"Best National Anthem EVER!": a young singer takes her time on Brandon Tatum's channel
Retired service members and viewers in their seventies filled the comments with stories of chills and of standing up at home, while the short's views kept to the channel's ordinary pace.
The Officer TatumStory of Why this story? The video drew 5,723 comments in its first day, 15 times a normal first day on this channel (389).
Best National Anthem EVER!
Brandon Tatum, the former police officer whose channel mostly runs on political commentary, posted something different on Saturday: a short of a young girl singing "The Star-Spangled Banner," under the plain verdict "Best National Anthem EVER!" The short does not say where she sang or at what event.
The views landed about where a Tatum short usually lands. The comments did not. Close to 6,000 arrived in the first day, about fifteen times the usual for his shorts, and they keep returning to the same few things. Many viewers point to her pacing, how she took her time instead of rushing toward the high note. Others notice that she added small flourishes of her own without copying anyone else's version, and that she stayed in a comfortable range rather than straining for it.
The other thread is about who is listening. Retired service members describe getting out of their chairs at home and putting a hand over the heart. Commenters in their fifties and seventies say it is the best rendition they have heard, and one viewer suggests she should simply sing it everywhere from now on.
The same weekend brought the channel's usual fare, from the midterms to the Cornell 7. On a page like that, ninety seconds of the anthem drew the busiest conversation.
Published on Trari
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What viewers say
She took her time with it, too. No need to rush when you are confident.
@keepyourfaith3472See it on YouTubeThat was the Best I’ve ever heard .. & I’m 76+ years old .. the hair on my arms is still standing as I type this!
@DianaPerez-qt4ymSee it on YouTubeWhat a voice that young lady has.
@haroldhawkins9370See it on YouTube
Public comments from the video's page on YouTube
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- Channel
- The Officer Tatum
- Subscribers
- 3,850,000
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 9,477,286
- Channel views, pace per day
- 1,340,189 (on a normal day: 1,356,144)
- Video published
- October 3, 2026
- Video views so far
- 338,972 (2 days online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 249,555 (on a normal day: 225,464)
The numbers
The views are ordinary for this channel. The comment count is what sets this short apart.
💡 Test your knowledge
The bombardment of which fort inspired the words of "The Star-Spangled Banner" in 1814?
Francis Scott Key wrote the poem after watching the British bombard Fort McHenry in Baltimore during the War of 1812 and seeing the American flag still flying at dawn.
