To reduce the Tragically Hip‘s body of work to a list of ten songs is an ignoble, and potentially fruitless task. There simply isn’t a way to quantify the spirit of the band into such a compact collection, because they aren’t a band that can be contained by metrics. They can’t be measured by songs, or for that matter even albums. Readers either have an inherent connection to the Hip or they don’t; a scant sample like this won’t satisfy fans nor will it convert those who just simply aren’t into them. It’s less about “liking” the band and more about understanding how integral they are to the Canadian experience. This is not to cast aspersion on non-fans; one could very well have never clicked with the music but still respect how distinctly intertwined it is with millions of people across the country. Their music transcended itself and defined an entire country– literally.
The group’s final show on August 20th, 2016 proved this. Broadcast on the CBC, it drew an astounding 11.7 million viewers/listeners – a third of the country’s population – and that didn’t even account for viewing parties with multiple people in attendance. Even ardent detractors tuned in to watch at some point specifically because of the communal experience of the event. Can you imagine a Canadian purposely skipping the last Tragically Hip show ever? Inconceivable! It would be like turning down the last Tim Horton’s donut ever produced, or not wanting a moose as a pet. Willingly cutting yourself out of a generation’s historic moment…. basically tantamount to treason. This was a bandwagon with plenty of room, not unlike hockey games at the Olympics. Those who can’t name three NHL teams will gladly paint themselves red and white every four years. (Incidentally, the only Canadian broadcast that drew more viewers was the 2010 Canada vs. USA hockey game).
The Tragically Hip were Canada: The Band. They were essentially wholly contained within the country; bands like Rush or Nickelback may have crossed over into international fame, but they just didn’t embody the country’s lifeblood like the Hip did. So please keep the aforementioned in mind when reading through this list. It’s far from comprehensive, and shouldn’t even be considered as a literal countdown. It’s merely a sample of a catalogue that has been woven into the fabric of a nation.
OK, here’s yer list:
