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| Music by | John Stafford Smith |
| Lyrics by | Francis Scott Key |
| Date | 1780, 1840 |
WNET Sign Off 1983 Big Bird
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America.
The national anthem was an integral element of the decades-long practice of signing off the broadcast of network television at the end of the day. In one such segment for PBS affiliates, Big Bird paints the American flag on the screen while the song plays.
The song is incorporated into the underscore of Letters to Santa in the scene in which Sam the Eagle recites his speech about opening someone else's mail being a federal offense.
Walter, Janice, and Floyd Pepper perform the song in a 2017 online video. Sam the Eagle is so touched that he begins crying and runs offscreen, and the others assume he didn't like it. (YouTube)
References[]
- In Episode 1406 of Sesame Street, David asks Oscar an obvious question about getting Barkley out of his car; Oscar responds sarcastically that he's singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" instead.