Beyonce -- "At Last" (Etta James Cover)

This is quite possibly my favorite musical performance from all of the Inaugural Festivities. It is a beautiful rendition of Etta James' song "At Last," sung by Beyonce. Her performance is incredibly emotional, and Barack & Michelle Obama's "first dance" is incredibly touching and romantic. (Not to mention how gorgeous Michelle's dress is!!) All of that combined means I've been pretty much watching this video on repeat for weeks now.

Beyonce -- "At Last" (Etta James Cover) from the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball



**The video is even more amazing if you watch it in HD!***

As you may have heard, recently there has been some controversy over this performance, with Etta James complaining about Beyonce singing HER song.

From CNN:

Singer disses Obama, Beyonce

The entertainment world may be in a swoon over Barack Obama, but one legendary soul singer is fuming at the new president and the pop star who serenaded the first couple on inauguration night.

Etta James, famous for her rendition of the song “At Last,” is apparently miffed that pop star Beyonce was tapped to perform the ballad as the president and first lady slow-danced during the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball on January 20.

“You guys know your president, right?” the singer asked an audience in Canada last week, according to audio posted on TMZ.com. “You know the one with big ears? Yeah, wait a minute. He ain’t my president.”

She then went after Beyonce: “That woman singing for him, singing my song? She’s gonna get her ass whipped.”

James added that she “can’t stand Beyonce” and that the starlet “has no business up there singing, singing up there on a big old President day, singing my song that I been singing forever.”

But is James flip-flopping on Beyonce? She did not raise an objection when the singer portrayed her in the film “Cadillac Records” — and just recently, James’s son told a New York paper that his mother was moved by the inauguration night performance.

I personally think that Etta James needs to get over herself. Everyone knows that its her song and not Beyonce's, and she should be honored that the Obamas chose her song to be used as a part of such a historic occasion. Also, I thought it made perfect sense for Beyonce to be a part of it. She campaigned for Obama around election day, and immediately offered to help them in any way she could with the inauguration. Plus, she's much more popular amongst younger audiences (who make up a significant portion of Obama's voters) than Etta James. She should take a page from Obama's book and learn to get along with Beyonce, even if she has issues with her, rather than trying to draw attention to herself with stuff like this.