Who wrote ?The Star Spangled Banner?? The lyrics of the song that became the Star Spangled Banner came from the 1814 poem ?Defence of Fort McHenry? by Francis Scott Key. The poem was then set to the tune of a popular British drinking song written by John Stafford Smith for the Anacreonetic Society. When the music was placed with the lyrics and the song was called ?The Star Spangled Banner?. It became a well-known American patriotic song and commonly only the first stanza is commonly sung.

?The Star Spangled Banner? became recognized for official use by the Navy in 1889 and the President in 1916 and was named the national anthem by a congressional resolution on March 3, 1931.

There have been many other songs that have been made hymns for officialdom, such as ?My Country, ?Tis of Thee? and ?Hail Columbia? but the songs were overtaken for popularity at public events by ?The Star Spangled Banner?.

Key wrote the lyrics... So I guess by clever wording he didn't "write" the song.