Canadian Beat

Like all other countries, there are songs that are synonymous with the Canadian spirit.  All over the world, people listen to Canadian artists like Bryan Adams, Neil Young, Justin Bieber, Celine Dion, Stars, and Walk off the Earth.  For that reason, I want to present a list of top Canadian songs.  Now, this won’t be a top [insert number here] list since tastes differ, but I set up some rules for how this is going to go down.

1.         The artist must be from Canada, immigrated is ok but they have to still be considered a Canadian citizen or ex-pat
2.          Song has to have something to do with Canada, either in the lyrics or in part of the song
3.         The song must be longer than 1 min.

So, with that out of the way, let’s look at the list below!

The Hockey Song – Stompin’ Tom Connors

           Stompin’ Tom Connors is the ultimate figure of Canadian music.  With songs about all parts of Canada from “Bud, the Spud” (about shipping potatoes from PEI), “Sudbury Saturday Night”, “Red River Jane”, to “Long Gone to the Yukon”, it’s hard to narrow down a single song by Stompin’ Tom and Canada when all his songs celebrate the Canadian spirit. Even after his passing in 2013, Canadians still know of the hard partying over the weekend in Sudbury,  the terrors of bugs rural Canada thanks to the simple beat and memorable lyrics of Stompin’ Tom.  Despite this set back, there is one song that stands out: “The Hockey Song.”

            There is nothing complicated about this tune.  “The Hockey Song” is literally, as the name implies, about watching a hockey game.  While listening, we are given the image of people listening to a game with Stompin’ Tom giving a play-by-play of the game.  It is a song that sums up the experience of Canadians gathering for one of their favourite games.

The Black Fly Song – Wade Hemsworth

            A Canadian classic that is widely remembered people my age for the famous animated video released in the 1990s by the National Film Board.  Wade Hemsworth spend much of his adolescent life traveling for work and only released two albums in the entirety of his career.  Written in 1949, “The Black Fly Song” is the story of a man travelling to Northern Ontario to work in a survey crew on the Abitibi River.  The job in the north is hard enough, from a moody crew captain named Black Toby to a cook named Blind River Joe, but the narrator also has to contend with the wrath of the blackfly!

The Canadian Railroad Trilogy – Gordon Lightfoot

            Anyone who went through learning Canadian history know that the railway was crucial in Canada’s development after Confederation.  Gordon Lightfoot’s “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” covers the development of Canadian Pacific Railway by presenting three different points of view, the politicians and industrialists who were optimistic of what the railway would bring; the navies who risked their lives to survey the land and plan the route; and the builders who all too often dies building the railway.  Lightfoot uniquely structures the song like a steam engine, starting slow and slowly building up to the actual pace of the song.  While the main verses continue to have a much slower pace, the chorus continues to build up and roar into full speed as it tells of bringing out the rails and traveling through the muskegs and prairies from St. Lawrence to the west.  It is a song that encompasses both the magic and excitement of Canada’s future while celebrating the past and remembering the sacrifice made for the new nation.

Maple Leaf Forever – Alexander Muir

            Not a commonly known song, “Maple Leaf Forever” was written by poet Alexander Muir in 1867, the same year of Canadian Confederation.  The song had stood as an unofficial anthem of Canada and only lost out as Canada’s national anthem because George VI and the Queen Mother confused “O Canada” as the anthem during their royal tour in 1939.

            “Maple Leaf Forever” tells the story of Canada’s ties to the Britain, though Muir rewrote part of the first stanza to add French symbolism through the lily.  The song recounts the past glories of Wolfe capturing Quebec and other memorable moments from events like the Seven Years War and the War of 1812.  It is a song that has been associated with Canadians since and has been played at Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation and was even sang by Michael Bublé at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Helpless – Neil Young

           “What?  Neil Young? but he doesn’t even live in Canada.”  Is what you might be thinking, but the first rule allowed for ex-pats and nothing screams Canada like Neil Young.

            A song about innocence in childhood, “Helpless” is a Canadian classic by Neil Young – though it first appeared Neil Young was part of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young.  The reason it makes the list is that it is set in a Northern Ontario town based on the town of Omemee, Ontario, where Young grew in for a time.  “Helpless” captures the innocence of childhood with misconceptions of the world around the song’s narrator such as describing the passing planes as big birds or the element of smallness compared to the rest of the world.  Childhood is an interesting time where one changes, thinking and confusing the world’s elements and the sense of smallness.

Canadian Dream – Sam Roberts Band

            The Sam Roberts Band is a band that adds a Canadian twist to Psychedelic Rock.  With their smooth guitar riffs and mesmerizing lyrics, it is only natural that Sam Roberts and his band would produce a song celebrating the easy-going Canadian Spirit.  The song lays out a connection with well-known aspects of Canadian life like the cold weather and Canada’s use of socialism.

Bobcaygeon – The Tragically Hip

            A very cottage sounding song that isn’t about cottages.  The Tragically Hip – or “The Hip” for all you cool cats – are a Canadian staple in the world of Canadian Rock with a career spanning 30 or so years.  Lead singer Gord Downie has always described Bobcageon as a story about two cops, one from the city of Toronto and the other from Bobcageon, falling in love.  The lyrics compares each cops home, the quite countryside of the Kawartha Lakes region from the hectic urban landscape of Toronto.  

Rest of My Life - Sloan

            A simple song.  Sloan’s “Rest of My Life tells of growing up and wondering where to go in life.  This song makes the list by the fact that the song is set in Canada; Chris Murphy – lead singer of Sloan – mentions in the the song that he would be most likely be spending the rest of his life in Canada.

I am Canadian – Arrogant Worms

            Anyone who grew up in 1990s Canada would remember the Molson Canadian “I AM CANADIAN” commercial from aroundCanada's 130th celebrations, with a jaunty tune coupled with images of iconic moments in Canada’s 130-year history.  The lyrics celebrate the pride  The song in question is song by Canadian band Arrogant Worms, who (much like Stompin’ Tom) have written many songs about Canada, though in a more humorous way.