娱乐英语新闻:Beyonce to sing for Obamas inauguration festivities

BEIJING, Jan. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Beyonce Knowles will sing the Etta James classic "At Last" at Obama's Tuesday inauguration festivities in Washington.

    The Grammy-winner said she was honored to perform for President Obama and the First Lady.

"To sing 'At Last' while they have their first dance is a dream come true. I could not be more honored and excited that they have asked me to be part of this moment in history," Beyonce said.

    The 27-year-old singer will sing for the Obamas at the Neighborhood Ball, one of 10 official balls scheduled for inauguration night.

Singer Beyonce performs on NBC's "Today" show in New York, November 26, 2008

    For Beyonce's reasons for picking the song, a blues expert is willing to take a few guesses. "The title can imply, 'At last the United States has elected a black president,' " Greg Johnson, blues curator and associate professor at the University of Mississippi, told MTV News.

    "Interestingly enough, the year Etta James made this song popular, 1961, is the year Barack Obama was born," he added.

    The song has its own storied history. James released her debut album entitled "At Last!" in 1960 which became a smash hit. In the recent film "Cadillac Records," Beyonce portrayed the blues talent and sang the song in that movie.