Rufus Wainwright performed the Canadian National Anthem “O Canada” ahead of Game 5 of the MLB World Series on Thursday, October 30th, and he changed a lyric to dig at Trump’s “51st state” comments about Canada.
Instead of singing original lyric “in all of us command,” Wainwright, who is a dual US and Canadian citizen, changed the lyrics to “that only us command;” the lyric twist implies that only Canadians have a right to determine their country’s future. Throughout his second term, Trump has suggested that Canada relies on the US entirely and should should give up its independence and become part of the United States, causing uproar from both Canadians and Americans.
Wainwright, a Montreal-raised singer-songwriter, delivered the anthem in both English and French at Dodger Stadium, and he hasn’t been the only Canadian pushing back against Trump’s comments: Fellow musician Chantal Kreviazuk made the same lyrical change during the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey final in Boston this past February, while singer JP Saxe modified the anthem during Game 3 of the World Series by substituting “our home on native land” for “our home and native land” — a change R&B artist Jully Black pioneered at the 2023 NBA All-Star game to acknowledge Indigenous peoples.
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The Blue Jays prevailed during Game 5, beating the Dodgers 6-1. Game 6 continues tonight, October 31st, in Toronto, with game 7 (if necessary) going down in Toronto the following day.
