TORONTO (AP) – The Tenors’ rendition of O Canada at the baseball All-Star Game got Don Cherry’s attention Wednesday as the hockey commentator slammed group member Remigio Pereira for embarrassing Canadians with his altered and politically charged lyrics.
Advertisement
The other three singers, who say they weren’t aware of Pereira’s plans, weren’t singing any words at the time.
“Nice of you guys to alter your national anthem lyrics to piss off your country & take a political stance to piss off another, @TenorsMusic”, one tweeter posted. The correct line is: “With glowing hearts we see thee rise”. It read “All Lives Matter” and “United We Stand”.
The statement said the other members of the group are “shocked and embarrassed” and are deeply sorry for what they call the “disrespectful and misguided lack of judgment by one member of the group”.
THERE HAVE BEEN many suggestions for changing the words to O Canada but Remigio Pereira came up with something entirely unique – using our national anthem to insult an American social movement at a major league baseball game Tuesday.
“That was my singular motivation when I said all lives matter”, he said. But a member of the pop-classical a capella group singing the Canadian national anthem, which wasn’t even broadcast in the U.S.?
Hudson said the “all lives matter” phrase is a response to Black Lives Matter and is meant to silence what the group is calling for.
A statement placed on The Tenors’ website on Tuesday after the incident apologizes for Pereira’s behaviour. “No disrespect whatsoever to Black Lives Matter because black lives do matter”, he says.
ESPN points out the “All Lives Matter” phrase has been facing a lot of criticism because some believe it diminishes “the problems specifically facing blacks”. I weep for the senseless loss of life, the lives of all my brothers and sisters in this world. He said he wanted to, “speak for the human race and the lives of all sentient beings”.
Advertisement
The Tenors released a statement two hours later on their Twitter page citing only one member was aware of the lyric change during that performance.
