No matter how you feel about them, the Canadian band does have a few solid tunes. This song, from 2001, TOPPED the POP charts in the United States.
Topped. The. Pop. Charts. With a heavy rock song.
The song is an emotional roller-coaster, written by Chad Kroeger about a dysfunctional relationship he had once had. It remains the signature Nickelback song to this day.
In all seriousness, the one-time 3rd place Canadian Idol finisher really stepped up her game here. This 2019 single, which combined a childlike exuberance with sexual themes, received an abundance of critical acclaim, applauding both the fun sound and maturity of theme, so well-balanced. If you missed this 1980's throwback song in 2019 - the horns! the synth! - I encourage you to check it out now.
As an added bonus, here she is, performing the song in her hometown of Vancouver. Three things of note:
Rush was, of course, a band made up of three of the greatest rock musicians on their respective instruments (yes, I know. Neil Peart joined after the first album. Don't @ me). Sone might call them egotistical, with numerous bass, guitar, and especially drum solos featured on many of their songs.
This song, the big single from their 1980 album Permanent Waves, is a great example of that, where you can hear all three members of the band taking a lead in the music at some point. It remains the band's biggest UK hit, also hitting the charts in the US and their native Canada.
Lyrically, the song is a lament of the loss of radio formats of the 1970's, having been replaced with more commercial formats. The band specifically have cited Toronto radio station CFNY - one of the first stations to play the band - as a catalyst for this song. They also pay tribute to several of their favourite artists in the song - the tribute to Simon and Garfunkel is pretty obvious, but the reggae feeling that portion of the song takes on is a tribute to up-and-coming band The Police.
It's where the song title came from.
The song was featured on the album Permanent Waves, which has a catalogue number of 1021 - in tribute to the CFNY FM frequency - 102.1. This video was commissioned for the 40th anniversary of the song in 2020.
My American audience isn't going to know k-os very well. k-os is a Canadian "alternative hip-hop artist", according to his Wikipedia page. I wish he was known better south of the border, because his sound is soulful and innovative.
This song, which won Single of the Year at the 2005 Juno Awards (which, for those unaware, are kind of like the Canadian Grammys - and this was the first time a hip-hop song won that award), referred to the crab-in-the-bucket syndrome. Basically, if you throw a bunch of crabs in a bucket, the mob will work to pull down anyone who tries to escape - a metaphor for someone trying to escape a particular socioeconomic situation.
Martha and the Muffins are a rock band from Toronto - ARE. Not WERE. Formed in the mid-1970s, they had a lot of hits in their native Canada, but only one real big hit outside their homeland. That hit, of course, was "Echo Beach", a horn-filled electronic romp to a place far removed from the ennui of everyday life.
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of their biggest international hit, Martha and the Muffins rerecorded the song, imagining it at a much slower tempo with a somber tone. It's a far sadder song.... and still works as such.
As a snooty music fan in the late 1980's and early 1990's, I discovered some music before it hit the mainstream.
Sarah McLachlan was one such artist. I discovered this song - her first alternative radio hit in the US (it was a bigger hit in her native Canada) and instantly loved it - her huge voice, and unusual lyrical content.
And yes. That's her naked and covered in mud in the video.
Fast forward to the late 1990's. McLachlan is now a huge hitmaker worldwide.... but as of this point, she still remembered her roots. Here she is, performing the song in her 1999 concert film Mirrorball.
Sadly, she stopped performing this song live in 1999. Which is a shame. It remains one of my favourites by her.
Bran Van 3000, from Montreal, Quebec, did have some success stateside. Probably best known for "Drinking In L.A.", they actually have a rich, deep catalog.
Take this song, which is less hip-hop and more straight-ahead pop-rock. A follow up to their aforementioned hit, it was a pretty big, sweet Canadian hit in its own right. Bear in mind, those two very different songs were from the SAME album - Glee, which is a truly underrated piece of art.
