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Old 03-31-2011, 08:10 AM   #1
charlene
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Default Canadian Road Songs

http://www.thestar.com/travel/northa...lebrate-canada

The Juno Awards, honouring the best in Canadian music, will be held in Toronto this weekend. With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the best travel-related songs with a Canadian theme. When the geography isn’t in the title, we’ve added the general location in parentheses. Got other suggestions or things we missed? Drop us a line at travel@thestar.ca.

Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon – The Guess Who

Sudbury Saturday Night – Stompin’ Tom Connors

Evangeline – The Band (The Maritimes)

Four Strong Winds – Ian Tyson (Alberta)

Wheat Kings – The Tragically Hip (Manitoba and Saskatchewan)

Alberta Bound – Gordon Lightfoot

416/905 – Maestro Fresh Wes

Montreal – Blue Rodeo

Bobcaygeon – The Tragically Hip

Glace Bay Blues – The Guess Who

One Great City – The Weakerthans (Winnipeg)

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald – Gordon Lightfoot (The Great Lakes)

Three Pistols – Tragically Hip (Canoe Lake, Algonquin Park)

Escarpment Blues – Sarah Harmer (Niagara)

Spoonful of Sugar – Matt Mays (Montreal)

The Old Black Rum – Great Big Sea (George Street, St. John’s)

Helpless – Neil Young (you don’t have to ask, do you?)

Acadian Driftwood – The Band

English Bay – Blue Rodeo (again, you’re asking?)

(If you like that list, you might want to check this one out too.)

AND:
http://www.thestar.com/travel/articl...n-travel-songs

Published On Thu Mar 31 2011EmailPrint
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Several of our readers felt a Gordon Lightfoot song about the Canadian railroad should have made our pre-Juno Awards list.

Kate LeBlanc file photo/Toronto Star
Re: Best road tunes that celebrate Canada, March 24, 2011

Last week, in advance of the Juno Awards, we listed some of our favourite road tunes that reference Canada’s cities and geographical landmarks. Apparently, you thought we left out a few. Quite a number of people chastised us for failing to mention Hamilton-born folk singer Stan Rogers and for leaving out “Life is a Highway” by Tom Cochrane. What can we say? Our iTunes collection needs some new downloads.

Here are a selection of your responses:

“I read your article ‘Best Road Tunes’ with enthusiasm. Thanks for that. I hope to download them onto a CD (legally, of course) and present copies to my family and friends in England. These songs really capture The Canadian Spirit. Bravo has been running an excellent show on the Toronto music scene 1955-75. It brought back many memories especially seeing Neil Young in his youth. This song [Ambulance Blues] concerns his memories of ‘T.O.’ Some of the stanzas are a bit obscure but it captures a strong sense of time and place and also reflects Young’s own emotional complexities at the time. I do hope you will have a ‘Part 2’ list soon. I was disappointed to see that Toronto was not included in your list!” —Nicholas Mitchell, Toronto

“How about ‘Lakeside Park’ by Rush? Not sure if it’s Toronto, or a park in the Niagara region actually named ‘Lakeside Park.’ With a line like ‘everyone would gather on the 24th of May, sitting in the sand to watch the fireworks display,’ I’d say it’s pretty patriotic.” — Jeannette Goulin, Toronto

[Editor’s note: Lakeside Park references a park in St. Catherines, where drummer Neil Peart spent some time as a kid.]

“How could you not include ‘Canadian Railroad Trilogy’ by Gordon Lightfoot? It’s the railroad! That’s what defined Canada!” — Dan Sideen

“Fun article! I thought of these additions: Skydiggers – ‘November in Ontario’; Sloan – ‘The Rest of My life’ ( I know I’ll be living it in Canada); Kathleen Edwards – ‘Oh Canada.’” — Linda McIlwain

“Your column was great and I realize you can’t capture all the ‘best road tunes’ in one small article but how could you miss ‘Life is a Highway’ by Tom Cochrane? . . . he mentions Vancouver. And also Bruce Cockburn’s ‘The Coldest Night of the Year’ — he mentions Yonge Street and Scarborough — a true Toronto song! And don’t forget Gino Vanelli’s ‘I Just Want to Stop’ . . . When I think of those nights in Montreal. . . . And my favourite Canadian band, The Barenaked Ladies, with their song ‘One Week.’ The last words of the song are ‘Birchmount Stadium, home of the Robbie.’ It refers to an annual soccer tournament held for charity at Birchmount Stadium in Scarborough. And also Barenaked Ladies song ‘Hello City’ is about Halifax.” — Shelley Barnett

