The Canadian Dream and the Tragically Hip, Part 2

The Canadian Dream and the Tragically Hip – Part 2
by Richard LeDue

Is it ironic to say the Canadian dream a more individualized aspiration than the American one? However, the soul searching that is a crucial aspect of the Canadian dream demonstrates this.  Furthermore, the American dream is built on the idea of capitalism, economics, and wealth. There is a sense of potential for the individual, but it is often tied to monetary advancements and success. Those elements may even be part of the Canadian dream, but I would like to think that there are other aspects that have higher priority in terms of relevance for our Canadian dream. But for many Canadians, The Tragically Hip are part of the Canadian dream because they sing of things we identify with. As well, their limited success in America always made them feel more Canadian to Canadians.

There's the Hip track, “Ahead by a Century,” which is actually a love song. The speaker in that song laments the fact but they are not up to the same level as the one they love. Thus, the title, “Ahead by a Century,” shows how that person feels so much further behind the one they love. Their love demonstrates a sort of self reflection that's part of the Canadian dream. I'm not saying that Americans don't self reflect, but it's just a matter of priorities. Hollywood, in my opinion, is a reflection of the American dream, and many Hollywood romance comedies go strictly with the predictable route in telling a love story. However, you would not expect some of the lyrics you find in this song to be in such a movie.

For example, the following lyrics show a sense of apprehension:
“First thing we'd climb a tree

And maybe then we'd talk

Or sit silently

And listen to our thoughts

With illusions of someday

Cast in a golden light

No dress rehearsal

This is our life”

This isn't a song about falling in love, or overcoming an obstacle to get the person you desire. No, the relationship is already happening, and self-doubt is causing the speaker to question their future together. Part of that uncertainty comes in the form of worrying about needing a “dress rehearsal” to practice what needs to happen in their relationship. The feeling of unworthiness for their partner is lovely in a sad way because it shows how much love they have, but also a fear of screwing up their relationship.

Another Canadian Tragically Hip song would be “50 Mission Cap.” It's about a hockey player who won the Stanley Cup for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Bill Barilko.  He then disappeared in an off-season plane crash. The Leafs didn't win another Stanley Cup until the body was discovered. In that song The Tragically Hip gives Canadians their own legend. Their own folklore. This is a very important role to play. The glory of winning the championship isn't as simple as lifting a trophy. It turns it into something almost spiritual. With the discovery of Barilko's body, it almost mixes spiritualism with sports. Bill Barilko's glory was found after his death. It would have been easier to write a song about someone like Wayne Gretzky, arguably the greatest hockey player ever, but instead they chose Bill Barilko, turning him from a piece of obscure hockey trivia to folk hero. If this doesn't help cultivate the Canadian dream, I don't know what does.   

Another Hip song that relates to the Canadian dream would be “Looking for a Place to Happen.” This is a song that deals with the colonial legacy in Canada. Downie was particularly in tune with the legacy of the Europeans that came here and the “discovery” of Canada. He knew this was not the proper vision of history, and he knew that there were many Indigenous groups that were wronged by those explorers (through claiming ownership of land that already had owners) and later the government (through the Residential school system and other policies that fostered cultural genocide of First Nations).

This idea is reinforced by the lyrics: 
“Jacques Cartier, right this way

I'll put your coat up on the bed

You've got the real bum's eye for clothes

Come on in, sit right down,

We've all been here since, God, who knows?”

Jacques Cartier is a French explorer who was often credited as the first European to arrive in Canada (until the discovery of Viking settlements in Newfoundland, Canada). It's important the the speaker in this song refers to already being there when Cartier arrived. This is reference to the Indigenous peoples, who already lived in Canada. Their history has often been lost in the narrative of colonialism and European expansion. Even in my own education, I remember Junior High history lessons about the the importance of explores like Cartier and John Cabot, while the Indigenous peoples they encountered were often an afterthought in those lessons.

We live in a time when this acknowledgement of past wrongs is becoming an incredibly important social movement. We live in a time when racism and discrimination ought to be dying out, but unfortunately, we have seen things go in the other direction. Part of the Canadian dream to me would be a country that acknowledges the mistakes it made in the past. A country that has accepted parts of its legacy were built on racism, yet driving forever to improve and fix past wrongs instead of ignoring them.

It was a fitting sendoff that the last song The Tragically Hip ever sung live was “Ahead by a Century.” They probably chose that song for a variety of reasons. It is one of their better known songs, but it's a love song that isn't blatantly a love song. You're not going to find too many cliches about love in that song. It's also a bit of a sad love song as the speaker seems so unsure of themselves, and that uncertainty lends itself to the Canadian dream. We are forever questioning who we are. Many can tell you what the Great American novel is, but no one can tell you what the great Canadian novel is because we were always trying to write it. Many can tell you the defining moment in American poetry might have been Walt Whitman's “Leaves of Grass,” whereas Canada is still looking for their defining moment, and this is not necessarily a bad thing. The search is part of the journey. Without the search, our destinations become meaningless