In what can only be described as a very subdued form of letting loose, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper pulled out his best Axl Rose at the Conservative Party holiday festivities yesterday. Harper was backed by his band, the Van Cats, for a seven-song set that included covers of John Denver, The Beatles and Guns N’ Roses. Barring this classical guitar rendition, their cover of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” is just about the least rock and roll version of the song ever to hit YouTube. Then again, this is the Conservative Party.
It’s a little surprising the set didn’t feature more Canadian artists, though Harper did replace Denver’s lyric about West Virginia with a reference to western Alberta. Still, without hoping to incite any kind of North American musical rivalry, there’s really no comparison to Barack Obama’s much too short cover of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” at the Apollo Theater in 2012. We’re still waiting for the full song.
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Write to Eliza Berman at eliza.berman@time.com