“Some other suggestions: ‘Donkey Riding’ by Great Big Sea (Quebec, Miramichi, Fortune Bay). ‘Poutine’ by The Dreadnoughts (obvious from the title, but still Rimouski, Repentigny, Chicoutimi, Lac Megantic, etc.). ‘Western Skies’ by Blue Rodeo (mentions Queen Street in Toronto, but compares it unfavourably to . . . well, western skies. Duh.). ‘Your Ex-Lover is Dead’ by Stars (I know, I know, this one is a stretch, but this is such a great song that I had to mention it. The image of two ex-lovers travelling in a taxi across Montreal’s Pont Champlain in silence, with the guy struggling to remember the woman’s name . . . brilliant.)” — Alex Lofthouse, Toronto

“You missed a great song called ‘Moody Manitoba Morning’ [by Rick Neufeld]. For those of us who grew up in small Prairie towns in Canada this song says it all.” — Orry Kirby

“Check the many songs of Stan Rogers regarding songs of Canada — there are many that reference towns, cities and sites of Canada.” — Alvin Tilk

“I’d add Joel Plaskett’s ‘Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’’ to that list: ‘The yellow lines are glowing, Oh, highway roll me home.’ It’s a beauty, eh?” — Andrew Patriarche

“While your picks are great, we feel you missed a couple of no brainers: Northwest Passage – Stan Rogers; Life is a Highway – Tom Cochrane.” — Jim Hair, Toronto
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Old 03-31-2011, 09:52 AM   #2
Tim
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Default Re: Canadian Road Songs

One song that I've always enjoyed from the "Old Dan's Records" album was "Highway Songs." It's not only about life on the road, but it also has a lot of Canadian imagery and references. I love that tune, but I guess it wasn't popular enough to be considered. It fits so well with the subject matter.
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Old 03-31-2011, 09:55 AM   #3
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Default Re: Canadian Road Songs

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim View Post
One song that I've always enjoyed from the "Old Dan's Records" album was "Highway Songs." It's not only about life on the road, but it also has a lot of Canadian imagery and references. I love that tune, but I guess it wasn't popular enough to be considered. It fits so well with the subject matter.

I agree, that's always been one of my favorites too.
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Old 03-31-2011, 10:04 AM   #4
johnfowles
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Default Re: Canadian Road Songs

Quote:
Originally Posted by charlene View Post
http://www.thestar.com/travel/northa...lebrate-canada

The Juno Awards, honouring the best in Canadian music, will be held in Toronto this weekend. With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the best travel-related songs with a Canadian theme. When the geography isn’t in the title, we’ve added the general location in parentheses. Got other suggestions or things we missed? Drop us a line at travel@thestar.ca.
Yes well CRT is by no means the only glaring omission
As every Lighthead knows there are oodles of relevant ditties by the Bard

Off the top of my head there is
Let It Ride (Windsor and Montreal)

There is as Tim mentioned (while I was composing my own reply) the quintessential travel orientated Hiway Songs that includes this immortal verse:-
Just for now I'd like to rest
In the shade of a maple tree
To the blue Canadian sky
I'll say a prayer for the world out there

and as Yuri knows there is a song about the punctuality of trains in Horndean


Echoes Of Heroes was apparently inspired by the War Memorial in Ottawa


Nous Vivons Ensemble mentions The Plains Of Abraham in Quebec City

and of course there is


Yonge Street

and


Christian Island


Plus the closely related pair about Orillia

Couchiching

and

Did She Mention My Name

That's it for starters
No doubt there are others and when we are done our Maderator person could forward the list to


Last edited by johnfowles; 03-31-2011 at 10:30 AM. Reason: late thoughts
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Old 03-31-2011, 11:17 AM   #5
joveski
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Default Re: Canadian Road Songs

Crossroads??
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Old 03-31-2011, 12:10 PM   #6
jj
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Default Re: Canadian Road Songs

we need to add Canary Yellow Canoe, no? how many of those places are Canadian?

http://www.lightfoot.ca/glgeog.htm ie. the Lighfoot site's Geographical references list is probably a good start for browsing

I love English bay and Hasn't Hit me Yet by Blue Rodeo but mainly cos they also have great grooves for driving to and tapping fingers to on the steering wheel

