I was listening to the radio this weekend and heard a special about Canadian songwriters and singers, and was reaffirmed in my belief that we hosers have had a pretty significant impact on the arts scene, not only at home, but world wide.
I decided to work up my own top ten list of Canadian songwriters, nearly all of whom sang their own tunes on this list, who have impacted me greatly. Most of these will be songs from my youth, some have come to me recently, but all have a lot of Canadian Cred.
(No, there will be no Terry Jacks in this list)
#10 Paul Anka: Yeah I know.. there is a lot of Canadian Cheddar in old Paul, but there is one song that he wrote that was sung by Buddy Holly that I know every word to. It came out before I was born, but I had a recording of it (lord knows when I acquired that) and played it a lot. It Doesn’t Matter Anymore
#9. k.d. lang/Leonard Cohen: I’ve been a huge fan of k.d.’s ever since - well ever since I first heard her voice. She has a voice that can alternately make you weep or laugh. But, when I heard her version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” I got shivers, and I got tears in my eyes, because it was just so damn beautiful. If you want a full blooded Canadian pedigree, this song has it.
#8 I came to this song later in life, but you know I think it’s just a relevant now as it was then. The Five Man Electrical Band, Signs.
#7 There are no top ten Canadian Songwriters lists anywhere that don’t include this guy. I have lots of songs of his that I love, but this one has a special spot in my heart, for reasons that are none of your business. Harvest Moon, but Neil Young
#6 This song had slipped from my radar for a while, until Randy Bachman started his radio show “Randy Bachman’s Vinyl Tap” on CBC radio... then I heard it again in my brother’s car, and we cranked the volume up loud and car danced in a way that was totally unlike the 40 somethings we are in reality. BTO’s Takin’ Care of Business
#5 This is another with a great Canadian pedigree. The Barenaked Ladies, and the first song I ever heard them sing, that was written by another Canadian musical god, Bruce Cockburn. Lovers in a Dangerous Time
#4 Bruce gets another mention here on my list. I am a huge fan and he is on almost every play list I have ever created. This one was a great foil for my teenage angst and anger at the way the world was being used by my parent’s generation ... now I’m one of the parents, but the anger still burns in me. If I Had a Rocket Launcher
#3 Joni!!! how can any list not have Joni Mitchell on it? I could write for pages about her, but she speaks so well for herself. Coyote.
#2 Down to the short strokes now, and I have to tell you that this band was on every radio station, was present in every day of my life it seems for years. I love this song, and for those of you who think you know it as a Lenny Kravitz song, you don’t know anything. This is The Guess Who and American Woman, and it ain’t no love song.
#1 I can’t imagine any musician in Canada growing up didn’t want to be a part of this band. A band that came from the heart of Canada, but spoke directly to the heart of the US midwest. I could list a the whole discography of The Band. So many evocative songs that wove into our collective consciousness. I rolled the dice on this one, I was seriously torn between several great songs... I let my playlist randomly pick this one. The Weight.
Well there you go, my nostalgic trip for Canada Day. There are so many other great artists that I could include... and maybe I’ll have a secondary list of more modern groups and songs. But these are the greats and this is the soundtrack of my youth. and really are there any songs that play to our hearts like the ones we heard when we were growing up?