The Only Two Artists Who Have Sung the National Anthem Twice at the Super Bowl

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In the decades-long history of Super Bowl national anthem performances, only two singers have performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the event twice: Billy Joel and Aaron Neville. Their records are not identical, however. Joel remains the only performer to deliver two complete solo renditions of the national anthem at the Super Bowl, while Neville’s second appearance was part of an ensemble performance with Aretha Franklin, Dr. John, and a choir.

Billy Joel’s Two Solo Super Bowl Performances

Billy Joel first sang the national anthem at Super Bowl XXIII on January 22, 1989, at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, where the San Francisco 49ers faced the Cincinnati Bengals. Eighteen years later, he returned for Super Bowl XLI on February 4, 2007, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, before the Indianapolis Colts played the Chicago Bears.

Joel became the first performer invited to sing the Super Bowl national anthem twice. His second appearance took place in heavy rain, with Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin providing the American Sign Language interpretation. It was Matlin’s second of three ASL appearances during Super Bowl national anthem performances.

The Aaron Neville Distinction

R&B legend Aaron Neville is the other singer who has participated in two Super Bowl national anthem performances. The circumstances of his second appearance, however, are what make Billy Joel’s solo record unique.

Neville first performed the anthem by himself at Super Bowl XXIV on January 28, 1990, at the Superdome in his hometown of New Orleans. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Denver Broncos that day, but Neville’s unmistakable tenor gave the pregame ceremony one of its most memorable vocal performances.

Sixteen years later, Neville returned for Super Bowl XL on February 5, 2006, at Ford Field in Detroit. This time, he shared the performance with Detroit native Aretha Franklin. Pianist Dr. John and a 150-member choir accompanied them during a pregame tribute to New Orleans as the city continued recovering from Hurricane Katrina. Angela LaGuardia, a teacher at the Michigan School for the Deaf, provided the American Sign Language interpretation.

The collaboration between Neville, Franklin, Dr. John, and the choir represented the spirit and musical heritage of New Orleans during an extraordinarily difficult period in the city’s history. It was a moving and historically significant anthem, but it was not a solo performance. That distinction leaves Billy Joel as the only artist to sing two complete solo renditions of the national anthem at the Super Bowl.

Why Billy Joel?

The NFL’s decision to invite Billy Joel back for a second solo performance reflected his reliability, professionalism, and broad appeal. The Super Bowl anthem is one of the highest-pressure assignments in entertainment. It demands a performer who can handle a massive stadium, an enormous television audience, and conditions that are not always ideal. Joel’s 2007 performance took place outdoors during a downpour, yet he delivered the song without turning the moment into a showcase for vocal theatrics.

Joel’s direct performance style suited the occasion. His voice was strong, recognizable, and capable of carrying the anthem without burying it beneath unnecessary ornamentation. He approached the song with dignity while still sounding unmistakably like Billy Joel.

His appeal also crosses generations and musical tastes. “Piano Man,” “Uptown Girl,” “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” and “New York State of Mind” have become part of the American popular-music landscape. Parents who grew up with Joel’s records in the 1970s and 1980s have passed those songs to their children and grandchildren, giving him the kind of multigenerational recognition that works naturally at an event as large as the Super Bowl.

Much of Joel’s catalog focuses on love, loss, memory, working-class struggles, changing neighborhoods, and the lives of ordinary people. Even when his songs address history or social tension, they usually do so through storytelling rather than slogans. That ability to connect with listeners from very different backgrounds helps explain why he was trusted with the anthem twice.

A Career Built on Storytelling and Authenticity

Billy Joel’s career spans more than five decades. He released his first solo album, Cold Spring Harbor, in 1971, but Piano Man in 1973 established him as a major artist. Its title track, inspired by his experience working in a Los Angeles piano bar, became his signature song and introduced the character-driven storytelling that would define much of his work.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Joel released a remarkable series of successful albums. The Stranger produced “Just the Way You Are,” “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song),” “Only the Good Die Young,” and “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.” 52nd Street became his first number-one album and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Glass Houses displayed his harder-rocking side, while An Innocent Man paid tribute to the R&B, soul, and doo-wop music of his youth.

Joel’s ability to write about ordinary people has always separated him from many of his contemporaries. “Allentown” examines the struggles of workers in declining industrial communities. “We Didn’t Start the Fire” races through four decades of history. “The Downeaster ‘Alexa’” tells the story of Long Island fishermen trying to survive economic and environmental changes. Those songs helped build a loyal audience that crosses generational, economic, and regional boundaries.

Joel has won six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2013, and was awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2014. His record-breaking monthly residency at Madison Square Garden ended on July 25, 2024, after 104 residency concerts and 150 lifetime performances at the arena. That same year, he released “Turn the Lights Back On,” his first new single in decades.

The Significance of the Record

The fact that only one artist has performed the Super Bowl anthem twice as a solo singer demonstrates how unusual Joel’s achievement remains. The league generally gives the opportunity to a different performer each year, drawing from pop, rock, country, R&B, jazz, classical music, and Broadway. The list has included Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Pink, Renée Fleming, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Luther Vandross, and many other major artists.

Through Super Bowl LX in February 2026, Billy Joel and Aaron Neville remained the only singers to participate in two Super Bowl national anthem performances. Joel alone had done it twice as the complete solo vocalist.

A Record That May Stand Forever

The Super Bowl remains one of the largest television events in the United States, and the anthem provides an artist with an audience that can exceed anything reached during an ordinary concert or awards show. With so many accomplished performers available, repeat invitations are exceptionally rare.

That makes it increasingly possible that Joel’s record will stand for many years. Another singer certainly could be invited back, but the NFL’s preference for variety and the deep pool of available talent make a second solo appearance difficult to predict. The achievement remains unusual not because it cannot be repeated, but because the circumstances that produced it may not come together again.

Billy Joel’s distinction as the only solo singer to perform the national anthem at two Super Bowls gives him a special place in both football history and American popular culture. His two performances were separated by eighteen years, yet both placed him alone at the center of one of television’s most demanding musical moments.

Was Billy Joel’s performance the best? Of course not. I think most people would give that honor to Whitney Houston. It is possible she was invited back and declined, but we will never know. In the end, very few musical artists have the broad appeal of Billy Joel. If he were asked again, he would probably rock the house because the guy can still sing his heart out.

In May 2025, Joel canceled his scheduled concerts after being diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, a condition that had affected his hearing, vision, and balance. He made an encouraging return to the stage on January 2, 2026, joining a Billy Joel tribute band for two songs while continuing his recovery. What better full-scale comeback could there be than singing the Super Bowl anthem for a third time?

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Updated August 1, 2026.

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