Jimi Hendrix’s electric reimagining of “The Star-Spangled Banner” rubbed some people the wrong way, but when he went on Dick Cavett shortly after performing the national anthem to close out the Woodstock music festival (51 years ago today), he told the talk show host, “I thought it was beautiful.” According to one retrospective account, “What made Hendrix’s rendition so remarkable was his ability to fuse protest and horror with patriotism and hope.”
