Top 5 Tragically Hip Songs to Teach a Canadian History Class with

As every good Canadian knows, there’s three important ingredients necessary for retaining citizenship in the Great White North:

1) A love for ice hockey
2) A love for snow
3) A love for Tim Horton & his coffee
4) A love for the Tragically Hip

Okay, so that’s 4, but as you notice, math isn’t on the list. And that last ingredient, a love for Gord Downie and the gang in the Tragically Hip, may be what really separates us from our freedom loving friends south of the CAN/AM border. Cause I’ve been there before, and there’s lots of people there that like coffee, snow, and hockey, but have never heard of the song “New Orleans is Sinking” – and New Orleans is in America, for pete’s sake!

Important historical sources

So I thought that in light of this, if I were ever to teach a course on Canadian history, the best and most accessible way to do it would be in Tragically Hip song form.

One of the great things about Tragically Hip songs is how layered they are. A brilliant instructor, seizing upon the opportunities these songs offer, could really make a lecture fun – AND dare-i-say, perhaps even make Canadian history kinda interesting. Here’s my top 5 favourite songs to teach Canadian history with:

#1 “Nautical Disaster”

This song could act as a gateway to Canada’s traditional links to Britain, the role Canada played in WWII, and the brutality of wartime atrocities committed…even by the hands of the Allies.

#2 “Fifty Mission Cap”

Not only could this song tie into a lecture on Canada in wartime just as “Nautical Disaster” would, but it also immerses itself in sport history with the story of Bill Barilko & a time when the Toronto Maple Leafs could win, not to mention Canadian culture AND most importantly: hockey cards.

#3 “(At the) Hundredth Meridian”

The line that runs through Manitoba, this would be a fantastic start to a lecture of Canada east/west relations. And buffalo. Also, it would be a good way to introduce students to Ry Cooder.

#4 “Wheat Kings”

Holy moly where to start with this one – you’ve got crime, punishment, and an innocent man – Western Canadian culture, and a story that transfixed the entire nation.

#5 “38 Years Old”

Maybe not a song based on a true story, but the song traces life in small town Canada, and what tragedy can do to a community. The tale told in the song could have come from anywhere in the country.

#6 “Fireworks”

This could be the song that brings the whole course together. You’ve got ice hockey, you’ve got the Cold War, and you’ve got an event that anyone alive at the time would remember. If only it mentioned coffee it could be our new national anthem.

So I know there’s 6 songs, but you’ll notice not one of the songs mentions math. There’s heaps more songs that could be added to this list, so feel free to include them below. Also, in the course of my “research” for this post I stumbled upon a great website called: A Museum After Dark: The Myth and Mystery of the Tragically Hip. It’s awesome, and goes into way more depth about songs and the band than I do.

Explore posts in the same categories: "Intellectual" Sources, Music from America's Hat

Tags: 1972, 50 mission cap, Bill Barilko, Canada, Canadian history, Canadian myths, coffee, Cold War, david milgaard, Gord Downie, history, hockey, innovation, music, paul henderson goal, rock, summit series, teaching, the bismarck, Tim Hortons, Toronto Maple Leafs, Tragically Hip, western canada, WWII

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