The band consists of original members Cuddy (guitar/vocals), Keelor (guitar/vocals) and Donovan (bass) plus newer additions Glenn Milchem (drums), and Bob Egan (multi-instrumentalist). Former members include Anderson (drummer), Wiseman (keyboardist), Kim Deschamps (multi-instrumentalist), Mark French (drummer), and Jamie Gray (keyboardist) and Bob Packwood (keyboards).
Blue Rodeo is one of the most successful and well known contemporary Canadian bands, having released 11 studio albums, one live album, a greatest hits collection and a DVD which have sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. In addition, both Cuddy and Keelor have released solo albums. Blue Rodeo members have collaborated extensively with other notable Canadian artists, including Jann Arden, Cowboy Junkies, Burton Cummings, Kathleen Edwards, Great Big Sea, Sarah McLachlan, The Sadies, Ron Sexsmith, Skydiggers, and The Tragically Hip. Blue Rodeo have won many Canadian music awards, including seven Juno Awards (Canada's Grammy) and principal songwriters Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor have been honoured with seven SOCAN awards.
The band released (November 2008) Blue Road a special 20th Anniversary Live 'bootleg' DVD which features an insightful documentary by Chris Mills and an acoustic CD of their 2008 February 29th Toronto Massey Hall concert. The DVD disc features some acoustic covers, including Neil Young's "Are You Ready For The Country", Randy Travis's "Diggin' Up Bones" and Ian & Sylvia Tyson's "Four Strong Winds." In addition, there's a new bonus studio track on the audio CD by Cuddy and Keelor called "Losing You", which is also performed Live on the DVD.
It was formally announced on June 16th, 2009, that Blue Rodeo will be inducted onto Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto in September, 2009.
On November 10th, 2009, Blue Rodeo released its twelfth studio album, The Things We Left Behind, which is a double CD featuring 16 original compositions by Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy. The release was produced by the band with engineering and mixing assistance from Darryl Neudorf (Neko Case, Jim Cuddy, Kevin Kane, Sarah McLachlan, The Sadies), and the first single to crack the airwaves is "Arizona Dust".
It was officially announced on December 12, 2011 that Blue Rodeo will be inducted into The Canadian Music Hall of Fame, with the formal presentation to occur on April 1st, 2012 at the Canadian Juno Awards.
Blue Rodeo released its 13th studio album on October 29th, 2013 entitled In Our Nature.
Canadian Governor General David Johnston announced on Dec. 30, 2013 that Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor will be celebrated as Officers of the Order of Canada, one of the country`s highest honours, in a ceremony to be scheduled later in 2014.
In the Fall of 2014, Blue Rodeo released their first seasonal holiday collection entitled, A Merrie Christmas To You, which is blessed with their favourite Christmas classics. The collection features beautiful songs by The Band, Big Star, Merle Haggard, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, and two moving originals entitled "Glad To Be Alive" and "Home To You This Christmas".
Blue Rodeo released its latest studio album on October 28, 2016 entitled 1000 Arms, which was produced by Tim Vesely and the band. The Warner Music Canada release features eleven new songs penned by Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, and the first single is entitled "Superstar".
For photo galleries, tour dates and other information on Blue Rodeo you can visit their official website, www.BlueRodeo.com.
Graveyard
Blue Rodeo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I love these new skins
And I love that you were brave enough
To sleep with all my friends
And I love these messy ends
And I love these new beginnings
And I love that you keep pounding
On this drum inside my head
And the once and future destiny
Of your self fulfilling prophesy
No longer the enemy
You accept it willingly
And all the demons are saints
And the saints I'll never trust
In the graveyard of my heart
So let's go kick over tombstones
In the graveyard of my heart
The lyrics to Blue Rodeo's song 'Graveyard' speak about a love that is complicated and messy. The singer expresses their love for chaos and instability, indicated by their love for 'nervous breakdowns' and 'messy ends'. The lyrics suggest that the singer's lover cheated on him with his friends, yet he still loves her, indicating a possible masochistic tendency. The singer seems to have accepted the fate of his problematic relationship, as he sings about his lover's 'self-fulfilling prophecy.'
The term 'graveyard of my heart' suggests that the singer's heart is a desolate and forgotten place, only filled with tombstones and relics of past loves. The lyrics also indicate a certain level of cynicism toward love and trust, indicated by the statement, "all the demons are saints, and the saints I'll never trust." Despite the somber tone and tragic lyrics, the chorus of the song indicates a desire for action, suggesting that the singer and their lover should go and "kick over tombstones" in the graveyard of his heart, indicating a desire for recklessness and disregard for their past relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I love these nervous breakdowns
I enjoy feeling overwhelmed and experiencing emotional turmoil.
And I love these new skins
I like the new version of myself that comes after every challenging experience.
And I love that you were brave enough
To sleep with all my friends
I admire your courage to engage in promiscuous behavior with my friends.
And I love these messy ends
I appreciate the messy and complicated ways that things end.
And I love these new beginnings
I find joy in starting fresh and beginning anew.
And I love that you keep pounding
On this drum inside my head
I appreciate how you keep reminding me of things that I might be trying to forget.
And the once and future destiny
Of your self fulfilling prophesy
No longer the enemy
You accept it willingly
You now realize and accept that the outcomes you often fear are the ones that you create yourself.
And all the demons are saints
People who are often characterized as evil or malicious can be good in some contexts and brought to the forefront.
And the saints I'll never trust
People who are often characterized as good or righteous can be just as bad in some situations and therefore cannot be fully trusted.
In the graveyard of my heart
So let's go kick over tombstones
My heart is the site of my past failures and disappointments, let's confront them and overcome them together.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind