You Could Get Lost Out Here: the ILM Canadian Pop Music Results Thread

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I'll try to get down to at least #28 today, possibly to #21--either way, I'll finish up Wednesday. I've got to duck out for an hour at 3:15.

33 ballots came in, more than I expected--thanks. #1 votes will be noted where I was 100% sure (i.e., where one song got more points than anything else; if a list was numbered, but the song at the top had the same number of points as songs below, I didn't count that as a #1). Ties were broken by most votes; if points and number of votes were the same, that's a tie.

I will summon all my dwindling powers of concentration to get through this with no errors in the posting. When I did the video countdown, someone came on near the end and made a first-class nuisance of himself; not that I needed the extra help, but I messed up a couple of times.

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43. (tie) "Early Morning Rain" (1966)
Gordon Lightfoot
45 points/3 votes
video

"Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl (2002)
Broken Social Scene
45 points/3 votes
video

Meant to say: the odd number of songs (43) was because of ties around #40. Those two and the next four all had the same number of points, so I extended to 44 songs.

Interesting low placement for BSS for a song that I assumed was beloved around here (I voted for a different song by them).

The Broken Social Scene image is inside the Delrex Restaurant in Georgetown, Ontario (probably from the early or mid-'70s), run by the father and two uncles of my best friend in grade school.

didn't vote for either of these but both are great and made my long list!

both of those images are fantastic and make me automatically nostalgic even though i was probably not alive when either was taken!

Thanks! I really liked Levesque.

I would have thought higher too for "Anthems"--I had it high on my own list.

Dammit...And I have no one to blame!

The BSS image is gorgeous.

Voted for "The Weight."

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42. "The Weight" (1968)
The Band
45 points/4 votes
video

Just too damn much to keep track of for an old guy--change number, change URL, check coding, etc.

I always liked this Christgau line from his review of Aretha's This Girl's in Love with You: "I admit that when she sings 'The Weight' it sounds as if she knows what it means. But I still don't."

Embarrassed to admit that I discovered "The Weight" via The Big Chill.

I have no one to blame!

Put the load right on me

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39. (tie) "Home for a Rest" (1990)
Spirit of the West
45 points/5 votes
video

39. (tie) "Both of Us" (2020)
Jayda G
45 points/5 votes
video

39. (tie) "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains" (2010)
Arcade Fire
45 points/5 votes
video

Haven't played the whole thing, but the Jayda G song sounds really good.

Free set of steak knives to anyone who can identify the film that provided the Arcade Fire image.

Jayda G is the first new-to-me thing here.

"Home for a Rest" a bit too close to a Jock Jam for my liking; it already had a long life as a bar song in one of the places I used to frequent in my 20s.

ah voted for both Home for a Rest and Jayda G.

The bar i used to go to when i was in university in Sudbury had a regular friday night guy & guitar playing songs and without fail he played Sudbury Saturday Night/Home For a Rest back to back to end every show.

looks like we had the same experience crypto, a canadian right of passage for folks who came up after 1990.

the Spirit Unforgettable documentary about John Mann was a depressing watch.

Pretty sure Jayda G was the newest song to place in the Top 40.

I guess it’s too late but would be interesting to see how the non-Canadian votes differ from those north of the 49th parallel.

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38. "Limelight" (1981)
Rush
46 points/4 votes
video

"Home for a Rest" was a reliable floor-filler, I'll give it that.

Most definitely not a Rush fan (in high school I was)--can't get past that voice--so will leave commentary to others. I felt bad for saying negative things about Celine Dion in the voting thread and (possibly) chasing away brimstead--a person running a poll shouldn't criticize nominations.

Another iconic Canadian-film image...

There are two massively iconic Canrock outfits that I have just never cared about enough to even bother investigating them beyond the stuff I hear on the radio. Rush is one of them. I'm assuming the other is coming up soon enough.

Pretty sure I can guess your other and, if I'm right, amazingly no.

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37. "Run Away with Me" (2015)
Carly Rae Jepsen
47 points/3 votes
video

Carly Rae Jepsen! Donovan Bailey!

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35. (tie) "Closer" (2013)
Tegan & Sara
47 points/4 votes
video

35. (tie) "The House That Heaven Built" (2012)
Japandroids
47 points/4 votes
video

Didn't vote for any T&S, but good song.

Voted for a different Japandroids.

I keep "Don't Confess" on my hard drive--think I maybe bought a remaindered CD of theirs. I don't know the Japandroids at all...remembering them doing well on Pazz & Jop one year.

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34. "For What It's Worth" (1966)
Buffalo Springfield
48 points/6 votes
video

I have no serious relationship with Rush but like anybody else my age I know their songs from repeated play on classic rock radio. And the guitar thing that opens "Limelight" merited a vote from me all by itself -- it's in the inner circle of guitar things I remember from listening to classic rock radio 1985-1988. I like the repeated appearance of the Eraserhead poster in the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiRuj2_czzw

xp sorry. "for what it's worth" another one of my votes -- in a way this too because of the opening guitar figure that's burned in my brain forever, even though this one is only two notes!

I do get why this doesn't feel Canadian at all (if anything, it feels ultra-American, in that it's one of three or four songs that gets used over every Vietnam/hippie/student-protest montage ever)...but it does qualify. I think it's fantastic, but worn out a bit for me (not always).

"Mostly say 'hooray for our side'" is a brilliant line, I'd say.

not the carly rae or tegan and sara songs I would chose but nice to see them both up here! I did end up voting for a Rush song but not Limelight though i do most of my rush listening in hockey rink bathrooms these days I still think A Farewell To Kings is a banger in a The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway sort of way.

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35. (tie) "Like a Hurricane" (1977)
Neil Young
50 points/1 vote/one #1 vote
video

35. (tie) "Étienne d'Août" (2006)
Malajube
50 points/1 vote/one #1 vote
video

The two songs that got in on a single #1 vote. I probably should have set the limit at 40 points, but that's fine.

The Neil clip needs better sound, but it looks like it might be right from '77.

didn't vote for the weight, tho it's obviously great. hopefully one of the other band jams make it in!

After I post this four-way tie, I've got some physio--I'll be back after four.

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28. (tie) "Subdivisions" (1982)
Rush
50 points/4 votes
video

28. (tie) "After the Gold Rush" (1970)
Neil Young
50 points/4 votes
video

28. (tie) "So Long, Marianne" (1967)
Leonard Cohen
50 points/4 votes
video

28. (tie) "Sundown" (1974)
Gordon Lightfoot
50 points/4 votes
video

The Westwood, a long-gone theatre from when I grew up (actually hung around for close to a decade, I think, as a vacated building).

Is the "So Long, Marianne" image from The Sweet Hereafter?

Yes--took me a couple of tries, but ended up liking it fine (though not as much as Affliction).

(When you live in St. Marys, you can leave for a 3:30 appointment at 3:25...)

The photographer's name who did the "Sundown" image is escaping me...someone who was discovered later in life, I think.

I think I nominated both So Long, Marianne and Subdivisions and for some reason didn't vote for either. Both are great, Sundown is unimpeachable. I was never a big fan of After the Gold Rush (the song, the albums is good of course) but I should give it a re-listen.

Voted for a bunch of these including "The House That Heaven Built," a personal favorite, and glad to see it rank!

voted for it too, but was honestly surprised to see it make it that high!

I need about 30 minutes to get the last seven images for today ready, will resume then.

voted for it pretty low on my ballot. an anthem!

Well, I've run into an issue--Tripod won't load images at the moment for some reason. (Yes, you read that correctly: Tripod. This poll is being brought to you by Tripod, Microsoft Paint, and a large roll of Scotch tape.) I'll try to get the last seven in a little while from now, but if I still can't, I can finish everything on Wednesday (home all day).

Problem fixed, so let me finish up.

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27. "Let Your Backbone Slide" (1989)
Maestro Fresh-Wes
50 points/6 votes
video

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26. "Barrett's Privateers" (1976)
Stan Rogers
51 points/3 votes
video

The Honest Ed's image--nothing to do with Stan Rogers, I don't think--is from the day in '84 when Mr. T was there to promote something. I lived about 5 minutes south; my friend and I were there to shoot some super-8 footage!

I've to get dinner, so I'll just plow through the last five for today.

