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.
Somebody Waits
Blue Rodeo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You sounded so strange on the telephone
It's hard when you discover
What keeps you going keeps you all alone
Dreams so real you thought the smoke might never clear
Now you hide it all behind endless cigarettes and tears
You get yourself so high
Then you fall down feeling blue
One day you'll wake up and realize you've had enough
There's a thousand shining moments
Waiting just to happen to you
Wait until you're stronger
There's no sense leaving when you're down so low
Well it takes the heart a little longer
To see the point in finally letting go
You lose your touch out there standing in the rain
When it's all too much you feel like slipping down again
Somebody waits for the time I know will never come
You get yourself so high
Then you fall down feeling blue
One day you'll wake up and realize you've had enough
There's a thousand shining moments
Waiting just to happen to you
Somebody waits for the time I know will never come
You get yourself so high
Then you fall down feeling blue
One day you'll wake up and realize you've had enough
There's a thousand shining moments
Waiting just to happen to you
The lyrics of Blue Rodeo's "Somebody Waits" depict a person struggling with their addiction and the loneliness and regret that come with it. The first verse talks about how the singer understands why the other person sounded strange on the phone; it's because they realized that their addiction is causing them to be alone. They have dreams that they thought would never clear, but they mask it all with endless cigarettes and tears. The second verse urges them to wait until they are stronger and not leave when they are at their lowest because the heart takes longer to understand the need to let go. The singer understands that it's not easy, but there are shining moments waiting for them to happen.
The chorus says that there's somebody waiting for them, but they know that the time will never come. The person gets themselves high, but then falls down feeling blue. One day they will wake up and realize they've had enough, and there are so many shining moments waiting to happen to them.
Overall, the lyrics of "Somebody Waits" are a touching representation of the struggles many people face when trying to overcome addiction. It's clear the singer wants the best for the other person and is urging them not to give up on themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Now I think I know why
The singer has a realization about a situation.
You sounded so strange on the telephone
The other person was displaying emotions on the phone that made the singer curious.
It's hard when you discover
The truth about something can be difficult to bear.
What keeps you going keeps you all alone
The things that fuel one's dreams can lead to isolation.
Dreams so real you thought the smoke might never clear
The artist had intense dreams that have clouded their perspective.
Now you hide it all behind endless cigarettes and tears
The singer is trying to cover up their feelings with addictive habits.
Somebody waits for the time I know will never come
There is someone or something the singer is waiting for that may never arrive.
You get yourself so high
The artist indulges in something that makes them feel temporarily good.
Then you fall down feeling blue
The eventual crash from the temporary high is accompanied by sadness.
One day you'll wake up and realize you've had enough
The artist will eventually reach a point where they can no longer tolerate their behavior.
There's a thousand shining moments
There are many good things waiting in the future for the singer.
Waiting just to happen to you
These good things are just waiting to come into the artist's life.
Wait until you're stronger
The singer advises waiting until the time is right to make a change.
There's no sense leaving when you're down so low
It may not be wise to make decisions when feeling very low.
Well it takes the heart a little longer
It can take time for one to be emotionally ready to make a change.
To see the point in finally letting go
Eventually one will understand that they need to let go of something holding them back.
You lose your touch out there standing in the rain
Trying to hold on to something that is slipping away can lead to feeling helpless and exposed like being out in the rain.
When it's all too much you feel like slipping down again
When things become overwhelming, the singer is tempted to return to old habits.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Browne
No such thing as a bad Blue Rodeo song. There just isn't.
Walsh Michael
this song may have saved my life back in 2000. Never get tired of it. Never will.
Just a bonus that it happened to be my favorite band.
missliss312a
I had to cover for my sister and take my dad to a Blue Rodeo concert last week. With that going on, I was having 20-year-old echoes of this song in my head, because it's the first song I knew they did, when it was new and I was 14. Glad I remembered enough of the lyrics to finally find it.
Cherub Jubilee
This song get me through rough times
misslantana52
They had me at HELLO! A really brill band that needs more exposure! 10 likes? 555 views? What is up with that? I am a Blue Rodeo~aholic! LOVE THEM! (*_*)
allyraeluk
I was raised on blue Rodeo. My mom has a super crush on one.
Pam Mollinga
Awesome song
deruthven
I used to have the chorus printed out on a sheet and put up on my wall. It was a great reminder to myself.
nosrep20
First heard this on a bus in 2000, actually the "bus" part isn't relevant but this song is... to my happiness :D love it!
Lara Shaw
Love this! The black and white clips, are from their CBC special, "The Scenes In Between," which aired around the album release date. I have it, but only on VHS, in mono. Would love to know where to get my hands on a better copy of that!