Weekend Jukebox: Canuck Edition (Reasons to love/hate Canada)

31 thoughts on “Weekend Jukebox: Canuck Edition (Reasons to love/hate Canada)”

1. Ehh, I would have agreed with you on Ms Dion if you had gone with the Titanic theme song.Report

   1. I’m not a complete monster.Report

2. Funny, I consider ‘Please Forgive Me’ to be a reason to hate Bryan Adams. Gimme some ‘Summer of 69’, please.

   (There’s no saving Celine Dion. I’ve hated her career since the first time I heard Ziggy.)Report

   1. Summer of 69 is literally the only reason not to hate Bryan Adams. Until you realize that it enabled the rest of Bryan Adams, which means that really it is just another reason to hate Bryan Adams.

      Canada, you have not apologized enough for unleashing that monster.Report

      1. It’s worse than “not apologized”. They’ve officially said that he no longer qualifies as “Canadian Content“.

         According to Canada, Bryan Adams is legally American.

          Report

         1. This act of aggression cannot stand.Report

         2. I’d suggest that they classify him as British, not American, since he was writing with Mutt Lange.Report

      2. Truth.Report

3. I have to admit, I’m surprised there isn’t a music video of William Shatner in here. In terms of pure musical pain, one is hard to surpass his covers of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds or Mr. Tambourine Man.

   This is not to say that Shatner has not redeemed himself a million times over for these egregious crimes (I think he has) but they are a good example of Canada’s destructive influence on all things musical.Report

4. Love ’em or hate ’em, Rush was a fine exponent of Canada’s musical offerings.Report

5. This is the best Canadian band there is. One of the best rock bands, period.Report

6. I’m planning a radio show here to play 60s garage rock, punk, power pop, and new garage. The Canadian content laws are really a thorn in my side. Yes, there are lots of good Canadian rock bands, but getting together 30% Canadian songs is a grind.Report

   1. Does Boards of Canada count as Canadian content? (wry grin)Report

      1. I’ll probably play Boards of Canada anyway, but getting away with it as “Canadian content” probably relies on a government bureaucrat not knowing .any better- entirely likely. Now, if I ever reach the point that a state official is making me play Nickelback, that’s when I’m going to go Yukio Mishima on Ottawa.Report

   2. That said, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention: Teenage Head, the Gruesomes, D.O.A., Nomeansno, the Forgotten Rebels, or the (Canadian) Subhumans.Report

      1. There was some Japanese band that went to Canada to record late 60’s – early 70’s. I forget their name.
         Just has me wondering if this is ‘Canadian content’ since they became based in Canada after that.

         “Japanese head-banging” in Canada wasn’t always done in Vancouver with a nightstick.

         I’ll see if I can find a link.Report

         1. Here’s the good stuff.
            From what I understand, this was a Canadian only release, until the inevitable re-issue.Report

7. I think you could do a lot better than Bryan Adams to represent good Canadian music.  How about 1. Neil Young; 2. The Band (excusing the fact that their drummer/vocalist was a Southern American); and 3. Rush.  Hell I like Triumph better than Bryan Adams.Report

   1. I actually like a lot of Bryan Adam’s ouvre. I actually wanted to embed Everything I do but they didnt allow embedding for that song.Report

8. “The Canadian content laws…”  They still have this?  It would be good to know.  I teach this in my Global Environment of Business class and wanted to check to make sure my info was still current (hadn’t yet gotten around to it).Report

   1. Yes I believe they still do. A lot of the old ‘keep Canada Canadian” stuff lingers and since they don’t have an ironclad first ammendment there’re things that can stand in Canada that wouldn’t endure in the US. Then again the FCC still prevents you from swearing on network television.Report

      1. Here’s a short list of the main differences between “The Trailer Park Boys” and the Cape Girardeau area:
         Canadian – American
         — pot ——— meth —
         – whiskey — Budweiser-
         – hockey —- baseball —

         Other than that, the cultures are much the same.Report

         1. Oh I agree it’s an utterly futile and facile theme and gesture. But it holds none the less.Report

            1. Now I regret posting that comment.
               I feel very un-American at this point.
               I don’t want to do meth.
               And I don’t care for Budweiser.
               I feel so unpatriotic….Report

   2. Yes, CanCon is still the destroyer of worlds up here. And sadly, though there are some very good Canadian bands (Library Voices, that’s the spirit, The Balconies), CanCon just ensures and endless stream of the likes of Nickelback and Matthew Goode.Report

      1. Yes. If you program a radio show, 30% of the music has to be from Canadian artists. At least, that was what I’ve been told by a friend who programs a radio show.Report

         1. That sounds right to me (I’ve never worked in radio, but have had a few friends who did).Report

9. Con: And that bitch, Anne Murray, too.

   Pro: No Means No.Report

   1. One of my favo(u)rites. How many punk bands can pull off a nearly 7 and a half minute song with this many changes? Of course, Fugazi eventually got rich playing the same way Nomeansno was playing in the early 80s.Report

   2. Geez, James, that’s the second time this week you’ve used that phrasing to describe Ms. Murray.  I think you’re overcompensating for your shame at secretly liking her.Report

10. I can’t believe that nobody mentioned Paul Schaefer as one of the Canadian musicians that need to be hated.  I am an old guy so besides Neil and the Band I think  that Joni Mitchell and Ian and Sylvia should be on the Iove them side.Report

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