"got to"

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25. "All the Things I Wasn't" (1989)
Grapes of Wrath
51 points/3 votes
video

If you've never seen the video for that, take a couple of minutes out to watch it--especially if you like spotting famous album covers. (And see the film I took the image from too!)

Dammit--screwed up on the points there, will repost.

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25. "All the Things I Wasn't" (1989)
Grapes of Wrath
52 points/5 votes
video

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24. "The Safety Dance" (1982)
Men Without Hats
52 points/6 votes
video

My favourite paradox ever: you can't call Men Without Hats "the Hats" because they didn't have any.

Iconic photo up here! Scandalized half the nation, charmed and seduced the other half.

Homer Simpson, cursing loudly.

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23. "7/4 (Shoreline)" (2005)
Broken Social Scene
52 points/6 votes
video

jpg, jpeg, let's call the whole thing off...

Once more for good luck--photo and points correct, everything clicking together. (I will politely ask a mod later on to removed all the ugly mis-posting.)

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23. "7/4 (Shoreline)" (2005)
Broken Social Scene
53 points/5 votes
video

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22. "These Eyes" (1968)
Guess Who
54 points/4 votes/one #1 vote
video

December '68 release, so the date is correct. Many Guess Who songs I like better, but I'm a huge fan.

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21. "Blinding Lights" (2019)
The Weeknd
54 points/6 votes
video

Will finish up Wednesday...indexed wanted to clarify that he cast a #1 vote for "The Weight." It was a numbered list with the points distributed evenly, so I wasn't sure.

I never knew about the Great Blizzard of '71 in Montreal until doing this.

I voted for "The Safety Dance". It was so big at the time. I remember we were on vacation in Miami Beach with my family and it played everywhere. The video was iconic too.

"All The Things I Wasn't" was on my long list. Great song.

Very atmospheric.

Blinding Lights is surprising given that I didn't think ILX cared much for that song.

Oh wow, "Limelight", "Let Your Backbone Slide" and "All the Things I Wasn't" were all on my ballot/playlist, which means I'm already doing better than I do on most ILM polls. I worried Rush would be votesplit so good to see "Subdivisions" also make it. I didn't vote for "7/4 (Shoreline)" but it was on my long list and I do love that groove. Weird to recall that I actually saw BSS on Canada Day one time when I was doing my MA in Toronto.

"Sundown" obv classic but I voted for a different Lightfoot song.

Ditto "Like a Hurricane"

I’ve voted for a surprising number of these. I’d have disqualified “For What It’s Worth” just because it’s a Stills (i.e. not Canadian) song — Neil’s involvement hardly seems like enough juice to make it Canadian — but it’s not my poll. 15 y/o me loved the Grapes of Wrath but they’ve aged exceedingly poorly to my ears. I was the dork who gave Etienne d’Aout 50 points. Not because it’s my fave song ever, but just because sometimes I just want more people to hear it and luxuriate in its exquisite sadness.

As I said above, I do get that. But you can't think of it as just Neil--of the other four guys in the band besides Stills, three are Canadian.

Aw shit, I’m glad we got Gordon Lightfoot in there, just under the wire.

That's so spooky.

I was listening to and commenting online a lot about Leonard Cohen the day he died, but didn't even know it because the news broke a few days after the fact. I still feel somehow guilty.

I really hope “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” ends up winning this, it’s one of the greatest songs and certainly the greatest Canadian song. Gord’s ability to write socially critical lyrics with razor accuracy and boundless compassion was astounding

I suspect there'll be another of his songs higher up.

My only vote that placed today was for the Grapes of Wrath, but I voted for other songs by some of the artists who placed (I limited myself to one vote per artist). In fact I thought I had voted for "Limelight" but I chose another Rush song.
I just listened now to all the songs I wasn't familiar with - mostly bright, hopeful synth pop. I was vaguely expecting that there would be some things that I have overheard at the supermarket, which is basically the only place I hear music I don't choose myself... but that probably won't be, unless we get a surprise turnout for the No Frills rap "Bag It Up".

I have definitely overheard Closer and Bright Lights at the supermarket, though I'm not sure those are the synth pop songs you are referring to.

Wow. For sure we have at least one more Lightfoot song coming up. RIP
Wonder how different this poll would have been if we did it two weeks later.

Aw shit, I’m glad we got Gordon Lightfoot in there, just under the wire.

Great to see The Grapes of Wrath in there, and one of their best tunes too, imho.

RIP

Coincidence, or something more?

As Gord would put it, "I'm Not Sayin'..."

23. "7/4 (Shoreline)" (2005)
Broken Social Scene
53 points/5 votes
video

― clemenza, Monday, May 1, 2023 4:55 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

One of my favorite songs of the 00s full stop, and so thrilled to see it rank this high.

Will finish up Wednesday...indexed wanted to clarify that he cast a #1 vote for "The Weight." It was a numbered list with the points distributed evenly, so I wasn't sure.

― clemenza, Monday, May 1, 2023 5:07 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

Don't worry about it at all -- no need to adjust at this point -- but my list had points that were not evenly distributed...presumably this means "7/4 Shoreline" should be even higher!

re: the Honest Ed's image, I spent a few months working in Toronto a decade ago and would take the subway from downtown to Bathurst for a vegan restaurant I liked. Nice to see a familiar landmark in this rollout, as I'd completely forgotten it until the image popped up here.

now it's a condo :(

Ah, dammit--sorry, indexed. I'll take a look at that and recalculate. I won't start over, obviously, but if there are any changes, I'll at least make note of them before starting the Top 20.

I’m second guessing some of my votes for sure. I tried to balance personal affection with choices that were ‘fair’, but I think I skewed personal.

I did it in maybe half an hour, sticking with songs I already knew well and generally going by gut feeling/personal affection, while limiting it to one per artist. There was a mild skew towards Mulroney's second term and Chrétien's first. I second-guess nothing, obviously.

I was aiming for a cross-section of "impressions of Canada", not really a scientific weighting of the best songs. I mean, I know that there are about seven songs each on Hejira and On the Beach that are better than Aldo Nova's "Fantasy", but I wanted to capture a certain "being driven to hockey practice at 7 AM and listening to the car radio" feel, despite never playing hockey.
On a related note, I found myself indulgent towards potentially silly songs I associate with being a kid, and much less so towards music that came out after I started paying "serious attention" (roughly Xmas 1983). So early Loverboy made the cut but the later era was shut-out.

In essence, I had to do it my way, or no way at all.

my ballot was half "this feels very Canadian and reminds me of listening to the radio as a kid" and half "some of my favorite songs which happen to be Canadian"

anyway, enjoying this rollout, so far have from my ballot there's "7/4 (shoreline)", "after the gold rush" and "sprawl II"

Indexed: I definitely messed up. I think it was a day where a few came in, and I looked at the top and saw 20, 19, 18, and figured the songs were in reverse order but 10 points for everything. Stupid. Anyway, I see a few in there that I've already counted down, so a couple of ties will probably be broken. I'll recalculate tonight and post a list of the proper 21-40 (or more), and then tomorrow's Top 20 will be correct.

Never mind! (Or: nevermind!) The points were entered correctly. All I messed up on was in not identifying "The Weight" as a #1 vote, and in my post about distributing the points evenly (not sure why I thought that). I didn't, happily.

Ah glad to have not caused any issues! Thanks again.

Yesterday:

21. "Blinding Lights," The Weeknd - 54 ( 6 votes)
22. "These Eyes," Guess Who - 54 (4 votes, one #1 vote)
23. "7/4 (Shoreline)," Broken Social Scene - 53 (5 votes)
24. "The Safety Dance," Men Without Hats - 52 (6 votes)
25. "All the Things I Wasn't," Grapes of Wrath - 52 (5 votes)
26. "Barrett’s Privateers," Stan Rogers - 51 (3 votes)
27. "Let Your Backbone Slide," Maestro Fresh-Wes - 50 (6 votes)
28. (tie) "Sundown," Gordon Lightfoot - 50 (4 votes)
"So Long, Marianne," Leonard Cohen - 50 (4 votes)
"After the Gold Rush," Neil Young - 50 (4 votes)
"Subdivisions," Rush - 50 (4 votes)
32. (tie) "Étienne d’Août," Malajube - 50 (1 vote, one #1 vote)
"Like a Hurricane," Neil Young - 50 (1 vote, one #1 vote)
34. "For What It's Worth," Buffalo Springfield - 48 (6 votes)
35. (tie) "The House That Heaven Built," Japandroids - 47 (4 votes)
"Closer," Tegan & Sara - 47 (4 votes)
37. "Run Away with Me," Carly Rae Jepsen - 47 (3 votes)
38. "Limelight," Rush - 46 (4 votes)
39. (tie) "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)," Arcade Fire - 45 (5 votes)
"Both of Us," Jayda G - 45 (5 votes)
"Home for a Rest," Spirit of the West - 45 (5 votes)
42. "The Weight," the Band - 45 (4 votes, one #1 vote)
43. (tie) "Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl," Broken Social Scene - 45 (3 votes)
"Early Morning Rain," Gordon Lightfoot - 45 (3 votes)

I'll start around noon tomorrow and finish up. I didn't count Stan Rogers as a #1, Matthew, because you gave it the same number of points as everything else...I'm a drag, a well-known drag.