Alberta Bound, yup

4SW, no doubt

I guess I'm looking for a top five that have the references plus that toe tapping road traveling groove

North Country by Rankin Family????? The reference is the title itself, what more do you need

Stompin Tom with C A. N. A. D. A for a groove and references

Running back to Saskatoon might takes the cake, yeah

I used to travel alone doing site work along north shore of Superior by plane and then car rental so I made tons of great Canadian travel cassettes in the 80s... certainly some Hip there

a runner up traveling classic could be Locked In the Trunk of a Car

Lol


There is really no end to this list especially when bringing out the non radio recordings like Tim has with Hiway Songs and another that is more sedating but still fits my own def is Somewhere USA but it may not make it by the CBC CanCon filters

Last edited by jj; 04-01-2011 at 11:08 AM.
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Old 03-31-2011, 12:48 PM   #7
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Default Re: Canadian Road Songs

Some samplers here re my post below

Three extremely different musical styles

Lol







Wow those Junos were two decades ago
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Old 03-31-2011, 12:48 PM   #8
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Default Re: Canadian Road Songs

One of my favorite road songs has always been The Mountains and Maryann

"And the prairie towns go sailing by
Saskatchewan there's mud in your eye.."

Two quick lines that point out how I always seem to race through Saskatchewan on the way to somewhere else.

I also think "Long thin Dawn" should qualify because it's such a perfect description of the first light of day, especially if you've driven all night.
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Old 03-31-2011, 01:02 PM   #9
jj
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Default Re: Canadian Road Songs

Gino vanilla with I Just Wanna Stop? tell me that's a joke lol

seems like some qualify cos they mention a single place in the country


Music lists are about as futile as sports lists but fun

So back to Gord

EMR may not mention much but it's a great Road song, IMO

One of my faves for traveling north is seven island suite (that what I played on repeat as I headed to Georgian bay in car when I thought we were losing Gord in 2002)

But my fave may be part two of Cabaret

Or atleast it was my fave beer drinking and driving tune back in the late seventies when you were "allowed to" once north of highway89
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Old 03-31-2011, 01:11 PM   #10
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Great first choice moose

As for the second not a big fan but good point and I guess we better include "the skies above are filled with stars the road is long no cars are in sight, with one hand on the wheel I've been driving all day and I can drive all night, Im heading for home with one thing on my mind"

Kenny Rogers should have never passed that rarity by.
Never say Trust Me

Speaking of sunrise metaphorically and good groove tunes I enjoy being on the road with Always on the Bright Side pumped
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Old 03-31-2011, 02:54 PM   #11
Wes Steele
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Default Re: Canadian Road Songs

jj,

Part II of Caberet.... WOW... in my top five GL songs... just LOVE IT.... NEVER got tired of that one...

NON GL... Ian Tyson "The Great Canadien Tour"... first heard it near Hamilton ON., late 70's or early 80's.. driving back to Cleveland... Great, Great road song...
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Old 04-08-2011, 09:44 AM   #12
jj
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I am embarrased to say i dont recognize that song by title, Wes

Sounds like it also belongs in our school texts

The wife's relatives often make the journey from maritmes to oilsands and thought this fit the bill

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Old 04-08-2011, 12:24 PM   #13
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That's a great song! Love how the lyrics and melody go so well together. That is a great road song.

Thanks JJ.
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Old 04-08-2011, 12:46 PM   #14
charlene
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David is a marvelous lyricist..love his reference of Ron Hynes. That's a terrific song full of vivid imagery and emotion.

His good buddy George Canyon (Pee Wee is in his band) from Pictou County, Nova Scotia, is a resident of Alberta now.
I could listen to Dave talk all day. He sings as good as he talks.
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Old 04-10-2011, 09:53 AM   #15
jj
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Unsettled 1 View Post
That's a great song! Love how the lyrics and melody go so well together. That is a great road song.

Thanks JJ.
Hi guys
Yeah, that's everything that a song should be
And everything a performance should be

char, i recall his drawing us into his vibe immediately back at the first Hugh's tribute, 2002...time flies...hope he continues to endure...love that vocal tone and phrasing along with guitar stylings...the song writing aint so terrible either!

the other night, he performed 5 from the house...for few ours this became a maritme town

his outlook on daily living is "there's a song in there somewhere"
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