The Tragically Hip – Page 2 – Tom MacInnes, Writer

The Tragically Hip: Song #16- Little Bones

This is one post in a series. Each post will focus on one song by The Tragically Hip, a Canadian rock n’ roll band. I am a fan, not an expert. The thoughts expressed in these posts are my own, with the following two exceptions: I have drawn inspiration and knowledge from a book entitled, The Never Ending Present by Michael Barclay. I have, also, learned much from a website dedicated to Hip fans, entitled The Hip Museum. I will give credit to either source when applicable.

“Little Bones” is an interesting song in The Hip’s musical catalogue for several reasons. First of all, there is the story of the song’s lyrics, themselves. For that, I turn to (#NEP). “Little Bones” was part of an album called Road Apples. For those who may not be aware, the term “road apple” is uniquely Canadian and refers to frozen cow or horse dung which is, then used, as a hockey puck in pick-up hockey games. Now, I am a Canadian boy and I played my share of road hockey games in my youth and I can swear that I never played with frozen poop. But, in many rural, farming areas, where the games are played on frozen ponds or lakes, having access to cheap, disposable “pucks” is helpful and road apples are, indeed, a thing.

For many bands, the first album or two come to fruition in a burst of adrenaline and hopeful ambition. As bands tour with their early material and try to make a name for themselves in the public eye, they learn to hone their skills as individual players and then, collectively, as a unit. The Tragically Hip were no different. By the time this album came, The Hip had arrived at some important decisions; first of all, they decided that they were going to take control of the production of each album and, consequently, each song on each album. Secondly, the band members made a decision that, from our perspective seems obvious but, at the time, was a hold-your-breath moment for The Hip and that was, to let Gord Downie be the principal song writer. Up until then, Paul Langlois had written or co-written many of the early hits. But now, the poetic aura that emanated from Gord had become apparent to everyone. As Langlois stated, Gord had a way of taking the common, shared experiences of the group and then, creating universal messages out of it. He said, “Little Bones” was a prime example of how Gord worked his magic. Here is that story.

As part of the band’s decision to take control over the production of their work, the group scoured North America for a recording studio that was in sync with the mindset of the group at the time. The Hip settled on a gothic mansion in New Orleans that was being restored by Canadian producer, Daniel Lanois. At the time, Lanois was a hugely respected producer, having helped famous bands like U2 define their sound during the 80s and into the 90s. The mansion he was rehabilitating in New Orleans possessed interesting architecture and an even more interesting history….it was said to be haunted. The building was creaky and dark and had multiple floors, with rooms off of rooms that led in all manner of directions. It was an easy place to become lost. And The Hip loved it!

Anyway, in getting to know the city, the band members were all struck with the humidity and how it affected their ability to play their instruments, as well as, how much harder it was to play one of their favourite pastimes…pool! They were, also, becoming acquainted with the local cuisine and came to love Cajun dishes; especially those involving shrimp or chicken. From these everyday experiences sprang the inspiration within Gord Downie’s mind to write the lyrics that became, “Little Bones”.

“It gets so sticky down here, better butter your cue finger up. It’s the start of another new year, better call the newspaper up. Two-fifty for a hi-ball and a buck and a half for a beer. Happy hour, happy hour, happy hour is here.”

Out of the minutiae of life while recording an album in The Big Easy came “Little Bones”. Sources of inspiration appeared almost effortlessly for Downie. A book he was reading at the time, Last of the Crazy People, by Canadian author, Timothy Findlay, made it into the song. *(the cat in the story was actually named, Little Bones). As did a controversial news figure at the time, Dr. Shockley, who promoted a view of creating genetically superior babies by excluding, what he considered to be, “inferior” genes from society’s gene pool.

“The long days of Shockley are gone, so is football Kennedy style, famous last words taken all wrong, wind up on the very same pile. Two-fifty for a decade and a buck and a half for a year. Happy hour, happy hour happy hour is here.“

In addition to how Gord parsed together the lyrics for “Little Bones”, a second aspect of note about this song is its musical construction. Many fans consider the guitar work to have “an edge” to it that was new, at the time. Well, just as Gord Downie was soaking up the atmosphere of New Orleans for source material for his new songs, the rest of the band was revelling in the musical atmosphere of being in the home of The Blues, as well as, enjoying bands such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, who were breaking big with their funk-driven sound. When you listen to “Little Bones” in this context, it is easy to pick up on the funky, bluesy influences that made their way into the song. Between the lyrics and the music, “Little Bones” is one of The Hips least Canadian songs but, one of their most powerful and driving of rock songs. This is what comes from being open and receptive to new ideas, people, places and cultures.

