Red Dawn : America the Beautiful

Why did they start singing it in such a high key? Did they forget it would only go up and up from there?

Noobs.

Your film gods: Lee Van Cleef and Laura Gemser
http://tinyurl.com/pa4ud44

They are singing it knowing they are going to die and they are trying to sing it as loud as they can because they still believe in America and hate the Russian enemy that is going to shoot them.

Key, not volume, KEY. Vocal register. Once you go high, you can’t sing louder and soon you can’t sing at all.

Your film gods: Lee Van Cleef and Laura Gemser
http://tinyurl.com/pa4ud44

One only needs to sit in any karaoke bar anywhere in the country to realize how off-key the average American is (and doesn't realize it himself or herself)!