It’s likely one of the first songs every Canadian child learns, which is why when our nation’s anthem, "O Canada," is altered, it catches many off guard and usually incites anger, bemusement or both.

When a member of the Canadian singing group, The Tenors, unexpectedly changed the lyrics of “O Canada” to include the phrase “all lives matter,” ahead of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game, the usually innocuous tradition of singing the national anthem became the game’s greatest controversy.

Never mind that it’s frowned upon to change the lyrics to a country’s anthem, but the group member, identified as “lone wolf" Remigio Pereira, altered the usual lyric of "With glowing hearts we see thee rise. The True North strong and free" to instead sing, "We're all brothers and sisters. All lives matter to the great."

The change immediately caused intense backlash and embarrassment on the part of Canadians, seeing as how the phrase “all lives matter” is seen as a rejection of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The group apologized for the incident, saying they were “sorry for the disrespectful and misguided lack of judgment by one member of the group.”

Tuesday night's event was likely the last time we see The Tenors invited to sing the national anthem at a major sporting event, but it's likely not the last we see “O Canada” altered. Here’s a look back at some other noteworthy, er, interpretations of the national anthem.

5. Aside from the Blue Jays' 5-4 comeback victory against the Atlanta Braves, Game 2 of the 1992 World Series was not a night to remember for Canada. Ahead of the game, the U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard accidentally flew the Canadian flag upside down during the national anthem. Perhaps thrown off from the flag mishap, Canadian rocker Tom Cochrane proceeded to mess up the lyrics to "O Canada." Instead of singing "from far and wide, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee," he sang "O Canada, we stand on guard, we stand on guard for thee." The possibly nervous Cochrane appeared to have sung a line that was present in an earlier version of O Canada, but he even messed that up, as the actual line was, "We stand on guard, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee." That's three strikes, I believe.

4. This rendition of "O Canada" should serve as a reminder that everyone should think long and hard about what’s on their bucket list. Ahead of a 2012 lacrosse game between the Toronto Rock and Buffalo Bandits at the Air Canada Centre, Canadian radio personality Josie Dye had the opportunity to sing the anthem, a dream she said was on her bucket list.



Unfortunately, the experience turned into a nightmare. Looking nervous, Dye forgot the first few words of the anthem. Frazzled, she asks the audience to "help me, help me" before saying she was “nervous.” After a moment, Dye stops and restarts the anthem, only to mess up the first few words, again. On the bright side, it's crossed off the list and she never has to do that again.





3. The life of the 1994 CFL expansion team the Las Vegas Posse was brief, but the infamous butchering of the national anthem at the team’s first home game is a moment of Canadian history that will be remembered forever. Close your eyes and listen closely to Vegas lounge singer Dennis K.C. Parks (stage name: Greg Bartholomew) and you can actually hear him singing the lyrics of "O Canada" to the tune of seasonal carol “O Christmas Tree.” The lounge singer got redemption, though, when he sang it correctly ahead of a CFL game in Hamilton two weeks later.

2. Anthem singers likely have several different tunes bouncing around in their head when they step up to the microphone ahead of a game. That seemed to have been the case for American singer Jill Shackner, who mistakenly inserted a line of “America the Beautiful” into “O Canada” ahead of a Winnipeg Jets vs. New York Islanders game in 2013. Instead of singing, "We stand on guard for thee" she sang "God sheds his grace on thee.”

Well, she got the last word correct.

1. Whoa Nelly is right. Canadian singer Nelly Furtado did not Say it Right when she sang the national anthem ahead of this year's NBA All-Star Game in Toronto. In what was meant to be a prideful, patriotic moment as the country hosted the NBA’s best for the first time, the singer decided to alter the melody of "O Canada," making it practically unrecognizable in parts and leaving many Canadians wishing the ACC game ops crew could just Turn Off the Light. Not completely Powerless, Canadians took to social media to criticize the singer and after the heavy backlash, we’re thinking all Furtado wanted to do was fly away, Like a Bird.

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