Bring it Back

Taken from the music blog of the senior vice president and director of music at my day gig, Josh Rabinowitz. These are his words:

"2. “Star Spangled Banner”, Marvin Gaye, Nike
If like me, you watched Marvin Gaye sing the national anthem at the NBA All-Star Game in LA on TV in 1983, you were so floored/moved/stirred/etc. that you tried to find a copy of it but to no avail. Not until a Gaye Box Set came out in the early nineties, on audio cassette only, were you able to hear it. Thank goodness for YouTube, and thanks to Nike’s Spot “United We Rise” for tapping into that magic of Marvin, who at that LA performance was armed with only a first generation drum machine (programmed the day before by Gordon Banks), and connecting it with the spirit of the Redeem Team (aka US Olympic Basketball Team). Not the greatest of Nike ads, but certainly one the greatest rendition of the Star Spangled Banner ever done."

Love the fact that they used a drum machine track made the day before as the backing music. Mssrs. Marvin and Banks remixed the National Anthem! (and thank God for that!)