I'll add literal spacing when I post the final list.

4 of my votes are on so far!

I think the only thing I voted for from this first lot was "Subdivisions." Always happy to see Men Without Hats love, even if they have better songs. Can't argue with "These Eyes," "After the Gold Rush," Lightfoot & Cohen. I realize Buffalo Springfield was 3/5 Canadian, but "FWIW" still feels wrong. Never cared for the Band, but can understand why others do. Roxy Music did a better "Like A Hurricane" IMHO. Picked a different Grapes of Wrath but am fond of this track. I dig Japandroids. Not feeling some of the others.

Only thing for me so far is Safety Dance. I kept it to one song per artist, and several have appeared with songs I didn't vote for, but when it came down to it I couldn't choose a Rush song so I left them off altogether.

three of my votes have landed so far (one was a surprise). there's about 10 left from my ballot that i would have expected to see in the top results, but there's no way 50% of what's left will have been things i voted for.
been listening to the nominations playlist and am surprised how many ubiquitous song from my youth were actually Canadian (Oh What Feeling, Sunny Days, Black cars). had no idea!

I didn't count Stan Rogers as a #1, Matthew, because you gave it the same number of points as everything else...

I also had Stan Rogers in a top space, though tied for points with two other songs.

i don't really get the balloting and i don't care lol. roll on

also xp Cheers!

I have to finish before 4:00, and everything's basically ready, so I'm going to start a little early so I don't have to rush. I make mistakes when I rush. (I make mistakes when I don't rush, too.)

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20. "Expecting to Fly" (1967)
Buffalo Springfield
56 points/5 votes
video

good image/song combo lol

I don't know if I do these the same way as everyone else. Most of the polls use a standard scoring system; I open that up, modelled after Pazz & Jop.

For me, a #1 song would, by definition, have the most points on your ballot. Saying your list is ranked, but giving the same number of points to all songs, or even the top two, that doesn't feel like a #1. Indexed did give "The Weight" the most points on his ballot--I messed up there. But your ballot just listed 40 songs, maffhew. Stan Rogers was at the top, but they weren't numbered or given different points.

(xpost) Thanks...such an unforgettable photo.

The "Expecting to Fly" video highly recommended to anyone who loves Gus Van Sant's Gerry.

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19. "Nova Heart" (1982)
Spoons
57 points/5 votes
video

That was a bit of a surprise. I kind of liked "Old Emotions" at the time.

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18. "I Beg Your Pardon" (1988)
Kon Kan
58 points/4 votes
video

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17. "Kaputt" (2011)
Destroyer
61 points/4 votes
video

Oh I would've pushed Kon Kan higher if I'd been thinking straight while voting.

Maybe I should gone for the euphonious pairing of "Kaputt" and Kawhi...I don't know anything about Destroyer. I think I thought they were heavy metal till listening to this. The Kon Kan song is fantastic. That and "Steal My Sunshine" and "Drinking in L.A." go together in my mind because of their famous samples.

The best thing about this poll for me was reminding me that "I Beg Your Pardon" exists, an almost perfect slice of peak new wave, a song I somehow always seem to have in my head even when I'm not consciously thinking about it

When I was at CIUT in the late '80s (the University of Toronto station), I think Barry Harris--Kon Kan, basically--had a show there, although he may have given it up during that window to focus on making music.

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16. "Constant Craving" (1992)
k.d. lang
63 points/6 votes
video

Too low!

*checks ballot*

oops

same

Which one of the Seven is the guy looking down at his cell phone?

really glad to see that track make it.

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15. "Cortez the Killer" (1975)
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
70 points/5 votes/one #1 vote
video

If you're thinking "nothing but Neil Young and Joni Mitchell the rest of the way," no, not at all. They're there, but I think only three more between the two of them.

this was my number one. favorite neil, who is my favorite songwriter of any nationality

I didn't expect my Joni and Neil votes to find consensus, so I'm just here for anything.

That's the way it worked--they each had a number of songs on one or two ballots. The most surprising omission in the Top 40 also fell prey to that.

I probably should have voted for kd

Going by strict album credits for Neil. "Like a Hurricane," just his name on the cover; "Powderfinger," Neil Young & Crazy Horse on the cover.

Can't remember offhand if my Neil vote went to "Cortez" or "Powderfinger," but happy to see this make it either way.

Oops...I meant "Cortez." (And preemptively jumped the gun...not close to #1, though.)

I voted for the Spoons and "Expecting to Fly", but "Cortez the Killer" probably wouldn't even make my top 40 Neil Young songs.

Didn't that Kon Kan thing originally have a much more extensive sample than what's in the video you posted?

when's this song gonna show up, eh?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Jm4LoOaAWI

(xpost) Possibly, probably. I have the 45, I'll check that if I get ambitious.

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14. "Summer of '69" (1984)
Bryan Adams
71 points/4 votes
video

The photo is probably spring of '69.

Run To You > Summer of 69 in every way

I like "Summer of '69," but I'll quote another Christgau putdown I like: "Maybe I'll let Bruce Springsteen teach me how to hear John Cougar Mellencamp, but damned if I'm going to let John Cougar Mellencamp teach me how to hear Bryan Adams." This and "Boys of Summer" must have come out pretty close to each other--was thinking how similar they are and, ultimately, how they're complete opposites.

I deeply love the Reckless album. It's been in semi-regular rotation since I was 12, but I've never heard what other people hear in Summer of 69. ¯⁠\⁠(⁠ツ⁠)/⁠¯

Put out an album in 2022; I don't know what kind of station would play new music from him now, but I didn't hear anything. I remember he got into a bit of trouble a few years ago for something he said or tweeted.

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13. "Help Me" (1974)
Joni Mitchell
71 points/5 votes
video

Oh hey, this was my Joni vote!

xps I think he was an anti-masker

The photo there is of Rochdale College, Toronto's infamous experimental post-secondary institution in the late '60s/early '70s. Ambitious and idealistic start, in the end more or less what you see in the photo. There's a really good documentary, Dream Tower, if you're interested--not on YouTube, maybe on Kanopy.

Checked, and it did have to do with the pandemic, but it was this (he may have been anti-mask too).

https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/singer-bryan-adams-slammed-racist-post-blaming-bat-eating-people-n1205166

Oof yeah that's bad

xp On Monday, he wrote: "Thanks to some bat eating, wet market animal selling, virus making greedy expletives, the whole world is now on hold."

lol at his response: "No excuse, I just wanted to have a rant about the horrible animal cruelty in these wet markets being the possible source of the virus, and promote veganism."

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12. "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" (1969)
The Band
73 points/7 votes
video

Nooooo! I was doing so well.

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12. "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" (1969)
The Band
73 points/7 votes
video

I just needed to fix the tag, didn't need to repost...I've used a couple of images from terrible moments in Canadian history, trying to match them up with suitable songs. That would be one.

"Help Me" was my Joni vote too; not quite my favourite, but certainly it or "Free Man in Paris" (and "Both Sides Now" done by Judy Collins) were the first that I heard, and much more present in the culture at the time than her other songs that have increased in popularity more recently.

I think I prefer Judy Collins' hit version (which I would have heard first)--definitely after Mad Men. Corny but true: I played it over the school P.A. once on the last day for a retiring E.A. at our school, and found one of the other E.A.s (who'd had some tragedy in her life) in tears.

https://phildellio.tripod.com/11-lunatic.jpg

11. "Lunatic Fringe" (1981)
Red Rider
75 points/4 votes/one #1 vote
video

I was right; Moranis is not in that photo. I think he maybe came in second or third season, followed by Martin Short...Only link to the actual Red Rider video; the sound is a little low.