The video for “Little Bones” can be viewed here.

As always, I welcome your comments about this post, the particulars of this song, about New Orleans, Gord’s writing style, the band’s musical leanings or whatever you wish to discuss. Thanks to The Tragically Hip for their openness to experience new ways of living and learning. The fruits of your labours are a joy for us all to behold.

The Tragically Hip: Song #1- Nautical Disaster.

This is my favourite Tragically Hip song. This is a song that I like for many reasons. I love the history behind the song. Like “Lake Fever”, it is actually a story within a story….a retelling of a dream…..a conversation between the narrator and Susan, who is either a lover or a therapist, take your pick. It is based, on all accounts, upon the sinking of the German battleship, Bismarck during the second world war. But, the story of the song actually begins a few decades prior, during World War One.

The most famous ship sunk during World War One was the passenger ship, Lusitania. It was sunk by a German U-Boat. U-Boats changed the way naval warfare was fought in a very significant way which influenced what happened years later when the Bismarck was sunk and which inspired my favourite Tragically Hip line of them all. You see, what initially happened in WWI when a ship was sunk was that other ships in the area would stop and rescue any survivors who had ended up in the ocean. Humane treatment of prisoners was one of the unwritten rules of battle at the time and thus, the rescuing of survivors was a time-honoured tradition. However, with the advent of U-Boats, that tradition became deadly. What changed was that once a U-Boat sunk a ship, it would wait where it was until another ship in the convey stopped to rescue survivors. Then, as the rescue was being completed, the U-Boat would sink the rescuing ship, as it was sitting “dead in the water” as the term has come to be known. Such was the alarming rate of ship loss that the Royal Navy passed a new rule: no ship was to stop for survivors any longer. If they did, their safety could not be guaranteed.

Leaving fellow sailors to die in the ocean went against the moral code of seamen on both sides of the conflict. But, that was modern warfare in those days so, survivors were left in the water as ships sailed away to safety.

Fast forward, I once saw a documentary about the discovery of the wreck of the Bismarck. It was a National Geographic documentary featuring Dr. Robert Ballard (who discovered the wreck of the Titanic). In this documentary, Ballard set sail, along with a British sailor who had been in the battle that sank the Bismarck, as well as, a German sailor who, despite all odds, managed to find rescue. After the wreck was discovered, the two men, along with Dr. Ballard, held a peace ceremony and dropped flowers in the water. The sailors were interviewed about their memories and both said that they were haunted by the screams of the men left to die in the water. It was stated that some British ships left rope ladders down as they sailed past so that some men might be able to latch on as the ship sailed past. This is how the German was rescued.
When Gord Downie was interviewed about this song, he mentioned having watched “a documentary”. I know he saw the same one I did because the lyrics match the eye-witness testimony so precisely for it to be a fluke.

Anyway, Nautical Disaster is a song about the callousness and inhumanity of war and what war makes us all capable of doing to our fellow human beings. Yet, it remains one of the most popular and requested Tragically Hip songs of all time.

“Then the dream ends when the phone rings
You’re doing alright he said, it’s out there, most days and nights,
But only a fool would complain.
Anyway, Susan, if you like
Our conversation is as faint as a sound in my memory
As those fingernails…scratching on my hull.”

The video for “Nautical Disaster” can be seen here.

I hope that you enjoyed this post. If you have checked them all out then, I hope you enjoyed the whole series. For now, I will thank you for being here and reading my work. But, most of all, I will thank Gord Downie, Gord Sinclair, Paul Langlois, Johnny Fay and Rob Baker for making such good art. I am changed for the better because of their efforts and their personal and professional integrity. This series of posts doesn’t begin to say Thank You in the depth required but, it is a start. Thanks, Boys! I appreciate it all!

