FanPost

MIN-TOR Musical Preview: River Deep, Mountie High

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O Canada.

I think the Raptors are the only team we haven't played since these musical threads started when the season was a few games old. And as much as I hate to give Canucks credit, there's great music in them thar maples.

Household names such as Neil, Joni, Robbie, Celine, Anka, Alanis, Beiber, Buble.

Feist and Furtado. Rush and the New Pornographers. Glen Gould and Robert Goulet.

Critics' faves like Leonard Cohen, Arcade Fire (meh) and Ryan Adams. What's that? Oh -- Bryan Adams. My bad. Never mind.

S-n-P's favorite twin sisters.

Where do I begin? I'll start the ball rolling by sharing a few songs I like from our neighbors on the other side of Lake of the Woods and leave it to you folks to take it to new heights.

This song from the excellent soundtrack to Wim Wenders' "Until the End of the World" is one of the most peace-inducing recordings I've ever decompressed to. Gorgeous. By Jane Siberry and Kathryn Dawn Lang, both Canadians.

The Toronto band The Pursuit of Happiness has been around since 1985, but for our purposes they were essentially a one-hit wonder. Maybe I was just at the right age for the subject matter when this came out, but I still enjoy it a lot.

Another one-hit wonder you may remember is the Crash Test Dummies, best know for "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm." I like that song, but prefer this melancholy number by the Winnipegians... Winnipigs... Winnipiggers?

Let's cheer ourselves up with one of the funnest rock bands of the 70's, one which perfected the art of lightweight songs about cars and girls and guitar hooks. The Guess Who (also from Winnipeg) had a lot of success due mainly to guitarist Randy Bachman and singer Burton Cummings. In 1970, Randy left the group and formed Bachman Turner Overdrive, a band with great hair and power chords, and churned out smashes like this one.

What is the worst Top 40 hit in history? I submit this as a nominee, but also admit I love to sing along to it at top volume because how often does one get a chance to be this earnestly overwrought? Torontonite... Torontonail... Toronto dude Dan Hill (nice caveman hair) hit #3 in the US with this love song:

From the ridiculous to the sublime... let's end with Canada's most beloved musician, Gordon Lightfoot. Our own Bob Dylan once said that when he hears a Lightfoot song, he wishes it would last forever. Folk/pop of the highest order. Great writer and excellent singer. This song was not a hit, but kicked off his second album way back in 1967, before he'd become a star. A longtime favorite of yours truly.

Your turn.