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.

Willin' Fool
Blue Rodeo Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Isn't it funny
Funny to think
I once believed you
I thought you were being straight
But what a bad joke
It's always the same
With one hand you offer
While the other slaps my face

You
You made a willin' fool out of me

So there you sit
In the great city of kicks
Your apologetic fingers
Fumbling with a pack of cigarettes
Your good intentions
As hollow as your eyes
Yea you paint your world
With brilliant lies

You
You made a willin' fool out of me
The last time I saw you
I was dangling from a ledge
You posed quickly for a picture
Just before I lost my grip
You kind a remind me

Of those psychos in a German film
You're that cool smirking weirdo
With the voices in his head

Voices in his head

Voices in his
Voices in his
Voices in his head

You
You made a willin' fool out of me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Blue Rodeo’s song “Willin’ Fool” tell the story of someone who trusted and believed in another person who turned out to be deceitful and manipulative. The first verse describes how the singer was foolish enough to give the other person the benefit of the doubt, only to be let down and hurt by their betrayal. The second verse paints a picture of the person who betrayed the singer, sitting with a pack of cigarettes, trying to apologize but ultimately failing. The singer sees through the lies and realizes that this person only ever intended to use and hurt them. The final verse compares the betrayer to a character from a German film, someone who is cool and collected on the outside but full of sinister thoughts and intentions. The repetition of the phrase “voices in his head” reinforces the idea that this person is not to be trusted.

Overall, “Willin’ Fool” is a cautionary tale about taking people at face value and being aware of their true intentions. The lyrics highlight the importance of being able to see through someone's lies and not getting taken advantage of. Through its poignant storytelling, this Blue Rodeo song serves as a powerful reminder to stay vigilant and protect our hearts from those who would do us harm.

Line by Line Meaning

Isn't it funny
Isn't it strange

Funny to think
Funny to think about

I once believed you
I had faith in you

I thought you were being straight
I thought you were honest

But what a bad joke
But it turned out to be a cruel joke

It's always the same
It always happens like this

With one hand you offer
You offer something with one hand

While the other slaps my face
While the other hand hurts me

You
You, the person I trusted

You made a willin' fool out of me
You made me an eager and foolish follower of you

So there you sit
You are sitting there