The Tragically Hip: Song #2- New Orleans is Sinking

While not the first song to get the band airplay, “New Orleans is Sinking” is widely regarded as The Hip’s first big hit. Lost in the warm glow of nostalgia, many people, today, think that this song is about Hurricane Katrina and the devastation that storm caused the city of New Orleans and the surrounding towns. It is not about Hurricane Katrina.

What “New Orleans is Sinking” is all about was a thematic undertone of much of their early work and that is, the band declaring their intention to not play the Pop Music game but, instead, to stay as authentic to the roots of their craft as possible. The first clue to this is the fact that the sing is set in New Orleans which is part of a geographic area hailed as the birthplace of The Blues. The Tragically Hip always felt that The Blues were an integral part of the music that wanted to produce. The sweat, the craftsmanship, the heart-and-soul nature of the lyrics and notes that swell up from the depths of the totality of one’s experiences, were all a source of inspiration and attraction for the band.

Secondly, The Hip spent part of their own song talking about what they see as what ails the Music industry. “Colonel Tom, what’s wrong? What’s going on? Can’t tie yourself up for a deal.” Colonel Tom refers to Colonel Tom Parker, the man who managed the career of Elvis Aaron Presley. Many people say that Elvis rose to fame on the backs of the Bluesmen and women who came before him and who, in his wake, never fully received their due. The Hip didn’t regard Elvis as being an authentic Bluesman and they didn’t want to chart the same path as he did. In the same verse, The Hip have Colonel Tom respond to their criticism, “Hey North! You’re South! Shut your big mouth! You’ve gotta do what you feel is real.” The Tragically Hip kept it real, including having as much say as possible about the production process of their records. After recording this album, The Hip purchased a farm in Bath, Ontario, which became known as Bathouse Studios. They recorded much of the rest of their musical catalogue there, under their own roof, on their own terms, working with people they respected and, as always, The Blues were still required.

This would be me, standing at the foot of the driveway at Bathouse Studios in Bath, Ontario, this past summer. I was fanboy enough to stand were I stood but, not fanboy enough to knock on their door. But, never-the-less, that is where much of The Tragically Hip’s magic happened. The search for that magic was on-going at the time that “New Orleans is Sinking” was written but, it is clear from the lyrics that The Hip knew where they were going. They were going home. This is where they went. This is home.

The video for “New Orleans is Sinking” can be enjoyed here.

Thanks for coming along on our musical journey this day. I hope your enjoyed this post. If you have any comments about The Blues, Elvis, this song, New Orleans or Bathouse Studios, please feel free to drop me a line in the comment box below. Thanks, as always, to The Tragically Hip for having the confidence to, among other things, make God a woman.

The Tragically Hip: Song #3- Springtime In Vienna

I love a good line. The Tragically Hip are known for their imaginative, poetic, intelligent use of words in their songs. It is one of the qualities of the band that endears them to me. Sometimes, it is the language, itself, that catches my eye…..such as, “A bum’s eye for clothes”. Sometimes, it is an ordinary line that Gord’s voice makes extraordinary…such as, “I want to help you lift enormous things.” from “At Transformation”. Sometimes, the line they come up with is interesting because of the language used and then, how that language reflects a broader truth that the band is aiming for. For me, that is the case with Springtime in Vienna. The line that I love is simply, “We live to survive our paradoxes.”

“Springtime in Vienna” explores the nature of paradoxes and, in particular, the contradictions inherent in any act of creativity. True creativity is the ultimate in freedom of expression. However, for a band who understood the business implications of their creative decisions, lines like “Instructions from the manual could have been much more plain. The Blues are still required. The Blues are still required again.” offer insight into the artistic compromises that must occur. Creativity is freedom but, there must be rules. As soon as there are rules, then freedom is no longer pure. The band accepted that it lived a paradoxical life thus, “We live to survive our paradoxes.” They would be creative, on their terms but, within reason it seems.

(#HM) The origin of this song occurred one evening in New Orleans, when the band witnessed a lovers quarrel. Paul Langlois is credited with saying that the quarrel made him feel it was Springtime in Vienna. This is a reference to when the evil that was the Nazis invaded the beauty of Vienna, flush with the awakening of springtime. That Hate can emerge in the amid Love, as in the lovers quarrel or, Evil can temporarily push aside Beauty, as in Vienna during World War II, caused Gord to think of the very creative paradoxes that the band faced early in their career, as they sought to define the uniqueness of their voice in an industry that demanded conformity and predictability.