As a US voter I may be part of the problem but "For What It's Worth," "Summer of '69," and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" all feel very American to me as Canadian songs go (though I voted only for the first of these)

Anyway, a placement this high for "Summer of '69" presumably means the far superior "Cuts Like a Knife" isn't making the list

There's my #1!

I keep thinking about this too...The thing is, all I did was make "For What It's Worth" eligible; people still had to vote for it. It's like all the arguments you get on nominating threads for film-genre polls. You can say every film ever is a comedy; it doesn't matter if no one votes for it. I didn't for "For What It's Worth" myself--I voted for a different Buffalo Springfield song that I knew wouldn't get any other votes--but four people did decide the song was both good enough and Canadian enough to list it. I could have said Angel Haze's "Echelon" is Canadian because it mentions Toronto, but it wouldn't have mattered, it's not like anybody would have voted for it. (Does that make sense?)

On to the Top 10.

When I was young and didn't know who anyone was, I got confused when the dj was back naming the tracks in a segment and I thought this was a Pink Floyd song for a long time.

https://phildellio.tripod.com/10-powderfinger.jpg

10. "Powederfinger" (1979)
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
77 points/6 votes
video

Can anyone identify the photo? Another grim one.

Typo...

https://phildellio.tripod.com/10-powderfinger.jpg

10. "Powderfinger" (1979)
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
77 points/6 votes
video

Neil seemingly deeply influenced by the Replacements' video artistry.

https://phildellio.tripod.com/9-aside.jpg

9. "Aside" (2000)
Weakerthans
86 points/4 votes/two #1 votes
video

powderfinger was my second neil vote. tried to keep to one song per artist, but for neil, the band, and joni, i just could not.

https://phildellio.tripod.com/09-aside.jpg

9. "Aside" (2000)
Weakerthans
86 points/4 votes/two #1 votes
video

Sigh...will be seeking the help of a benevolent moderator later on.

Love this pic clemenza

I've heard the Weakerthans' name for a number of years, but this is the first time I've actually listened to them. I always read their name as the Weatherkans...That's Toronto's CNE, center of any kids' universe in the '70s. Then Paramount's Wonderland came along in the '80s, and it's been dying ever since (and maybe officially gone after COVID, not sure).

"Aside" was the only song with two (clear, unmistakable) #1 votes.

https://phildellio.tripod.com/08-drinking.jpg

8. "Drinking in L.A." (1997)
Bran Van 3000
87 points/8 votes
video

there was a CNE last year

Marshall McLuhan thought that Bran Van 3000 "invested our lives with artificial perceptions and arbitrary values," but they did well anyway.

Good to hear. Think it's been on the brink of folding a couple of times.

I’m happy other people voted for Nova Heart! Arias is exceptional too, but something about Nova is just magic. I gave Bryan Adams a miss, but if I had to pick one it’d be Heaven. Pure cheese, but ballads do have their place and it’s a bit of an epic one. I am also of the age where that song takes me right back to school dances, much music watching, and that’s genuinely affecting.

You're in the J.D./Erica Zone, Kim.

Glad to see "I Beg Your Pardon" (did anyone else think it was New Order when they first heard it?) and "Nova Heart" make it, as I had to cut them from my ballot. I did vote for "Kaputt" though. I still think that whole album is excellent.

https://phildellio.tripod.com/07-case.jpg

7. "A Case of You" (1971)
Joni Mitchell
100 points/7 votes/one #1 vote
video

I totally thought "I Beg Your Pardon" was New Order till finding out otherwise.

Oh yeah, I can’t deny that! Thank god there was also Brent Bambury.

Answering my own questions: the "Powderfinger" photo is the crime scene from Lynne Harper's murder (the Steven Truscott case); way up above, the Arcade Fire image is from The Ernie Game, a Don Owens film.

https://phildellio.tripod.com/06-oughta.jpg

6. "You Oughta Know" (1995)
Alanis Morissette
102 points/8 votes
video

Fingernails on a blackboard for me... (Not all her songs; that one, though.)

"Powderfinger" is my one placement so far from today. It was in the top tier of my votes.

I can understand why Buffalo Springfield and the Band seem American but what is American about "Summer of 69"? Both writers are Canadian and the "five and dime" referenced an Ottawa store. I'd just as soon say it's very Indian for a Canadian song, given that it's practically a second national anthem there.

Unimpeachable, still towers above the landscape of '90s hits

https://phildellio.tripod.com/05-sunshine.jpg

5. "Steal My Sunshine" (1999)
Len
123 points/11 votes
video

"Steal My Sunshine" holds up so well, I think. Did they ever make another record? They must have.

https://phildellio.tripod.com/04-romantic.jpg

4. "Mass Romantic" (2000)
New Pornographers
127 points/10 votes
video

I guess they never made an actual video for this.

https://phildellio.tripod.com/03-maybe.jpg

3. "Call Me Maybe" (2011)
Carly Rae Jepsen
133 points/13 votes
video

Three of my votes in a row. I didn't know "Steal my Sunshine" had legs on ILX, I thought it was just me who thought this held up!

xp now four of my votes in a row! I am ILX's most typical Canadian it seems.

I said I'd be Toronto-centric, but that's (arguably) three Montreal images in a row.

You may be eligible for some kind of extended visa or something.

I'm not the biggest poptimist but martial law seems a little excessive for this.

I like "Call Me Maybe"; think I might like Avril Lavigne's "Complicated" more or less as much.

Wasn't thinking of that at all; just used it for the iconic status of the interview.

I voted for "Lunatic Fringe", it can stand as a proxy for the other early 80s minor key "gritty" rockers we won't see, like the Payola$, Saga and the aforementioned Aldo Nova.

https://phildellio.tripod.com/02-echo.jpg

2. "Echo Beach" (1980)
Martha & the Muffins
158 points/14 votes
video

Hi, I’m sure I put Bran Van 3000 at number one. Just checking it wasn’t missed.

"Aside" was the only song with two (clear, unmistakable) #1 votes.

I was one. Anyone want to claim the other?

Not number one, but the only song with 14 votes, almost half...was surprised.

I saw so many key Toronto punk/new-wave bands in and around 1980, but I don't think I saw Martha & the Muffins. Always had a bit of a crush on the Martha who sings "Echo Beach." (Saying "the Martha" reminds me of The Handmaid's Tale.)

(xpost) Right...Your songs were numbered, but no points were assigned. So I gave everything 10 points, but didn't count that as #1 (explained above).

Just like to tell (or remind) everyone who voted for "Echo Beach" that the entire Metro Music album is great, they're far from a one-hit wonder.

I was hoping to get a good Sunnyside photo circa 1980, but I settled for Cherry Beach (which I don't think I ever set foot on in 40 years of living in Toronto).

https://phildellio.tripod.com/01-read.jpg

1. "If You Could Read My Mind" (1970)
Gordon Lightfoot
198 points/10 votes/one #1 vote
video

Bring on the Gord!

Perfect ending, right? No interference from me at all--finished counting votes a week ago. (Had it on my own list, but didn't throw in extra points at the end, promise.) Also a great clip, one of those BBC TV specials from the early '70s (Neil Young, James Taylor, etc.).

Hallelujah, not "Hallelujah"!

Wow the number of votes really grew in the Top 5. I voted for "Echo Beach".

Ah, one of my top tier votes!

Xxp ok understood, all good.

This was my #2. I came to Gord really late after only knowing "Wreck" most of my life. Had no idea his catalogue was as deep and rich as it actually is. Happy that everything converged in his honor.

Good to see Gord on top.

i voted for edmund fitzgerald instead but happy to see gord!

"Steal My Sunshine" holds up so well, I think. Did they ever make another record? They must have.

― clemenza, Wednesday, May 3, 2023 2:00 PM

They did! The label even sent out review promos. But then they shelved it. The band got it back and released it themselves several years later, but I can't remember if it was any good.

Good poll! Thanks, clemenza! I enjoyed the rollout and images. 10 of my 30 votes placed including 4 of my top 5 (the lone miss being Stars' "Elevator Love Letter").

