Game 5 of the World Series proved to be another success for the Toronto Blue Jays, but many fans were left confused by the subtle twist Rufus Wainwright made to the Canadian anthem before the game’s first pitch.
The New York-born, Montreal-raised singer-songwriter took centre stage at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, tasked with performing O Canada in both English and French.
However, Wainwright sang “that only us command” instead of the original lyric “in all of us command,” during the English portion of the anthem, followed by several mistakes in the French version.
Several Canadian fans took to social media to express their discontent with the lyrical twist, noting Wainwright’s use of “gibberish” during the French portion of O Canada.
“Disrespectful Canadian anthem. Use the official lyrics or don’t sing it. Another self-centered artist heavily pandering. No one asked for this,” one Reddit user said.
“Why do they only ever mess with the Canadian anthem? That national anthem was terrible. Not even the right words,” another person added.
“Glad I wasn’t the only one to notice that…I’m not French but the French part was awful,” another user commented.
“Can’t they find one person that can sing it properly? With or without the French, but just decent,” another Redditor said.
Subtle lyrical changes come as little surprise, as Canadian singer JP Saxe also faced backlash for singing “our home on Native land,” instead of the original lyric “our home and native land” prior to the first pitch of the World Series’ Game 3 on Monday.
Game 6 of the World Series is set for Friday at the Rogers Centre, where the Toronto Blue Jays will face the Los Angeles Dodgers, aiming to secure a win 32 years in the making. If necessary, Game 7 will also be held at the Rogers Centre.
