Song:Bobcaygeon
Album:Phantom Power
The Tragically Hip are beloved in their native Canada. But despite several attempts they were never able to break through in the US. Bobcaygeon is considered to be one of their signature songs. The Tragically Hip were formed in 1984 in Kingston, ON. The lead singer and songwriter was Gord Downie along with Paul Langlois and Rob Baker on guitar, Gord Sinclair on bass and Johnny Fay on drums. The band name was from the Michael Nesmith video Elephant Parts. They signed with MCA Canada in 1989. Up To Here was their 1989 debut album. They were very successful touring Canada and their albums sold OK. They didn't have any hit singles until later. MCA in the US didn't seem too interested in them. So they signed with Sire Records in the US. The Tragically hip appeared on Saturday Night Live through fellow Canadian Dan Ayckroyd. For the 1998 album Phantom Power, Sire really tried but were unable to break The Tragically Hip in the US. They brought in Steve Berlin of Los Lobos to produce. The album did great in Canada. Bobcaygeon was one of five hit singles. Bobcaygeon is a small town in Ontario. The song is about life in a small town. Downie says it could have been any town. He chose Bobcaygeon because it rhymes with constellation. It won a Juno for Single of the Year. Phantom Power is available as a budget CD. But there are no Tragically Hip comps available. Universal only released one and it's out of print. The Tragically Hip continued to record and tour Canada very successfully until Gord Downie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in 2016. After a farewell tour, Downie died on Oct. 17, 2017. Though The Tragically Hip retired, they recorded a lot of new songs before Downie died. So I expect we will see new CDs in the future. The surviving members own a cannabis company using Tragically Hip branding. Here's the video of Bobcaygeon by The Tragically Hip.
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