Most surprising no show for ilx is Grimes, and c'mon, Drake and Shania should be here, too.

I think almost everybody sent their lists in through their own email, so you should have a copy if you want to post yours. I got one or two via board email; let me know if you need that. If you want to claim a #1 that I missed (or didn't count), please do.

A.C. Newman - "You Could Get Lost Out Here" - 15
Andy Kim - "How'd We Ever Get This Way? " - 15
Anne Murray - "Talk It Over in the Morning" - 15
Broken Social Scene - "Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl" - 15
Ginette Reno - "Beautiful Second Hand Man" - 15
Goddo - "Sweet Thing" - 15
Guess Who - "Rain Dance" - 15
Neil Young - "Sugar Mountain" - 15
Shirley Matthews & the Big Town Girls - "Big Town Boy" - 15
Treble Charger - "Even Grable" - 15

Buffalo Springfield - "Rock and Roll Woman" - 12
Buffy Sainte-Marie - "The Circle Game" - 12
D.J. Shoe - "Attack of the 50-Ft. Teletubbies" - 12
Diodes - "Tired of Waking Up Tired" - 12
Hylozoists - "Soixante-Sept" - 12
Joni Mitchell - "Chelsea Morning" - 12
Oliver Shoerer - "Field of Stars" - 12
Teenage Head - "Total Love" - 12
Thundermug - "Africa" - 12
Tragically Hip - "Fireworks" - 12

Diamonds - "The Stroll" - 10
Drake - "Take Care" - 10
Dundrells - "Nothing on T.V. " - 10
Feist - "1234" - 10
Gordon Lightfoot - "If You Could Read My Mind" - 10
Junkhouse - "Out of My Head" - 10
Kon Kan - "I Beg Your Pardon" - 10
Leonard Cohen - "Winter Lady" - 10
New Pornographers - "Mass Romantic" - 10
Viletones - "Don't You Lie" - 10

British Modbeats - "Sorrow" - 5
Bruce Cockburn - "Goin' Down the Road" - 5
Fludd - "Get Up, Get Out & Move On" - 5
Grimes - "Delete Forever" - 5
Jale - "Despite" - 5
Len - "Steal My Sunshine" - 5
Pointed Sticks - "Apologies" - 5
Snow - "The Plumb Song" - 5
Ugly Ducklings - She Ain't No Use to Me" - 5
Valdy - "Rock 'n' Roll Song" - 5

My hasty ballot, with a few write-ins

Red Rider - Lunatic Fringe (50)
Gordon Lightfoot - If You Could Read My Mind (45)
Martha & the Muffins - Echo Beach (30)
Alanis Morissette - You Oughta Know (15)
Leonard Cohen - If It Be Your Will (10)

(↓ 6 points each ↓)

Band - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Bran Van 3000 - Drinking in L.A.
Bryan Adams - Run to You
Buffalo Springfield - Expecting to Fly
Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe
Céline Dion - My Heart Will Go On
Corey Hart - Sunglasses at Night
Cowboy Junkies - Sweet Jane
Daniel Lanois - The Maker
Doughboys - Shine
Feist - Mushaboom
Gino Vannelli - Wild Horses
Hidden Cameras - Builds The Bone
Joni Mitchell - Help Me
Len - Steal My Sunshine
Men Without Hats - The Safety Dance
Moev - Noise
Neil Young - Long May You Run
Nelly Furtado - Maneater
New Pornographers - Bleeding Heart Show
Sarah McLachlan - Possession
Skinny Puppy - Assimilate
Sloan - Underwhelmed
Tragically Hip - Fifty-Mission Cap
Weakerthans - Aside

From my own list, most surprised that "Fireworks," "1234," and "Tired of Waking Up Tired" (and maybe Drake, another song if not mine) didn't make the Top 40. No Anne Murray, either.

The one thing I did change at the last second, after Lightfoot's death, was to use an image of him for #1 rather than my original thought, which was to use the Expo '67 (#5) image.

Never heard this Bran Van 3000 song. Enjoyable. It's got a bit of "Loser" in it.

surprised no Sloan placed. also surprised Try by Blue Rodeo didn't make it and non of Arcade Fire's more successful tracks made it. and while the Hip were never huge wth the ILM set, I expected to see something place after "Home for a Rest" made the top 40.
the #1 was perfect tho, of course.

"If You Could Read My Mind" is the greatest song ever, so of course it had to top the poll (and was my #1).

I voted for six of the top seven songs (didn't vote for "Echo Beach"). "Steal My Sunshine" definitely holds up, it's still one of my go-to feel good summer songs even after 25 years.

"Summer of '69" was my #2. I always liked it but at the time, I didn't think it particularly stood out from the pack of big Bryan Adams hits that were all over the radio throughout the '80's. But over the years, I began to appreciate it more as a teen angst tour de force, there are very few songs that so brilliantly encapsulate both the myth and the awkward pathos of being young and in lust.

I'd be curious to learn the act with the most total votes who didn't actually place an individual song on the countdown.

I'm surprised at no Jane Siberry or "High School Confidential", maybe they're both too long ago.

I'll put a most-points-by-artist list up later tonight.

Wait were Sloan and the Hip both shut out?

YES!

wouldn't be surprised if the Hidden Cameras were up there for bands with lots of votes, but nothing that placed (along with Sloan and Hip). they have a lot of solid songs, and are popular enough here; but no big hits or obvious "best" song.

Also shut out: ILX's favorite Barenaked Ladies album cover

Clemenza, do you have an easily accessible condensed list of the top 40 (or was one posted)?

My list:
P'tit Belliveau - Income Tax 16
Rush - Limelight 16
Gordon Lightfoot - If You Could Read My Mind 16
Neil Young - Powderfinger 16
Chilliwack - Fly at Night 15
Foot in Coldwater - (Make Me Do) Anything You Want 14
Buffy Sainte-Marie - God is Alive, Magic Is Afoot 14
Grapes of Wrath - All the Things I Wasn’t 14
Bruce Cockburn - Lovers in a Dangerous Time 13
Joni Mitchell - Free Man in Paris 13
Tragically Hip - Bobcaygeon 13
Les Cowboys Fringants - L'Amérique pleure 13
Sloan - Everything You've Done Wrong 12
Eric's Trip - Smother 12
Kate & Anna McGarrigle - Complainte pour Ste. Catherine 12
Big Wreck - Bombs Away 11
Gowan - (You're A) Strange Animal 10
SNFU - Where’s My Legs 10
Steppenwolf - Magic Carpet Ride 10
Spirit of the West - And if Venice Is Sinking 10
New Pornographers - Crash Years 9
NoMeansNo - The Tower 9
Hank Snow - I've Been Everywhere 9
Maestro Fresh Wes - Let Your Backbone Slide 9
Harmonium - Pour an Instant 8
Gandharvas - The First Day of Spring 8
Harlequin - Innocence 8
Owen Pallett - The Riverbed 8
Dream Warriors - My Definition of a Boombastic Jazz Style 7
Triumph- Midsummer's Daydream 7
Doughboys - Shine 7
Blue Rodeo - Trust Yourself 7
Varga - Freeze Don't Move 6
Pursuit of Happiness- She's So Young 6
Yamatanka // Sonic Titan - Hoshi Neko 6
Mother Mother - Hayloft 6
Shania Twain - No One Needs to Know 5
Nick Gilder - Hot Child in the City 5
Jean Leloup - Je joue de la guitare 5
Front Line Assembly - Mindphaser 5

I made this playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDMIkL-lVpdBQue-p4sMD2VeWgdhBxzCK

Have P'tit Belliveau tickets for the weekend. He sold out the last two shows before I could get them.

(xpost) Just finishing that now--give me a few minutes.

