Bryan Adams Releases Protest Song ‘Lake Ontario’

Bryan Adams released “Lake Ontario” on October 28, a protest song opposing U.S. President Donald Trump’s order directing federal agencies to call the lake Lake America. The track is a digital bonus song on Adams’ forthcoming album, How’s It Goin, which is scheduled for release November 6. Adams said the song was intended for people on both shores who believe the current controversy will pass and that the lake will remain Lake Ontario. In a statement accompanying the release, he also said that empires, regimes, dictators and kings come and go, while the lake is lasting. The lyrics refer to Trump’s order and characterize it as a distraction, while mentioning events in Iran and the Epstein files. Those references express the song’s allegations and interpretation; they do not independently establish why the order was issued or a connection between it and those subjects. The song also invokes the lake’s Indigenous name. Its lyrics say the Iroquois called it the “lake of shining waters” and contrast that history with an executive order. The track is described as a mid-tempo rock song. How’s It Goin is presented as a Canada-focused album. Adams said the project began after he wrote a...