It must seem like a good idea. How else to explain why so many artists will try anything -- whether it's fiddling with the arrangement or striving for the glory notes that only divas can hit -- to put their own stamp on the national anthem? Getting booked to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a major event is an honor for any artist, so why not try and make it memorable, like Whitney Houston's epic take in 1991 or Marvin Gaye's eminently soulful '83 version?

'The Music of Super Bowl XLVI' Main

Alas, not everyone -- in fact, almost no one -- reaches that level of greatness. With that in mind, Billboard brings you the 10 worst national anthem performances ever, after which you're welcome to purge your ears by listening to the five all-time best.

10. Keri Hilson, 2010

Keri Hilson has the vocal chops to make "The Star-Spangled Banner" soar, but unfortunately, the R&B star's performance at an NBA Lakers vs. Hawks game in 2010 did just the opposite. Why? Hilson committed the sin of all sins: forgetting the lyrics. Let the grumbling commence!  

9. Josh Groban and Flea, 2010

Back in January 2010, we asked whether this unlikely coupling at the BCS championship game was the "weirdest national anthem ever," and with good reason. Josh Groban and Flea may be friends in real life, but their musical inclinations -- he's a popera star who cameos on "Glee," he's a funk-punk bassist who plays with Thom Yorke -- don't exactly scream "hot collabo." 

8. Christina Aguilera, 2011

No one is saying that Christina Aguilera, with her powerhouse glory notes, couldn't totally kill "The Star-Spangled Banner." But did she last year at the Super Bowl? Nope. Aguilera changed the words in the song's fourth line, merging the lyrics with the song's second line. And that final note? Yesh.  

7. R. Kelly, 2005

Notoriously excellent at turning ordinary performances into logic-defying moments, R. Kelly must have been trying to channel the great Marvin Gaye when he decided to go with a soul arrangement of the national anthem for a boxing bout. The results got people talking, but for all the wrong reasons, from the unnecessary use of handclaps to the even more unnecessary use of Chicago step dancers.  

6. Steven Tyler, 2007 AND 2012

The Aerosmith frontman's one-of-a-kind voice is perfectly suited to howling choruses like "Love in an elevatuhhh," "What did her daddy doooo," or, "Dream until you're dreams come truuue." "O'er the land of the freeeee," however? Not so much. And he just won't stop singing it, most recently botching the words at the 2012 AFC Championship Game.

NEXT: Michael Bolton, Roseanne Barr & the Worst Anthem Ever