Didn't mean to rush you, sorry

43. (tie) "Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl," Broken Social Scene - 45 (3 votes)
      "Early Morning Rain," Gordon Lightfoot - 45 (3 votes)
42. "The Weight," the Band - 45 (4 votes/one #1 vote)
39. (tie) "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)," Arcade Fire - 45 (5 votes)
      "Both of Us," Jayda G - 45 (5 votes)
      "Home for a Rest," Spirit of the West - 45 (5 votes)
38. "Limelight," Rush - 46 (4 votes)
37. "Run Away with Me," Carly Rae Jepsen - 47 (3 votes)
35. (tie) "The House That Heaven Built," Japandroids - 47 (4 votes)
      "Closer," Tegan & Sara - 47 (4 votes)
34. "For What It's Worth," Buffalo Springfield - 48 (6 votes)
32. (tie) "Étienne d’Août," Malajube - 50 (1 vote/one #1 vote)
      "Like a Hurricane," Neil Young - 50 (1 vote/one #1 vote)
28. (tie) "Sundown," Gordon Lightfoot - 50 (4 votes)
      "So Long, Marianne," Leonard Cohen - 50 (4 votes)
      "After the Gold Rush," Neil Young - 50 (4 votes)
      "Subdivisions," Rush - 50 (4 votes)
27. "Let Your Backbone Slide," Maestro Fresh-Wes - 50 (6 votes)
26. "Barrett’s Privateers," Stan Rogers - 51 (3 votes)
25. "All the Things I Wasn't," Grapes of Wrath - 52 (5 votes)
24. "The Safety Dance," Men Without Hats - 52 (6 votes)
23. "7/4 (Shoreline)," Broken Social Scene - 53 (5 votes)
22. "These Eyes," Guess Who - 54 (4 votes/one #1 vote)
21. "Blinding Lights," The Weeknd - 54 (6 votes)
20. "Expecting to Fly," Buffalo Springfield - 56 (5 votes)
19. "Nova Heart," Spoons - 57 (5 votes)
18. "I Beg Your Pardon," Kon Kan - 58 (4 votes)
17. "Kaputt," Destroyer - 61 (4 votes)
16. "Constant Craving," k.d. lang - 63 (6 votes)
15. "Cortez the Killer," Neil Young & Crazy Horse - 70 (5 votes/one #1 vote)
14. "Summer of '69," Bryan Adams - 71 (4 votes)
13. "Help Me," Joni Mitchell - 71 (5 votes)
12. "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," the Band - 73 (7 votes)
11. "Lunatic Fringe," Red Rider - 75 (4 votes/one #1 vote)
10. "Powderfinger," Neil Young & Crazy Horse - 77 (6 votes)
 9. "Aside," Weakerthans - 86 (4 votes/two #1 votes)
 8. "Drinking in L.A.," Bran Van 3000 - 87 (8 votes)
 7. "A Case of You," Joni Mitchell - 100 (7 votes/one #1 vote)
 6. "You Oughta Know," Alanis Morissette - 102 (8 votes)
 5. "Steal My Sunshine," Len - 123 (11 votes)
 4. "Mass Romantic," New Pornographers - 127 (10 votes)
 3. "Call Me Maybe," Carly Rae Jepsen - 133 (13 votes)
 2. "Echo Beach," Martha & the Muffins - 158 (14 votes)
 1. "If You Could Read My Mind," Gordon Lightfoot - 198 (10 votes/one #1 vote)

Sloan and the Tragically Hip both got a number of votes for various songs.

Sloan literally missed by one point: "Everything You've Done Wrong" had 44 points. The highest Tragically Hip song was "Fireworks," with 39. I'll put up a link to the spreadsheet.

Let me know if this works:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1W3iW4xcruX-ehxISjv-740KLnJ-KbUPl/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=106419197278163686735&rtpof=true&sd=true

Yep! Great work clemenza.

I'll have to belatedly peruse everything a little later. Nice that Lightfoot was #1. Wasn't necessarily expecting that track to be *the* track, but it *has* been a reliable highlight of easy-listening radio over here for as long as I can remember.

am i to understand that p'tit beliveau was shut out

I would appear so...I figured out an easy way to do artists, so I'll have that up tonight.

"It"

P'tit Belliveau (whoever this is) had 26 points...

Looks like we gave him his only votes, maffew12. The Ottawa-Gatineau region clearly loves him, though.

I hoped timeliness would be on the side of "Income Tax" but it looks like no.

Emm Gryner - East Coast Angel (25)
Kings - This Beat Goes On/Switchin' to Glide (20)
Kate & Anna McGarrigle - Jacques et Gilles (15)
Joni Mitchell – River (13)
Jane Siberry - One More Colour (13)
Neil Young – Powderfinger (12)
Chantal Kreviazuk – Surrounded (12)
Sloan - Money City Maniacs (12)
Carly Rae Jepsen - Run Away with Me (12)
Rheostatics – Queer (12)
Japandroids - North East South West (12)
Owen Pallett – The Riverbed (12)
Christine Fellows - Mlle. Steno (10)
Weakerthans – Aside (10)
Joel Plaskett - On and On and On (10)
Weeping Tile - Judy G. (10)
Rufus Wainwright - Beauty Mark (10)
Alanis Morissette - Hands Clean (10)
Gino Soccio – Dancer (10)
Broken Social Scene - Art House Director (10)
Jann Arden - The Sound Of (5)
New Pornographers - War on the East Coast (5)
Martina Sorbara – Claudia (5)
Band - The Weight (5)
K'Naan – Fatima (5)
Leonard Cohen - Winter Lady (5)
Leslie Spit Treeo - Book of Rejection (5)
Martha & the Muffins - Echo Beach (5)
Kathleen Edwards - National Steel (5)
Stompin' Tom Connors - Tillsonburg (5)

Great poll; wish I could have participated more during the rollout. Thanks clem!

Indeed - thank you!

This Malajube song is pretty good.

48  Junior Boys - In the Morning                 42
51  Junior Boys - Birthday                       41
53  Chilliwack - Fly at Night                    40
66  Anne Murray - Talk It Over in the Morning    35

Cool that these did okay-ish. I believe I dropped my own Junior Boys nomination, thinking those two were surely more likely to place. I'd not heard the Chilliwack until a couple of years ago but it's more affecting to me than a "touring is hard work" song probably should be lol. Re Anne Murray: I have a soft spot for Paul Williams/Roger Nichols et al so came to know it from that angle. One of the better recordings of their compositions IMHO. (And seemingly very much Can Con in every other respect.)

Here are the top 60 artists by total points--including the eight who got there with one song only--with number of songs used to break ties.

 1. Neil Young - 438 points/15 songs
 2. Gordon Lightfoot - 412 points/9 songs
 3. Joni Mitchell - 401 points/12 songs
 4. New Pornographers - 270 points/9 songs
 5. Leonard Cohen - 242 points/12 songs
 6. Band - 205 points/6 songs
 7. Rush - 194 points/8 songs
 8. Carly Rae Jepsen - 186 points/3 songs
 9. Martha & the Muffins - 183 points/4 songs
10. Alanis Morissette - 167 points/5 songs
11. Sloan - 165 points/9 songs
12. Guess Who - 153 points/7 songs
13. Broken Social Scene - 149 points/5 songs
14. Tragically Hip - 136 points/6 songs
15. Buffalo Springfield - 126 points/4 songs
16. Len - 123 points/1 song
17. Bruce Cockburn - 118 points/8 songs
18. Weakerthans - 116 points/4 songs
19. Blue Rodeo - 115 points/8 songs
20. Destroyer - 104 points/5 songs
21. Sarah McLachlan - 101 points/7 songs
22. Men Without Hats - 97 points/3 songs
23. Bran Van 3000 - 97 points/2 songs
24. Bryan Adams - 96 points/5 songs
25. Arcade Fire - 94 points/4 songs
26. Junior Boys - 93 points/3 songs
27. Buffy Sainte-Marie - 91 points/6 songs
28. Grimes - 85 points/5 songs
29. k.d. lang - 83 points/4 songs
30. Anne Murray - 81 points/4 songs
31. Red Rider - 75 points/1 song
32. Spirit of the West - 70 points/2 songs
33. Kate & Anna McGarrigle - 69 points/5 songs
34. Céline Dion - 69 points/4 songs
35. Stars - 67 points/3 songs
36. Jane Siberry - 64 points/3 songs
37. (tie) Japandroids - 64 points/4 songs
      Metric - 64 points/4 songs
39. (tie) Corey Hart - 63 points/3 songs
      Pursuit of Happiness - 63 points/3 songs
      Tegan & Sara - 63 points/3 songs
42. Steppenwolf - 61 points/4 songs
43. Skinny Puppy - 61 points/3 songs
44. Drake - 60 points/4 songs
45. Kon Kan - 58 points/1 song
46. Grapes of Wrath - 57 points/2 songs
47. Shania Twain - 57 points/3 songs
48. Spoons - 57 points/1 songs
49. Nelly Furtado - 56 points/3 songs
50. Teenage Head - 55 points/4 songs
51. Wolf Parade - 54 points/2 songs
52. Weeknd - 54 points/1 song
53. Rheostatics - 52 points/4 songs
54. Gino Soccio - 52 points/3 songs
55. Joel Plaskett - 51 points/4 songs
56. Stan Rogers - 51 points/1 song
57. Feist - 50 points/4 songs
58. Jean Leloup - 50 points/3 songs
59. Chilliwack - 50 points/2 songs
60. (tie) Maestro Fresh Wes - 50 points/1 song
      Malajube - 50 points/1 song

Thanks for this; obviously this is a very different cross-section of the data that particularly spotlights veterans who didn't necessarily have the one big hit to get them into the countdown.

