Oscars 2016: Sam Smith's 'off pitch' performance of 'Writing's on the Wall' criticised by Twitter

'It's been several minutes since his performance ended and I can still hear the notes Sam Smith didn't hit'

(Getty)

Last night’s Oscars was filled with surprises: Spotlight won best picture, Mad Max: Fury Road took home more awards than The Revenant and Sam Smith baffled everyone by winning best song.

When accepting his award, the singer dedicated the award to the LGBT community, saying: "I hope we can all stand together as equals one day.”

An honourable gesture yet many viewers felt Smith may not have deserved to actually be standing up there in the first place.

First of all, transgender nominee Anohni - who was boycotting the event because the Academy did not invite her to perform amidst all the diversity furore - had the far superior, heartbreaking track “Manta Ray”.

Then, there was Lady Gaga's jaw-dropping performance of “Til It Happens To You”, a song also nominated in the category.

When Smith came to actually perform “Writing’s On The Wall”, written for the James Bond film Spectre, it became quickly apparent to Twitter who should have won the award. Watch his performance below.

Viewers were not impressed by the performance, many commenting how “off pitch” he sounded, and many more questioning why Gaga didn’t take home the award after her phenomenal performance.

Of course, some Tweeters were a little more optimistic. But not many.

Also performing at the Oscars was The Weeknd, who sung “Earned It” from the 50 Shades of Grey soundtrack (another track better than Smith’s).

Catch up on all the Oscars coverage here.