I watched the Alicia Keyes 2013 and by rule I think her timing ended after the first time she ended the word "Brave" and that was just under 2:25.I timed it at 2:35.
She sang it super slow.
Lots of pauses between words and she added a couple of words at the end and had a long run at the end also.
The anthem isnt good sung slow.
Can't imagine the opera singer singing it this slow.
Thanks 'D' for the information very helpful. 2:22 is longer than I expect but I'll take it.
SSB sung in apx. 2 minutes or in other words Under Winner!
Pop stars do a better job of stretching that thing out.
I hope I managed to convince a few to jump on this after a week and a half of lobbying. I can't put into words how sure I was of this being a winner.
I sampled so many different singers including different opera singers and the 2:25 was rarely even close.
My only regret is that I didn't jump on the shorter times and take advantage of the odds I could have got.