Whitney Houston performed the national anthem at Super Bowl XXV in 1991. The game was played on January 27, 1991, at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida, as the United States was involved in the Gulf War. Houston sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the Buffalo Bills faced the New York Giants.
Her performance was backed by the Florida Orchestra, conducted by Jahja Ling, with an arrangement by John Clayton. The combination of Houston's soaring vocals, the orchestra, and the tense wartime atmosphere made the performance an enduring cultural moment. It was later released as a charity single benefiting soldiers and their families.
The year is sometimes confused with 1992 or 1993 because those Super Bowls featured different anthem performers: Harry Connick Jr. sang before Super Bowl XXVI in 1992, while Garth Brooks performed before Super Bowl XXVII in 1993. Houston's recording became a major hit, reaching No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.