Canada has given the world many great things—maple syrup, insulin, Trivial Pursuits, alkaline batteries, pineapple on pizza, and William Shatner. They have also contributed to the music scene with some well-known artists and a few lesser-known ones. I have decided against including Celine Dion in this list for good taste. Check out 10 Great Canadian Songs.
Martha and the Muffins – Echo Beach
Coming out of Toronto, Martha Johnson and her wonderful Muffins scored a chart hit in 1980 with this catchy tune. A song about being somewhere more exciting than trapped in their 9-5 job is a song many people can still relate to.
Death From Above 1979 – Caught Up
This rock duo, again from Toronto, may be one you haven’t heard before. The band scored only one Top 40 hit in the UK in 2005 with ‘Blood on Our Hands’. Band member Jesse Keeler stated that when they started in 2001, they aimed “to be the AC/DC of hardcore.” I’ll let you be the judge of whether they succeeded.
Joni Mitchell – Cactus Tree
Winning 11 Grammy awards is not to be sniffed at, especially when one is a Lifetime Achievement award. That’s exactly what Joni Mitchell has achieved in her long and illustrious career. With 19 studio albums in her catalogue and numerous live and compilation albums, Mitchell is still performing at 80.
Barenaked Ladies – New Disaster
For this entry for the Barenaked Ladies, I deliberately avoided the noted earworm ‘One Week’ and plumped for something less famed. Now in their 36th year, they show no signs of stopping anytime soon, despite losing one of their founding members, Steven Page, in 2009 when he left to pursue new projects, including theatrical opportunities.
Alvvays – Next of Kin
An indie pop band formed in 2011, Alvvays (pronounced “Always”) has had two albums creep into the UK Top 30. This track is a blend of jangly guitar pop and a blob of shoegaze that reminds me of the UK band The Sundays. Singer Molly Rankin delivers a wonderfully pure and ghostly vocal performance here.
Sloan – Coax Me
Sloan has never charted in the UK but has succeeded in their homeland. They have constantly evolved, demonstrating their versatility while still producing music their fan base loves. Maintaining commercial success for over 30 years is an outstanding achievement.
Drake ft. Lil Durk – Laugh Now Cry Later
Drake seems to be everywhere and involved in everything. I’m sure I saw him in Lidl the other day. His career has skyrocketed, and Drake now has a net worth of $250m. To his credit, he has undoubtedly grafted for his success. Starting as a teen actor in the TV show Degrassi, Drake (real name Aubrey Drake Graham) has become one of the most influential people in the world of hip-hop.
Leonard Cohen – First We Take Manhattan
Cohen’s career spanned 62 years before he died in 2016. His folk-rock music style was unique, mainly due to his vocal delivery. With its synth-pop sound and apocalyptic lyrics, this song sounds like it has been lifted from an independent movie about political subterfuge and supervillains. This track has been covered many times; I suggest you seek out the version recorded by R.E.M.
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
According to band member Win Butler, this track is taken from their third studio album of the same name, which forms part of “A Letter from the Suburbs”. It has a Neil Young feel and instantly feels nostalgic despite only being released in 2010. This music video is an abbreviated version of the short film Scenes from the Suburbs, directed by Spike Jonze and inspired by the album.
Japandroids – The House That Heaven Built
This duo emerged from Vancouver in 2006 with their brand of garage rock. Despite intending to call it a day before the planned release of their first DIY-created album, Canadian indie label Unfamiliar Records persuaded them to sign for them, and they released that album, Post-Nothing, in 2009. It went on to receive critical acclaim, and two more albums followed. The House That Heaven Built is the band’s most commercially successful single.
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