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Dec 2021
21m 39s

Looking back at Whitney Houston's 1991 n...

NPR
About this episode
Happy New Year's Eve, y'all! Before we officially end 2021, we're revisiting on one of our favorite episodes of the year — our deep dive into Whitney Houston's 1991 national anthem. Sam chats with Danyel Smith, host of Black Girl Songbook, about how Whitney Houston captivated the entire nation with her rendition of the national anthem that year and why it still matters more than 30 years later.

You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.

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