Bryan Adams releases pro-Canada single '51st State' for Canada Day
The North Vancouver-born rock star released a new single Thursday addressing annexation rhetoric with the chorus: "We'll never be the 51st State."
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Bryan Adams, the Grammy and Juno-winning rock star born in North Vancouver, released the most political single of his career on Canada Day Thursday, clocking in at 2:17.
Titled "51st State," the new track addresses ongoing annexation rhetoric from American figures. The chorus delivers a direct message:
"Let me give it to you straight / When you're talking about my home / You better show some respect / 'Cuz up here we take care of our own / So let me give you some advice, mister / You might have too much on your plate / Go n' load us up with tariffs / But we'll never be the 51st State"
The single also contains the verse: "But the 49th parallel / Has become a line drawn in the sand."
Adams said in a statement: "I wanted to write something about Canada because Canada is home. There is more that binds us than divides us. This is a tribute to the pride and spirit of my fellow Canadians — the rest is just noise."
The track is a tribute to the people, communities and culture of Canada and a gentle rebuke to comments first floated by American president Donald Trump in 2024. Since then, the position has been revisited repeatedly by the Republican president. Trump posted "51st State!" on June 2 on his social media account along with a Bloomberg News article discussing the Canadian economy dipping into a technical recession, and the American ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, reposted the comment.
The song carries all the big hooks and driving beat Adams' fans have come to love over his decades-long career. "It's the type of tune you can expect to hear blasting out at hockey rinks from coast to coast to coast," according to reporting on the release.
Adams is currently on tour in support of his latest album, Roll With The Punches, recorded in part in his own studio The Warehouse in Vancouver. He will be touring Canada from August to September, winding down the cross-Canada tour on September 15 at Rogers Forum in Abbotsford. Tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster.ca.
