James Taylor Messes Up National Anthem [VIDEO] Prior To Ga me 2 Of World Series Thursday, Though Transitions Smoothly Into Right Lyrics

James Taylor messes up National Anthem during game 2 of the 2013 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday.

Luckily for the 65-year-old folk singer James Taylor, he was able to recover smoothly after he messes up the National Anthem prior to the start of the game. Songs like "Fire and Rain" and "You've got a friend" might come to his lips a little easier, though to his credit, he didn't let it ruin the performance.

James Taylor messes up the National Anthem by singing "American the Beautiful" instead of the "Star-Spangled Banner." After saying "Oh beautiful," the five-time Grammy Award winner was able to recover and sing the rest of the real lyrics that were meant to be sung.

"Now, it's not clear if Taylor forgot the song he was singing," Nate Scott, of USA Today, wrote Thursday. "The transition is so smooth and so quick, it might have just been Taylor taking some creative license at the beginning of the song, a little flourish to remind everyone out there that he's James Taylor and he can do that sort of thing. Or he just got really cold and forgot the song."

List of Grammy Award accomplishments by James Taylor:

1971: Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, "You've Got a Friend"

1977: Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, "Handy Man"

1998: Best Pop Album, Hourglass

2001: Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight"

2003: Best Country Collaboration With Vocals, "How's the World Treating You" with Alison Krauss

2006: Grammy Award-sponsored MusiCares Person of the Year. At a black tie ceremony held in Los Angeles, musicians from several eras paid tribute to Taylor by performing his songs, often prefacing them with remarks on his influence on their decisions to become musicians. These artists included Carole King, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Taj Mahal, Dr. John, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, David Crosby, Sheryl Crow, India.Arie, the Dixie Chicks, Jerry Douglas, Alison Krauss, and Keith Urban. Paul Simon performed as well, although he was not included in the televised program; Taylor's brother Livingston appeared on stage as a "backup singer" for the finale, along with Taylor's twin boys, Rufus
and Henry.