Beyoncé, Solange, and Kelly gathered in front of the TV to watch Whitney Houston sing the national anthem at the 1991 Super Bowl XXV. I was as entranced as the kids—from the land of the free to the home of the brave; from the buzz I felt in my head to the chills on my arms. “The Star-Spangled Banner” was not supposed to be for us, but Whitney made it so. When it was over, Beyoncé said in a quiet voice, not bragging, not even dreaming, simply stating a fact: “I’m gonna do that someday.”