I wonder who was the most commercial successful or famous Canadian act to receive not a single vote? (Nickelback got one.)

Look at Sloan especially (I think they're okay): 11th place, but split over 9 songs.

I don't know what the answer to your question would be...not exactly what you're thinking about, I'm sure, but the Poppy Family didn't get a vote.

Looks like the Biebs didn’t fare too well.

For a split second I considered voting for "Sorry," but I was committed to a 30 song ballot.

This Malajube song is pretty good.

(xposts) Same: "What Do You Mean?" wasn't too far from my list, just ran out of room...When I posted my list on FB last night, I realized I forgot two songs I fully intended to vote for (mentioned at least one on the previous thread): Mainline's "Get Down To" and Reign Ghost's "Eyes Knows, So Does Ears and Carolina." I probably would have dropped Valdy and Snow. These are all at the margins of the margins.

great number 1, thanks for running this clemenza, just catching up now, my ballot...

15 Supreme Being Unit - My Transporter Room
15 Shania Twain - No One Needs to Know
15 Gordon Lightfoot - Christian Island (Georgian Bay)
15 Lowest of the Low - Rosy and Grey
15 Martha & the Muffins - Echo Beach
15 Morley Loon - Agajee Dona Nooch
15 Godspeed You! Black Emperor - The Dead Flag Blues
15 Big Wreck - Under the Lighthouse
15 Bran Van 3000 - Drinking in L.A.
15 Buffy Sainte-Marie - Not the Lovin' Kind
12 Joni Mitchell - The Circle Game
12 Corey Hart - Sunglasses at Night
12 Cowboy Junkies - To Love Is to Bury
12 Drake - Passionfruit
12 Gino Soccio - Dancer
12 Tragically Hip - Fireworks
12 Kate & Anna McGarrigle - Log Driver's Waltz
12 Terry Bush - Maybe Tomorrow
12 Hawksley Workman - Old Bloody Orange
12 Band - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
8 Ian & Sylvia - Four Strong Winds
8 Jane Child - Don't Wanna Fall in Love
8 Stars - Your Ex-Lover Is Dead
8 Teenage Head - Somethin' on My Mind
8 Jayda G - Both of Us
8 Nelly Furtado - Say It Right
8 Rheostatics - Seven
8 Rita MacNeil - Working Man
8 Rough Trade - High School Confidential
8 Rush - Closer to the Heart
5 Halluci Nation - The Virus
5 Shabason & Krgovich - In the Middle of the Day
5 Spirit of the West - Home for a Rest
5 Alanis Morissette - Hands Clean
5 Cryptopsy - Benedictine Convulsions
5 Paul Anka - Diana
5 Sarah Harmer - Basement Apt.
5 Len - Steal My Sunshine
5 Cano - Baie Ste-Marie
5 Biosphere - Poa Alpina

Shout out to the other Morley Loon voter out there, Northland/My Land rocks. Also I appreciate this list didn't obsess too much with 90s canrock era shit like most of the top canadian music lists do, and i say that as a gigantic Rheostatics fan.

This was mine, 30 songs unranked. Definitely focused on certain decades, but narrowing it down even this much was difficult without criteria. Emotional favourites are so malleable! In the end I’m at least appreciative of most of the ones that made the final list, except Alanis, but admit that it was ‘important’.

- Blue Peter - Don’t Walk Past
- Blue Rodeo - Try
- Bruce Cockburn - Lovers in a Dangerous Time
- Diodes - Tired of Waking up Tired
- Gordon Lightfoot - Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
- Gowan - Criminal Mind
- Grapes of Wrath - All the Things I Wasn’t
- K-os - Man I Used to Be
- Martha and the Muffins - Echo Beach
- Men Without Hats - Safety Dance
- Metric - Combat Baby
- Neil Young - Rockin’ in the Free World
- New Pornographers - Brill Bruisers
- Pursuit of Happiness -I’m an Adult Now
- Red Rider - Lunatic Fringe
- Rheostatics - Queer
- Ron Sexsmith - Secret Heart
- Rush - Subdivisions
- Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet - Having an Average Weekend
- Skinny Puppy - Smothered Hope
- Sloan - Underwhelmed
- Spirit of the West - Home for a Rest
- Spookey Ruben - Wendy Macdonald
- Spoons - Nova Heart
- Stars - Ageless Beauty
- Strange Advance - We Run
- Tragically Hip - Bobcaygeon
- Weakerthans - Left and Leaving
- The Weeknd- Blinding Lights
- The Young Canadians - Hawaii

Thanks a lot for running the poll clem, this was a lot of fun.

With my ballot I tried to stick to one song per artist, but soon realized I had to make some exceptions. Threw New Pornographers songs is too much, but I couldn't decide which one to cut between the three.

54-40 - Blame Your Parents,5
Alanis Morissette - You Oughta Know,10
Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains),5
Avril Lavigne - I'm with You,5
Blue Peter - Don't Walk Past,5
Blue Rodeo - Diamond Mine,10
Box - L'affaire Dumoutier,10
Broken Social Scene - Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl,15
Bryan Adams- Summer of '69,40
Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe,10
Dream Warriors - My Definition of a Boombastic Jazz Style,5
Glass Tiger - Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone,5
Gordon Lightfoot - If You Could Read My Mind,50
Gordon Lightfoot - Canadian Railroad Trilogy,15
Gowan - (You're A) Strange Animal,5
Grapes of Wrath - All the Things I Wasn't,5
Honeymoon Suite - Wave Babies,5
Joni Mitchell - A Case of You,5
Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now,5
K'Naan - Waving Flag,5
Kon Kan - I Beg Your Pardon,20
Len - Steal My Sunshine,35
Leonard Cohen - So Long, Marianne,15
Loverboy - Workin' for the Weekend,5
Maestro Fresh Wes - Let Your Backbone Slide,5
Martha & the Muffins - Black Stations/White Stations,5
Neil Young - Rockin' in the Free World,10
Nelly Furtado - Maneater,10
New Pornographers - Crash Years,5
New Pornographers - Letter from an Occupant,5
New Pornographers - Mass Romantic,10
Platinum Blonde - Doesn't Really Matter,5
Rough Trade - Crimes of Passion,5
Shania Twain - You're Still the One,5
Skinny Puppy - Smothered Hope,10
Skinny Puppy - Assimilate,5
Stompin' Tom Connors - Sudbury Saturday Night,5
Tragically Hip - Wheat Kings,5
Trans-X - Living on Video,5
Weeknd - Blinding Lights,10

My ballot:

Lisa Lougheed - Run with Us 21
Stan Rogers - Barrett’s Privateers 21
Gordon Lightfoot - If You Could Read My Mind 21
Gordon Lightfoot - Carefree Highway 20
Bruce Cockburn - If I Had a Rocket Launcher 18
Sloan - Everything You've Done Wrong 17
Martha & the Muffins - Echo Beach 17
Barenaked Ladies - Lovers in a Dangerous Time 16
Cub - My Chinchilla 15
Pursuit of Happiness- She's So Young 15
Tegan & Sara - Closer 14
Destroyer - Kaputt 14
Guess Who - These Eyes 14
Grapes of Wrath - All the Things I Wasn't 13
Spirit of the West - Home for a Rest 13
New Pornographers - Bleeding Heart Show 13
Remy Shand - Take a Message 13
Northern Pikes - Things I Do for Money 12
Slow - Have Not Been the Same 12
BadBadNotGood - Time Moves Slow 9
BTK - Peppyrock 8
Bran Van 3000 - Drinking in L.A. 8
Emm Gryner - Summerlong 7
Wild Strawberries - I Don't Want to Think About It 7
Motherlode - When I Die 6
Stars - Your Ex-Lover Is Dead 6
Our Lady Peace - Clumsy 5
Esthero - That Girl 5
Dream Warriors - My Definition of a Boombastic Jazz Style 5
Syrinx - December Angel 5
Bryan Adams - Run to You 4
Sky - Some Kinda Wonderful 4
Odds - Someone Who's Cool 4
K-os - Crabbuckit 4
Terry Bush - Maybe Tomorrow 4
Shad - Rose Garden 2
Melanie Fiona - 4 AM 2
Bass Is Base - I Cry 2
Klaatu - Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft 2
Blue Rodeo - 5 Days in May 2

I wonder who was the most commercial successful or famous Canadian act to receive not a single vote? (Nickelback got one.)

