Getting to sing your national anthem in a public setting is an honour and a privilege, no matter what country you hail from.
However, it doesn't always go well - as the likes of Fergie from Black Eyed Peas discovered when she decided to put her own spin on 'The Star Spangled Banner' at a basketball game a few years back.
Now actor Damian Lewis has been added to the dubious list of 'well known names who publicly butcher their own national anthem' after his rendition of 'God Save the King' at the Formula 1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone yesterday.
The 'Band of Brothers' actor decided to put his own unique twist on the anthem and performed it accompanied solely by a saxophonist.
Was he joking (surely the case. Surely!), or serious? In any case, both drivers and the assembled crowd looked on with a mixture of bemusement and confusion, although everyone managed to keep a straight face.
As it happens, however, Lewis is also a musician in his spare time and recently released his debut album 'Mission Creep'; he even performed a set in Silverstone over the weekend, although why he chose to promote his music via F1 is not clear.
Obviously there have been some amusing reactions on social media...