaye or Whitney Houston, there are handfuls of overmatched belters – whether professional or not – who crack under the pressure of tackling the National Anthem before a big crowd. In light of all this, James Taylor’s performance before game two of the World Series at Fenway Park last night wasn’t really that bad; he merely seemed to forget what song he was singing, launching into “America the Beautiful” before deftly transitioning into the “Star-Spangled Banner.”

Nice recovery, Jimbo! Of course, there are a number of ways a singer can botch the song, so we’ve broken them down into several categories. Enjoy! (Just kidding – these are almost impossible to enjoy).

PROFESSIONAL SINGERS FORGETTING THE WORDS

Jesse McCartney

Michael Bolton

Eli Young Band

AMATEURS FORGETTING THE WORDS, FORGETTING THEM AGAIN, AND THEN FALLING ON THEIR ASS:

AMATEURS FORGETTING THE WORDS, BUT BEING HEART-WARMINGLY RESCUED BY MO CHEEKS:

SINGERS GETTING THE WORDS RIGHT BUT ABSOLUTELY BUTCHERING THE PERFORMANCE:

Harper Gruzin

This cop committing police brutality

Roseanne Bar

AND, FINALLY,  THE PERFECT STORM:

Carl Lewis

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