In an op-ed published by the LA Times yesterday (Tuesday), it was suggested that in light of recent race riots in the country, the Star-Spangled Banner, written by Francis Scott Key, be dropped in favor of an R&B/soul favorite.
The author describes Key as a "slave owner, like many of the historical personages whose statues have been defaced and destroyed in the Black Lives Matter uprising..." and suggests the national anthem, authored by Key, be replaced by the 1972 R&B hit "Lean on Me."
The article describes the former #1 billboard hit as "a deeply American song — but not, explicitly at least, a song about America."