Like so many famous songs of yore, “The Star-Spangled Banner” started as a poem, called “The Defence of Fort McHenry.” It was written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 during the War of 1812. The stanzas recount the Battle of Baltimore, a days-long siege between British and American forces.

The poem was set to a tune called “The Anacreontic Song,” which was composed in the late 1700s by a man named John Stafford Smith. The song was linked to the Anacreontic Society, which was an amateur musician’s and singer’s club named after the Greek poet Anacreon.

“The Star-Spangled Banner” wasn’t actually adopted as the official anthem of the United States until 1931, though it was already popular and had already been used by several American institutions by then.

Watch Richard Goodall’s acappella version below.

Now in LA for final preparations, Goodall explained, “You don’t just stand up there and sing. There is so much prep work. They have screens behind you, screens your standing on. They have creative people, story people, and of course the music team.”

Goodall has been keeping his fans up to date on his Facebook page, including his work life and his AGT experience. Six days ago, he made a post about arriving at school at the crack of dawn, writing, “When you get to work a little early and realize you have to actually get out of the car to start your day! Going to be a crazy one.”