For me, I appreciate the choice of the word, paradox, for this song because it is a rich, literate word that gives a sense of the intelligent discourse the band wished to have with its fans. But, juxtaposed to this was the realization that for many fans, screaming the word, paradoxes, from the cheap seats was really just an exhilarating, cathartic experience. Let’s be honest, the word sounds cool to shout out. The dichotomy of expression; from band to fan and from fan, back to band, is at the heart of The Hip’s creative paradox. That they kept producing such excellent work for over thirty years is, to me, evidence that they have, indeed, learned to survive their own paradox…and, quite nicely, at that.

The video for “Springtime in Vienna” can be found here.

Thanks, once again, for stopping by to read my words. I appreciate it very much. If you have any comments to add about this song, about paradoxes in your own life, about screaming words out in public or anything else that may tickle your fancy, please feel free to do so in the comment box below. Thanks to The Tragically Hip for the integrity of their creative expression. It is most appreciated..

The Tragically Hip: Song #4- Looking For A Place To Happen

This is a song about explorers and the exploitation of Indigenous cultures. It is funny to listen to this song, with lines about being on this land and seeing someone like Jacques Cartier, with his “bum’s eye for clothes” coming down the river toward you. We, as white, anglo-saxon Canadians of European descent take our History so very much for granted. Of course, we tell ourselves that expanding our empires was justified. Of course, the treasures reaped were warranted. We are all so quick to forget about those who were here first. As the lyrics state, “Come on in. Sit right down. No, you’re not the first to show. We’ve all been here since, God, who knows?”

While The Hip may have played this song for years as part of the standard concert lineup, we have not done much in the way of learning its lessons. I say this in light of the Climate Change movement that has, out of necessity, sprung up around the world. One of the main points they are attempting to drive home with their marches and sit-ins is that we need to stop exploiting indigenous cultures around the world as a formal part of government policies. However, last time I checked, the Amazon Rainforest was still on fire and many First nations communities in Canada still had undrinkable water. It is difficult for us to look at cultures and worlds different that we are used to, with eyes trained to see only through the filters of our own experiences.

“Wayward ho, away we go
Its a shame to leave this masterpiece
With its gallery gods and garbage bag trees.
So, I’ll paint a scene, from memory,
So, I’d know who murdered me.
It’s a vain pursuit but it helps me sleep.”

The video for this song can be viewed here.

Thanks, as always, for coming here and hanging out for awhile. I hope that you enjoyed this post. If you wish to leave a comment about this song, the topic of exploitation of indigenous cultures, climate change or whatever your heart desires, please feel free to do so. Thanks to the Tragically Hip for writing a song that can speak to something so important but, doing so in such a rocking’ way!

The Tragically Hip: Song #6- At The Hundredth Meridian

The Tragically Hip are the quintessential Canadian band. They shared our stories with the world in ways that didn’t pass judgment or praise false idols. Their songs are sung from coast to coast to coast. They are as iconicly Canadian as Terry Fox or hockey or lakes soundtracked by the cries of the loon. They are ours.

But, throughout their career, there has always been talk about why the Tragically Hip weren’t bigger in the U.S. and, for that matter, did that even matter when it came to defining how successful the band really was. “At The Hundredth Meridian” is a song that touches upon what it means to be a Canadian band. It has several references to the struggle of becoming an established band in this country. For example, the line, “Driving down a corduroy road” is a term often used to describe travelling on a surface that is rutted and not easy to get across without great effort and, occasional, discomfort. Every band who were their own roadies, piling instruments into a cramped van, driving from Legion halls to county fairs to small bars in the middle of nowhere, can attest to the truth behind this words. The line right off of the top, “Me, debunk an American myth and take my life in my hands” refers to the group questioning the conventional wisdom that speaks of the proper measuring stick for success for Canadian bands being commercial sales in the States. Record sales and concert gross were not, by themselves, what motivated The Hip to move forward as they did. The complexity and originality of their song lyrics across the breadth of their catalogue speaks to that.

Overall, this song is about the nature of what success meant to the band and how they defined themselves as musicians and songwriters. I always had the sense that all five guys were comfortable in their own skin and never needed external accolades as motivation for crafting the music they made. They never wanted to be pop stars.

