Mixtape for Jenn (Volume 1)
Calming Canadian tunes for Dani's favourite honorary Canadian.
Dear Jenn,
You always joke that in another life you would love to be Canadian…and I don’t blame you!
Beyond stereotypes (like being freakishly nice and loving hockey and eating poutine and drinking double doubles from Tim Hortons in a backyard filled with beavers), I thought it was time that you got a proper introduction to the Canadian Music *Hall of Fame*!! Canada does have a lot to offer, including pretty incredible talent. So if you’re going to be a REAL honorary Canadian, you’ve got to familiarize yourself with the legends (beyond Justin Bieber :P).
I know this Canuck compilation of twee, folk, country, indie might be a bit outside of your standard GRWM repertoire - but music has the capability to connect us all! I hope you can still find enjoyment in these classics from my soft rock childhood (and beyond). Maybe you can listen to it while you’re “oot and aboot” in the cAr?"
Need further context?
It’s easy to overlook Canadian entertainment…especially when compared to their American counterparts. But beyond my formative years and fondest memories, I wanted to acknowledge that Canadian artists have long taken the global stage. Before Drake was…Drake, THE GREATS like Joni Mitchell and Neil Young were writing some of the most moving lyrics of all time. Did you know that even your beloved Simple Plan hails from Montréal, Quebec?? And one of Olivia Rodrigo’s earliest influences was Alanis Morissette???
But my appreciation for Canada didn’t always run this deep. Even though I grew up in one of the biggest cities in the country, I never saw Toronto romanticized amongst the public glitz and glamour of famed cities like Los Angeles or NYC. Any Canadian offshoot (from Canadian Idol to Canada’s Next Top Model) was always LESSER, and it always felt like Canada was the brunt of the joke. While large in stature, the allure of the CN tower was NOT big enough for me, so I spent the early aughts dreaming of one day leaving.
A major turning point of realization (that living in Canada was more than counting moose), was when I saw Canadian music get coveted placements at my favourite beachside bait shop.
The Best Show Ever (The O.C.), playlisted songs from artists on my iPod nano like Stars, Hot Hot Heat, and Sam Roberts, and a teenage me suddenly saw a suburban life bridged with Seth Cohen and his plentiful graphic tees. To appear on one of the most mesmerizing shows of all time, was to indicate that Canadian music was, and always has been, at the epicentre of global culture! So naturally, I leaned in with full certainty and have never looked back.
So, without further ado, I proudly present the track list for Volume 1 of Jenn’s Mixtape: Playlist for an Honorary Canadian :’) Hope you like it.
Put Your Head on my Shoulder - Paul Anka
7/4 (Shoreline) - Broken Social Scene
Bobcaygeon - The Tragically Hip
Suzanne - Leonard Cohen
Baby I - Amy Millan
Sundown - Gordon Lightfoot
In the Movies - Sloan
You Wouldn’t Like Me - Tegan and Sara
Combat Baby - Metric
Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl - Broken Social Scene
Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchell
Ageless Beauty - Stars
California - Rufus Wainwright
The Weight - The Band
Constant Craving - k.d. lang
Everything You’ve Done Wrong - Sloan
Harvest Moon - Neil Young
Mushaboom - Feist
Middle of Nowhere - Hot Hot Heat
Mass Romantic - New Pornographers
These Eyes - The Guess Who
Any Man of Mine - Shania Twain
Footnotes: In fourth grade, I performed a lip-synched dance routine to Sloan’s “If It Feels Good Do It” (I was Patrick, and I STILL LOVE SLOAN). I’ve also seen at least 5 free Metric shows between the late 90s and early 2010s, one of which was on a boat. Breaking me out of a brief Ashlee Simpson obsession (read: “Pieces of Me” on repeat), was Tegan and Sara’s “You Wouldn’t Like Me”…which at 13 years old I was convinced were the most beautiful vocals I’d ever heard. I’ve also been known to run to the beat of Shania’s greatest hits.
I love this idea!!!