My guess is Michael Buble. Only one nomination, Haven't Met You Yet, but no votes.

As for most famous Canadian act without a single nomination, my guess would be Simple Plan.

Or Diana Krall, but most of her music is covers.

I’m right now perusing some earlier Bieber stuff, (because surely those are better than Sorry or What Do You Mean) and I’d forgotten what a legit jock jam Never Say Never is. He had moments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z5-P9v3F8w

Thanks for doing all this, Clem. The Spotify playlist made for such good listening/discovering this past month.

I've had "If You Could Read My Mind" in my head today. Talk about the most "meant for grownups" CVS banger ever. It makes me think of trying to figure out why parents are upset when they aren't articulating themselves.

Anyway, here's my ballot, unranked, 10 points each:

Austra - "Lose It"
Frazey Ford - "Done"
Morley Loon - "Agajee Dona Nooch"
Myriam Gendron - "Solace"
Metric - "Gimme Sympathy"
Metric - "Combat Baby"
The New Pornographers - "Mass Romantic"
Shad - "I Don't Like To"
Be Good Tanyas - "Scattered Leaves"
Corey Hart - "It Ain't Enough"
Corey Hart - "Never Surrender"
Daniel Belanger - "La Folie En Quatre"
Fred Eaglesmith - "Carmelita"
Fred Eaglesmith - "Dangerous"
Kim Barlow - "Humminah"
Carly Rae Jespen - "Call Me Maybe"
Sarah Slean - "Get Home"
Sarah Slean - "Sweet Ones"
Dears - "Heathrow or Death Row"
Corb Lund - "Five Dollar Bill"
Gordon Lightfoot - "Early Morning Rain"
Gordon Lightfoot - "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
Stompin' Tom Connors - "Sudbury Saturday Night"
Stompin' Tom Connors - "Big Joe Mufferaw"
The Guess Who - "New Mother Nature / No Sugar Tonight"
Remy Shand - "Take A Message"
Jane Siberry - "Everything Reminds Me of My Dog"
Junior Boys - "Night Walk"
k.d. lang - "Pullin' Back The Reins"
Kathleen Edwards - "In State"
Leonard Cohen - "The Future"
Mary Margaret O'Hara - "Year in Song"
Men Without Hats - "The Safety Dance"
Sam Roberts Band - "Climb Over Me"
Sam Roberts Band - "Brother Down"
Ron Sexsmith - "Nothing Good"
Rufus Wainwright - "Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk"
Rufus Wainwright - "The Art Teacher"
Gino Venelli - "Black Cars"
Bruce Cockburn - "My Beat"

Thought of another possible answer to the question of the most famous Canadian artist not to get a vote--not even a nomination, actually: Jeff Healey. He had a Top 10 single on Billboard, three in Canada, three Top 10 singles on Billboard's rock chart, two albums in the Top 30, and a story that got a lot of attention in his heyday. (Another guy, like Barry Harris, who had a show on CIUT.)

This was my ballot. Lots of write-ins, cause I was on vacation during nomination. I wonder if I'm the only francophone Québécois on the board ?

Jean Leloup - 1990 (25)
Diane Tell - Si j’étais un homme (25)
Destroyer - Kaputt (25)
Carly Rae Jepsen - Runaway With Me (20)
Mitsou - Dis-moi, dis-moi (20)
Skinny Puppy - Assimilate (15)
Corbeau - Illégal (13)
Les Colocs - Tassez vous de d’là (13)
Céline Dion - Pour que tu m'aimes encore (12)
Men Without Hats - The Safety Dance (12)
Félix Leclerc - Le petit bonheur (10)
Les Lutins - Je cherche (10)
Jean-Pierre Ferland - Le chat du café des artistes (10)
Crystal Castles - Not In Love (10)
Martha and The Muffins - Echo beach (10)
Claude Dubois - Le blues du businessman (10)
Corey Heart - Sunglasses At Night (10)
Marie Carmen - Entre l’ombre et la lumière (10)
Alanis Morrissette - You Oughta Know (10)
Robert Charlebois - Lindberg (10)
Jane Child - Don't Wanna Fall In Love (10)
Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) (10)
Bran Van 3000 - Drinking In L.A. (10)
Grimes - Oblivion (10)
Les Trois Accords - Hawaïenne (10)
Luba - Let It Go (5)
Platinum Blonde - Doesn't Really Matter (5)
Boule Noire - Aimer d'amour (5)
Nelly Furtado - Say It Right (5)
The Pursuit Of Happiness - I'm An Adult Now (5)
Delerium feat. Sarah McLachlan - Silence (5)
Beau Dommage - Le blues de la métropole (5)
Caribou - Odessa (5)
Michel Rivard - Je voudrais voir la mer (5)
Ariane Moffat - Point de mire (Remix) (5)
Strange Advance - We Run (4)
Pierre Lapointe - Deux par deux rassemblés (4)
Marc Hamilton - Comme j'ai toujours envie d'aimer (4)
Renée Claude - Le début d’un temps nouveau (4)
Kiesza - Hideaway (4)

You might be--we had at least a couple of English voters from Quebec, I believe.

What is Canada's Greatest Song?
ROUND ONE

Each song chosen from the list of 280 songs by a random number generator. Two polls per day.
Top 128 vote-getting songs move on to Round 2.#CanadasGreatestSong

Song information in 🧵👇

— Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx (@CraigBaird) December 20, 2023

Was just reading this retrospective of the old Toronto gay club Boots and Barry Harris of Kon Kan fame got in a few quotes, seems he DJed there a bit in the early 90s. Made me think of this thread so I thought I'd share.

https://thenandnowtoronto.com/2014/12/then-now-boots/

I’m surprised Lime has not been mentioned here, even by the “francophone Québécois” four posts back. Aren’t they one of the greatest Canadian groups? “Your Love”? “Unexpected Lovers”?

Somewhere on this thread I mentioned that Barry Harris was a DJ at the University of Toronto station when I had a show there too. But I never met him.

Something I was going to post about a few days ago but there was no Group of Seven thread and I couldn't think of anywhere to put it. I used the Group of Seven for one of the images above so, though far from ideal, I'll post it here:

https://www.cbc.ca/arts/tour-the-priceless-wonders-of-canadian-art-lost-in-that-devastating-toronto-church-fire-1.7230607

Aren’t they one of the greatest Canadian groups?

I don't think the gatekeepers of the Canadian canon hold disco in very high regard.

I saw a musical performance at that church around 20 years ago; I meant to return there but that won't happen now.

been listening to a fair amount of CanCon again lately, a few of my favourite new discoveries that don't seem to be on the voting list here...

Kon Kan - Sinful Wishes (Dance Mix)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O7D9mOhz2c

jacksoul - somedays

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQWJk4jl7DY

Truths and Rights - Crying in the Wilderness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRM-NDvZxnk

Lillian Allen - Conditions Critical

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JURewMByuw

Handsome Ned - Cryin Heartache Misery

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttRCW-s327c

Point Blank - Born and Raised in the Ghetto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PyF3E3aDZ8

The Shuffle Demons - Pie in the Sky

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhRSM64qaCc

...and some newer canadian shit i've liked lately

Mustafa - Air Forces

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_w1hTT37b0

Cadence Weapon - SENNA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqDQKE2pqi8

Cameron Whitcomb - Quitter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz_e20WJqQM

Backxwash - 9th Gate (finally got around to listening to the new album and it rules of course)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pLuvC1buU4

Robyn Ottolini - Tell You Everything

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55m1-cBnmus