“If I die of vanity, promise me, promise me
They bury me some place I don’t want to be
You’ll dig me up and transport me, unceremoniously,
Away from the swollen city breeze, garbage bag trees
Whispers of disease and acts of enormity
And lower me slowly and sadly and properly
Get *Ry Cooder to sing my eulogy.“

*Ry Cooder was a legendary bluesman who was never what one would call “a big star”. He stayed true to his musical roots and, in doing so, helped serve as a role-model for the type of performer the band members wanted to be. Respect. Craftsmanship. Longevity. This is what The Tragically Hip looked for in themselves and hoped that we saw, too.

The video for this song can be seen here.

Thanks, again, for visiting my blog and reading this post. Your presence here means a lot to me. If you have any questions or comments about the nature of commercial success in music, any aspect of this particular song or any experiences such as those referenced in the lines, “I remember Buffalo. I remember Hengelo” feel free to jot those down, too. It is always good to talk shop when it comes to that most Canadian of bands, The Tragically Hip.

The Tragically Hip: Song #8- Courage (for Hugh McLennan).

I have been to a few Hip shows in person. Whenever “Courage” starts up, the crowd always goes wild and there is lots of singing along and dancing in the aisles to accompany the song’s lyrics. However, this song is one of those examples of audiences not really understanding what the song is all about and not really caring anyway.

(#HM) Hugh MacLennan was one of the most respected authors that Canada has ever produced. He is best known for his books, Two Solitudes and Barometer Rising. Initially, his desire to write stories about Canada was mocked and ridiculed as being overly provincial. Who would ever want to hear stories about this place? Well, evidently, many people did and, as a result, MacLennan is rightfully credited as being one of the authors who helped to establish our literary culture in Canada. But, like many writers, MacLennan suffered through periods of self-doubt and depression. He wondered if his life’s work had any meaning. It was only later on in his life that he began to appreciate what, in fact, he had managed to accomplish.

The Tragically Hip were much the same as MacLennan. They believed in the stories our country had to share and set out to give meaning to them through song. But, being a rock n’ roll group, at their core, The Hip, often found themselves lost in a whirlwind of hotel rooms, hockey arenas, beer-swilling fans all singing and dancing but, not necessarily, appreciating the nuances of the lyrics the band worked so hard to create. So, “Courage” is really a song about finding meaning for yourself and your life’s work, amid the cries of those who take you for granted. It is a salute to a kindred spirit whose books influenced the band tremendously but, in all likelihood, have never read by most of their fans. And, like MacLennan, himself, The Tragically Hip can, at this late stage of their being, look back upon their career with a fair bit of satisfaction for what they have accomplished, too.

“There’s no simple explanation
For anything important any of us do.
And yeah, the human tragedy
Consists in the necessity
Of living with the consequences
Under pressure, under pressure
Courage, my word, it didn’t come, it didn’t matter.”

*This verse is taken, almost verbatim, from The Watch That Ends The Night by Hugh MacLennan.

The video for “Courage (for Hugh McLennan)” can be found here.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and read this post. If you have anything to say, of literary merit or otherwise, please feel free to do so in the comments box below. Thanks to everyone in The Tragically Hip, for having the courage of a Hugh McLennan, and writing songs that have helped shape the culture of our country.

The Tragically Hip/Gord Downie: Song #9- Trick Rider

This is a bit of a cheat on my part because “Trick Rider” is not a Tragically Hip song. It came about as a result of a solo project by Gord Downie and was featured on an album called Coke Machine Glow. “Trick Rider” is a beautiful song that, for my money, is one of the best songs ever written about the emotion parents feel watching their children grow up. As mentioned in a previous post, Downie had entered a stage of his life where family became more important than ever and making a difference in the real world became his calling card as a performer. This song is quiet and slow and is what I would have wanted to write for my girls if I had even half of his writing chops.

Being a parent changes everything.

“I’ll be your friend, your last refuge
When things get weird and weird breaks huge
I’ll stroke your hair, I’ll dry your cheeks
When failures come and no one speaks.”

The video for this beautiful song can be found here.

