Aretha Franklin sang “My Country ’Tis of Thee” at Barack Obama’s first presidential inauguration on January 20, 2009. Her performance took place shortly before Obama took the presidential oath at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
The appearance carried historic symbolism: Obama was becoming the first African American president of the United States, while Franklin was one of the most prominent Black musical figures in American history. She performed the patriotic song in a gray hat decorated with a large bow, an image that quickly became one of the ceremony’s most recognizable moments.
“My Country ’Tis of Thee” is not the U.S. national anthem. The patriotic song was written by Samuel Francis Smith in 1831 and uses the melody of “God Save the King.” Franklin’s performance was one of several musical moments at the inauguration, which also included a rendition of “Air and Simple Gifts” by Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Gabriela Montero, and Anthony McGill.