Watch: The Slightly Awkward James Taylor Performance John Kerry Organized After Missing the Paris Unity Rally

The Obama administration on Friday tried to make up for its blunder of not attending France's unity rally last weekend, by having James Taylor sing "You've got a friend" in France.

Taylor and Secretary of State John Kerry are reportedly old friends, and Kerry stood by as Taylor sang his signature song. Kerry said earlier in the week that he would travel to France, a scheduling change that was announced hours after the Obama administration was widely criticized for failing send anyone to France on Sunday.

Taylor tailored his song to France a little bit, injecting some French into the well-known lyrics. But the performance suffered from some technical difficulties — Taylor's microphone seemed to be set for a much shorter person, and a handheld microphone was rushed over to him so he could be heard.

Kerry has said his visit was meant to be a "big hug" for Paris after terrorists killed 17 people over several days that started with an attack on Charlie Hebdo, the French satire magazine.

"I think you know that you have the full and heartfelt condolences of the American people, and I know you know that we share the pain and the horror of everything you went through," Kerry said Friday in an appearance with French President Francois Hollande.

"The American people watch you and your team, and indeed all of the government lead with great elegance and grace in this week, during this difficult time," he added. "And we watched the people of France come together with a great sense of purpose and unity. It was a great lesson to the world, I think."