Blue Rodeo is a Canadian country rock band formed in 1984 in Toronto. Jim C… Read Full Bio ↴Blue Rodeo is a Canadian country rock band formed in 1984 in Toronto. Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, who have been friends since high school, having both attended North Toronto Collegiate Institute. The pair worked on forming a band after both attended Queen's University at Kingston. They had a few failed attempts and a few adventures before finally coming together with Cleave Anderson, Bazil Donovan, and Bob Wiseman to form Blue Rodeo. Their debut album Outskirts was produced by Terry Brown, who is perhaps best known for his work with Canadian hard rock legends Rush, was released in March 1987. They have been signed with Warner Music Canada since their debut, but have jumped around a bit in the USA and other markets, mostly on Warner Brothers, Rounder and recently re-signed with Warner Brothers International for the world.

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.

It Makes Me Wonder
Blue Rodeo Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Call me a liar
A coward and a cheat
And in my defense
What case could I possibly make
And how could I deny
A heart so tender and sweet
How could I betray
A love so complete

Well it's hard to explain
The troubles that I've made
Lucky is the man
Who learns from his mistakes

There is little left
For the man who hesitates
And tell me what is gained
By those who always take
So here's what's left of my heart
Yeah it's all torn apart
You say your hands are tied
And it's time to say goodbye

Still it makes me wonder
And it makes me cry
Yes it makes me wonder
And it makes me cry
How the best things are won with sacrifice

I can't stand the sight of my own reflection
I just don't like what I see
All I ever hear you saying to me
Is that I'm not the man that I used to be So take the veil from your eyes
This is who I've always been
I know it's not a pretty sight
Yeah I tried but I failed

Still it makes me wonder
And it makes me cry
Yes it makes me wonder
And it makes me cry
Yes it makes me wonder

And it makes me cry
How the best things are won with sacrifice

Overall Meaning

The song "It Makes Me Wonder" by Blue Rodeo is a reflection on personal mistakes and the cost of sacrificing love for personal gain. The lyrics are filled with self-recrimination and regret as the singer contemplates the damage they have caused to a relationship that was once filled with love and tenderness. The song begins with the singer being accused of being a liar, coward, and cheat and they struggle to find a defense for their behavior. The realization of their wrongdoing comes through as they acknowledge the loss of a love that was once complete, and how their hesitation and selfishness cost them everything.

The refrain "Still it makes me wonder, and it makes me cry, how the best things are won with sacrifice" highlights the struggle between self-interest and the importance of making sacrifices for love. The singer acknowledges their mistakes, but it's unclear if they are willing to make the necessary changes to regain what they lost. The song's melancholic tone is reinforced by the repeated emphasis on the sadness and pain caused by their actions.

Line by Line Meaning

Call me a liar
Challenge my honesty

A coward and a cheat
Question my integrity

And in my defense
As I try to justify my actions

What case could I possibly make
What argument could convince you?

And how could I deny
Refute the impact of

A heart so tender and sweet
Your loving nature

How could I betray
Be unfaithful to

A love so complete
Such a true and full love

Well it's hard to explain
Difficult to justify

The troubles that I've made
The problems that resulted from my actions

Lucky is the man
Fortunate is the person