For this album, Gord played with a backing band called The Country of Miracles. It is Julie Dorion’s lovely harmonies that you can hear in the background of this song as it plays. I think it is important to state that Gord Downie, like all of us, lived a multi-faceted life. He loved his family. He pursued his poetry. He immersed himself in Indigenous culture. He had friends beyond those four other guys in The Hip. These “other friends” were important to Downie’s sense of self, as well as, his creative impulses. It is a credit to everyone in The Hip that solo projects and collaborations with other musicians were welcomed as necessary for the self-actualization of all involved. Some fans worried that the fact that Gord was playing with a new band meant that his old band was being replaced. But, as “Trick Rider” shows so well, there is beauty and wonder all around us. The important thing is being open to joy that springs from new sources. We are all richer when we embrace the tapestry that is Life.

As always, I thank you for visiting my blog and taking the time to read this post. Your comments regarding “Trick Rider”, Gord’s solo projects, the adventure that is parenting or your thoughts on collaboration, creativity and where we draw our inspiration from, are all welcome in the comment box below.

Thanks, Gord, for creating such a wonderful song. Fatherhood is awesome! 🙂

The Tragically Hip: Song #10- Lake Fever

The Hip are famous for writing songs that contain stories within stories. “Lake Fever” is a song about two people about to share a passionate moment, coupled with a historical story about cholera outbreaks that happened along Lake Ontario hundreds of years ago when ships from across the world brought diseases into the harbours of new, growing settlements that had yet to adequately deal with the issue of sewage disposal and the importance of keeping water clean. Sweaty, feverish topics, both, no?

Life and death, love and sex. A song that begins quietly; often just with Gord and an acoustic guitar at centre stage. But, one that builds, layer upon layer of beautiful harmonies, until it reaches a soaring crescendo and then, ends restfully, spent-like, talking in whispers again. “Lake Fever” juxtaposes death with a joyous act of passion in an all-or-nothing wager. Gord sings hard on lots of songs, as he does on this song but, his voice would not be enough for a story as old as time. The soft harmonies on vocals by Paul Langlois and Julie Dorion counter-balance the earnestness of Gord’s voice and give the song a fullness and a richness that young love and old death deserves.

In the end, “Lake Fever” is a celebration of lives lived in the most meaningful way. As for the history depicted in this song, (#HM) Gord Downie once famously said the following at a concert in Toronto, “I know you don’t want to hear it but, in 1832, there was a cholera epidemic up and down the Lake. Many people died where you stand tonight. And now, here’s a song about two young people who don’t give a shit!”

“I’ll tell you a story about the Lake fever or
We can skip to the coital fury
You didn’t say, yes or no, neither,
You whispered, Hurry.”

The video for “Lake Fever” is here. https://youtu.be/KaOeKMaqnr0

As always, thank you for visiting my blog and for taking the time to read this post. I hope you enjoyed peeking behind the curtain of such a terrific song. I appreciate all comments so feel free to discuss how you liked the song, the history it portrays or, even, the passion of the young lovers, if you wish. Thanks, as well, to The Tragically Hip for writing such a great song in the first place.

The Tragically Hip: Song #11- Fireworks

Prior to meeting my wife, I lived and breathed sports. I participated in many sports betting pools. I organized my weekends around the tv schedules for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Blue Jays and around the NFL games on Sunday. I knew all the players and all of their stats. It was all so very important to me at the time.

Then, along came Keri. Keri is the girl in the first verse of this song. She did not give a fuck about hockey. She ended up taking my hand and loosening my grip on Bobby Orr, as it were. But, by becoming a part of my life, she changed it for the better. I wouldn’t want to go back to the life I had where players and their teams filled my world with meaning. I believe myself when I say it, too. My life is good. I wouldn’t change a thing.

“If there’s a goal that everyone remembers,
It was back in ol’ 72.
We all squeezed the stick and we all pulled the trigger
But all I remember is sitting beside you.

You said you didn’t give a fuck about hockey!
And I never saw someone say that before.
You held my hand and we walked home the long way.
You were loosening my grip on Bobby Orr.”

The video for “Fireworks” can be found here.

As always, feel free to comment on any aspect of this song or about hockey or about Love or about anything you wish. I am happy that you stopped by to visit my blog, to read this post and to learn a little bit more about me and my life. Thanks for listening to the song, “Fireworks” by the Tragically Hip, too. 🙂