Overview
- Bryan Adams released the protest song '51st State' on Wednesday, July 1, using lyrics that declare “We’ll never be the 51st state” as a direct rebuke of President Donald Trump’s repeated remarks about absorbing Canada.
- The single was issued on YouTube and social platforms by Adams’ Bad Records label, making the release immediately available to a wide online audience.
- Adams said in a written statement that he wrote the track as a tribute to Canadian pride and the ties that bind the country, framing the song as a celebration of home.
- Reaction in the press has been split, with several outlets praising the song as a unifying national response and some conservative outlets mocking it while noting Adams currently lives in the U.K.
- Reporters tie the release to longer-running U.S.-Canada tensions over tariff threats and comments by President Trump, and Adams is scheduled to begin a U.S. tour on July 24 in St. Louis which could bring the song to live audiences.